HANOI, July 29 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam is estimated to post a year-on-year surge of 52.2 percent in crude oil export value, despite a12.1-percent drop in export volume, in the first seven months of this year.

    Between January and July, Vietnam is set to export 7.8 million tons of crude oil worth 6.8 billion U.S. dollars, mainly to China, Singapore, Japan and the United States, according to the country's General Statistics Office on Monday.

    Vietnam is lessening the export of such fossil fuel as crude oil and coal to ensure sufficient supplies for oil refineries and energy-thirsty industries like electricity and cement. Its first refinery with an annual processing capacity of 6.5 million tons of crude oil under construction in central Quang Ngai province is scheduled to operate next February.

    Vietnam is estimated to import roughly 8.3 million tons of petroleum products valued at nearly 7.8 billion dollars in the first seven months of this year, up 11.4 percent and 90.7 percent, respectively, against the same period last year, said the statistics office.