Exports in September fell 2.1 percent from a month earlier to $19.34 billion, while imports edged up 0.3 percent from August to $18.24 billion, Vietnam Customs said on its website.

Vietnam exported $154.32 billion of goods in the first nine months of 2017, up 20 percent from a year earlier, while imports increased 22.7 percent in the same period to $154 billion, leaving a surplus of $320 million.