Vietnam's Mar trade surplus posts rise

HANOI, Apr 10 (Reuters): Vietnam posted a $2.26 billion trade surplus in March boosted by exports of electronics and textile products, the customs department said on Tuesday, much higher than the previous estimate for an $800 million surplus.
March exports were revised to $21.13 billion, the department said, up from the $19.8 billion exports estimate by the General Statistics Office. Exports were adjusted higher in almost all sectors, notably in phones, electronics, machines, textiles and seafood.
The statistics office provides monthly estimated macro-economic data, including trade figures, by the end of each month. The revised trade data is released the following month by the Customs Department.
Vietnam's economy has been traditionally supported by exports, and the nation posted its strongest first-quarter growth this year, backed by solid manufacturing and recovery in the agriculture sector.
The January-March trade surplus was adjusted to $2.69 billion, Customs data showed, compared with a $1.3 billion surplus estimated previously.
The country posted a trade surplus for the second year in a row in 2017 at $2.9 billion, the customs data showed. The government has targeted an 8-10 per cent export growth rate this year.