Vietnam imports less steel in 1st 6 months

HANOI, July 6 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam spent nearly 7.1 billion U.S. dollars importing roughly 6.6 million tons of steel and iron in the first six months of this year, data from the Vietnam Steel Association showed Wednesday.

The figure represents a fall of 7.7 percent in volume but an increase of 21.8 percent in value year on year, according to the association's statistics.

In June alone, the country imported about 1.3 million tons of the products worth approximately 1.5 billion dollars, up 15.5 percent in volume and 28.3 percent in value year on year, according to the association.

In 2021, Vietnam spent 11.5 billion dollars importing more than 12.3 million tons of steel and iron, down 7.1 percent in volume but up 42.6 percent in value against 2020, according to its General Statistics Office.