The bilateral trade exchange between Vietnam and Singapore totaled over US$ 3.5 billion in the first five months of this year, increased by 14.7 per cent over the same period of 2016, showed the preliminary statistics figures of the General Department of Customs.

Of the figure, the country exported over $ 1.2 billion worth of goods to and imported $ 2.3 billion worth of goods from Singapore, up by 36.4 per cent and 5.8 per cent, respectively. So in the first five months, Vietnam got $ 1.1 billion of deficit in trade exchange with Singapore.

Petroleum was leading the list of items imported from Singapore in the first five months of this year with over $ 1 billion, accounted for 45.4 per cent of the total.

It was followed by computers, electronics and components with $ 318.4 million, down by 45.6 per cent; machines, equipment and spare parts - $ 132.6 million, down by 23.4 per cent; plastics - $ 117 million, up by 19.7 per cent; and other oil products - $ 110.7 million, up by 29.4 per cent.

In the first five months of this year, Vietnam’s exports of ores and minerals to Singapore rocketed by 20 folds or 1,885 per cent to $ 1.5 million; while the exports of iron and steel scraps – up by 243.8 per cent to $ 21.1 million; metal products – up by 181 per cent to $ 3 million; seafood – up by 79 per cent to $ 4.6 million; plastic products – up by 96 per cent to $ 15 million.

However, the imports of tobacco materials was down by 90 per cent to $ 0.1 million; pharmaceuticals – down by 66 per cent to $ 1.5 million; computers, electronics and components – down by 46 per cent to $ 318.4 million.

Item	First 5 months of 2017	First 5 months of 2016	First 5 months of 2017 vs. same period of 2016 (%)
Total	2,308,450,671	2,181,058,882	+5.84
Petroleum of all kinds	1,047,646,022	750,538,155	+39.59
Computers, electronics and components	318,360,441	585,110,050	-45.59
Machines, equipment and spare parts	132,580,400	173,050,511	-23.39
Plastics	116,951,275	97,742,197	+19.65
Other oil products	110,746,234	85,612,717	+29.36
Hygiene products	80,571,169	76,020,466	+5.99
Papers of all kinds	74,723,184	63,201,402	+18.23
Chemical products	73,828,815	60,490,133	+22.05
Chemicals	70,905,056	48,860,889	+45.12
Milk and products	55,877,670	59,037,629	-5.35
Other food products	47,499,120	34,743,135	+36.72
Iron and steel scraps	21,067,224	6,128,206	+243.77
Pesticide and materials	20,320,486	21,386,044	-4.98
Plastic products	14,966,433	7,640,982	+95.87
Iron and steel products	9,803,407	11,533,071	-15.00
Animal feed and materials	7,086,462	7,528,739	-5.87
Other ordinary metals	6,645,354	7,796,750	-14.77
Seafood	4,628,230	2,586,369	+78.95
Electric wires and cables	3,782,858	4,892,373	-22.68
Other metal products	2,986,209	1,061,984	+181.19
Means of transport and spare parts	2,840,381	2,857,626	-0.60
Rubber products	2,482,298	1,956,434	+26.88
Confectionery and grain products	2,333,006	2,098,791	+11.16
Pharmaceutical materials	2,285,830	2,259,534	+1.16
Iron and steel of all kinds	1,803,123	2,379,676	-24.23
Pharmaceuticals	1,546,541	4,601,334	-66.39
Ores and other minerals	1,459,862	73,539	+1885.15
Cloth of all kinds	1,380,595	1,167,854	+18.22
Oil and grease	892,014	781,260	+14.18
Textile, garment, leather and footwear materials	842,305	925,801	-9.02
Paper products	789,557	680,996	+15.94
Cashew nuts	218,750		*
Tobacco materials	115,055	1,165,008	-90.12