Vietnam June trade deficit narrows to $500 million - customs

Containers are loaded at a port in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam July 27, 2018. REUTERS/Kham

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam reported a trade deficit of around $500 million in June, narrowing from a deficit of $2.07 billion in May, government customs data released on Monday showed.

Exports in June rose 3.9% from May to $27.2 billion, while imports were down 2.1% to $27.7 billion, the Customs Department said in a statement.

For the first half of this year, exports rose 29% from a year earlier to $158.3 billion, while imports were up 36.3% to around $159.3 billion, resulting in a trade deficit of $992 million for the period, it said.