Vietnam is estimated to post export revenues of over 8.5 billion U.S. dollars in the first three months of this year, a year-on-year surge of 20 percent, according to a local trade information agency on Monday.

Items recording high growths included rubber, up 100 percent to 261 million dollars; textiles and garments, up 31 percent to nearly 1.3 billion dollars; and footwear, up 23 percent to 816 million dollars, said the Trade Ministry's Trade Information Center.

Vietnam is estimated to spend more than 8.5 billion dollars on importing goods, including petroleum products, steel, fertilizers and machines, between January and March, up 1.9 percent against the same period last year.

Vietnam, which posted export turnovers of 32.2 billion dollars in 2005, a year-on-year increase of 21.6 percent, is boosting exports having large revenues, diversifying markets and fostering trade promotion in an effort to gain export growth of 16.4 percent in 2006.

Source: Xinhua