AsemconnectVietnam - Vietnam produced 5.72 million tonnes of steel in the first half of this year, up 12.7 percent from a year ago, said Nguyen Van Sua, vice chair of the Vietnam Steel Association (VSA).

The sum included a 4.57 percent growth in construction steel production, 6.63 percent in cold- rolled steel volume, 30.21 percent of welded steel pipes, and 30.42 percent of galvanised steel. The country’s steel sales also increased 11 percent in the period, thank to the recovery in domestic demand and exports of welded steel pipes and galvanised steel, he added.

In 2014, the country’s steel sales are predicted to rise by between 3 percent and 5 percent on-year to between 12.2 million tonnes and 12.5 million tonnes as industries with a big demand for steel such as shipbuilding, auto, mechanical engineering and construction will not prosper.

Source: Intellasia