Garments and textiles topped the list of Vietnam’s major exports to the US, reaching nearly US$1.6 billion, up 5 percent. This was followed by leather shoes earning US$460 million, up 22.6 percent.

However, wood products fell 9 percent and aquatic products were down 16.4 percent in export volume.

Also during the time, US exports to Vietnam totalled US$822.7 million, down 22 percent. As a result, total export-import turnover between Vietnam and the US reached US$4.5 billion, decreasing 4 percent against the same period last year.

Vietnam is one of 30 countries whose US exports have increased in first 4 months of the year. Meanwhile, other ASEAN members saw a drop of 25 percent on average, according to Ngo Van Thoan, Vietnamese Trade Counsellor to the US.

He predicted that Vietnam’s total export turnover to the US in 2009 is likely to hit US$132 billion, up 5 percent against 2008.