The figures also showed that the nation incurred a trade deficit of US$100 million only in January, and began earning a surplus in February at US$244 million.
The surplus reached US$1 billion in the first quarter, US$683 million in the first four months, US$1.6 billion in the first five months and US$1.3 billion in the first half. After seven months, the surplus increased to US$1.26 billion.
The nation's total exports reached US$97 billion in the first eight months, which was 14.1% higher than that of the same period last year. The nation's total imports reached US$95.3 billion, which was 12% higher than that of the same period last year.
The United States was the country's largest export market in the first eight months accounting for US$18.5 billion in exports, or 22.5% more than that of the same period last year.
Other significant export markets include the European Union with US$17.9 billion in exports, a 13.3% rise from that of last year; ASEAN with US$12.4 billion, a 0.5% rise; Japan with US$9.9 billion, a 12.7% rise; and China with US$9.8 billion, a 15.2% rise.
The GSO also reported that the largest import market was China with US$27.6 billion, a 17.3% rise from that of the same period last year. Vietnam achieved a US$17.8-billion trade deficit with China in the first eight months, a year-on-year surge of 18.5%.
