HANOI: Vietnam had a trade surplus of $1.1 billion in September, much higher than the government’s forecast of $400 million, the customs department said on Monday.

Exports in September fell 2.1% from a month earlier to $19.34 billion, while imports edged up 0.3% from August to $18.24 billion, Vietnam Customs said on its website.

Vietnam exported $154.32 billion of goods in the first nine months of 2017, up 20% from a year earlier, while imports increased 22.7% in the same period to $154 billion, leaving a surplus of $320 million.