Vietnam paper imports up last year

Việt Nam imported US$682.1 million worth of paper products last year, a year-on-year increase of 10.86 per cent, reported the Việt Nam General Department of Customs.

In December 2017 alone, Việt Nam imported $58.8 million worth of paper products, down 10 per cent compared to November, the first drop in three consecutive months.

Vietnamese paper products are mainly imported from China, accounting for 42 per cent of total turnover, reaching $285 million in 2017 and increasing 19.95 per cent against 2016. The second largest import market was Thailand with $91.1 million, up 9.35 per cent compared to the previous year, followed by the Republic of Korea and Japan with $59.5 million and $50.3 million, respectively.

In addition to these markets, Việt Nam also imports from other markets such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia, as well the United States, Germany and Singapore.

In general, last year, the import turnover of paper products from all markets grew significantly, compared to 2016 and accounted for 72.2 per cent.

Particularly, imports from the German market increased sharply. Although Germany is not the main import market, it accounted for only 0.7 per cent of the country’s total import turnover; compared to 2016, this result increased 1.3 times. Besides, imports from Indonesia and Japan were also up sharply, rising by 33.16 per cent and 19.09 per cent, respectively.

In contrast to markets with strong increases, imports from Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong decreased 12.01 per cent, 10.4 per cent and 1.26 per cent, respectively.