The exports of fabric and garments from Vietnam rose by a sharp 18.9 percent year-on-year to US$ 17.946 billion in 2013, according to the data released by the General Department of Customs, Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance.

 

With $8.611 billion worth of goods, the US turned out to be the largest importer of fabric and clothing items from Vietnam during the year, followed by Japan and South Korea with imports of $2.382 billion and $1.64 billion, respectively.

 

Among the European countries, Germany was the top buyer of fabric and garments from Vietnam with exports valued at $652.296 billion. Spain, the UK and the Netherlands were the other large importers of Vietnamese fabric and apparel last year with goods worth $534.518 million, $471.397 million and $253.952 million, respectively.

 

Vietnam’s fabric and garment exports to Canada were valued at $391.183 million, while those to China and Taiwan were worth $355.365 million and $201.370 million, respectively.

 

Last year, Vietnam also exported 282,005 tons of yarn worth $900.24 million to China, and 138,026 tons of yarn valued at $321.81 million to Turkey, the Customs data showed.

 

On the import side, Vietnam imported 581,179 tons of cotton valued at $1.17 billion during the year, registering a growth of 39.1 percent year-on-year and 33.4 percent year-on-year, respectively.

 

Vietnam imported 219,644 tons of cotton from the US, 102,087 tons from India, 38,881 tons from Brazil and 38,046 tons from Australia in 2013. The country also imported cotton for its textile industry from Pakistan, Ivory Coast, Argentina, Taiwan, Indonesia, Italy, South Korea, France, Switzerland and China.

 

The Southeast Asian nation also imported 696,194 tons of yarn worth $1.519 billion in 2013, showing a rise of 7.7 percent year-on-year and 8 percent year-on-year, respectively.

 

Vietnam’s yarn imports during the period mostly came from the Asian region, with Taiwan supplying 218,176 tons, China 215,262 tons, Thailand 86,061 tons, South Korea 78,171 tons, Indonesia 29,609 tons and India 26,557 tons. Vietnam also imported yarn in small quantities from the Netherlands, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Japan and Pakistan.

 

During the year, Vietnam’s fabric imports increased by 19.3 percent year-on-year to $8.397 billion, with China accounting for $3.887 billion of the same, followed by South Korea, Taiwan and Japan with $1.713 billion, $1.241 billion and $563.562 million, respectively.