According to preliminary statistics of General Department of Customs, in March 2024, Vietnam imported more than 5.4 million tonnes of coal, equivalent to 670.9 million USD, an increase of 30.1% in volume and an increase of 9.2% in value compared to the previous month.
In the first 3 months of the year, coal import reached more than 14.6 million tonnes, worth 1.95 billion USD, a sharp increase of 76% in volume and 35.4% in turnover compared to the same period in 2023. The average import price in 2 months reached 123.5 USD/tonne, down 30.4% over the same period in 2023.
In the first quarter of 2024, Vietnam imported the most coal from Indonesia, reaching 5.37 million tonnes, equivalent to 504.3 million USD. Behind are Australia and Russia respectively. In particular, imports from Russia witnessed a 3-digit increase.
Specifically, in March 2024, coal imports of all kinds from Russia reached 509,166 tonnes with a turnover of more than 97.7 million USD, an increase of 124.3% in volume and an increase of 65.4% in turnover compared to February 2023. In the entire first quarter of 2024, imports of this product from Russia reached more than 1.4 million tonnes with a turnover of more than 285.8 million USD, a sharp increase of 146.6% in volume and an increase of 87% in value over the same period last year.
Average import price in 2023 reached 201 USD/tonne, a sharp decrease of 24.2% compared to the same period in 2022.
According to data from Statista, Russia's coal output reached 443.6 million tonnes, an increase of 0.3% compared to 2021, maintaining its position as the third largest coal exporting country in the world. This output level is nearly 15 times higher than Vietnam's self-produced coal output in 2022 with more than 30 million tonnes.
According to statistics from General Department of Customs, Vietnam's coal imports in 2023 reached more than 51.1 million tonnes, worth more than 7.1 billion USD, a sharp increase of 61.4% in volume, an increase of 0. 7% in turnover compared to the same period in 2022.
Vietnam is increasingly dependent on imported coal supplies, mainly serving thermal power plants, cement and fertilizer production. Therefore, Vietnam is planning to import large amounts of coal from Laos.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn