Vietnam earned over 1.6 billion U.S. dollars from exporting computers and electronics appliances in the first 11 months of this year, up 22.7 percent over the same period last year.

Many of the products were exported to Thailand, Japan, the United States and the Philippines, according to the Vietnam Electronic Industries Association on Monday.

"We reaped nearly 1.5 billion dollars from exporting electronics goods, including computers, in 2005. By penetrating deeply into both traditional and new markets, including Japan, some Southeast Asian countries, China, South Korea and France, we can make export turnover of 2 billion dollars this year," said the association's general secretary Tran Quang Hung.

To gain bigger export revenues and maintain domestic market shares under pressure of regional tariff reduction roadmaps, electronics producers in Vietnam, many of them are making electronics appliances under outsourcing contracts with foreign firms, should increase the added value in their products, which currently stands at only 10-15 percent, he said.

The producers should either design their own product models, instead of relying on models supplied by the foreign firms, or strengthen production of components and spare parts for export, he said, noting that foreign-invested enterprises in Vietnam are doing that very well.

Vietnam spent over 1.8 billion dollars importing electronics goods, computers and their components between January and November, a year-on-year rise of 20.1 percent. Its key import markets included Singapore, Japan, China and the United States, according to the association.

Source: Xinhua