HANOI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam spent over 1.21 billion U.S. dollars on importing around 49,900 automobiles in the first half (H1) of 2016, according to Vietnam Customs on Friday.
The figures post a decrease of 19.3 percent in value and 9.1 percent in volume compared to the same period last year, said the General Department of Vietnam Customs on its website.
Specifically, the country imported 20,400 autos with fewer than nine seats worth 375 million U.S. dollars, up 15.9 percent in volume and 69.4 percent in value year-on-year.
During H1, a total of 21,900 trucks worth 458 million U.S. dollars were shipped into Vietnam, up 2.3 percent in volume but down 19.8 percent in value year-on-year.
The country imported 7,600 units of other autos, worth 379 million U.S. dollars, said the department.
Among major markets for Vietnamese auto imports in H1, Thailand ranked first with over 17,000 units, followed by South Korea with more than 9,000 units, China with nearly 7,000 units and India with 6,000 units among others.
During January-June period, as many as 135,863 automobiles including Complete Knock Down and Complete Built Up were sold in Vietnam, posting a growth of 31 percent year-on-year, according to statistics by Vietnam Automobile Manufacturer Association.
