On Wednesday, state-owned coal miner Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Corp. (Vinacomin) said that the first imports of US coal had arrived in the country.
IMI Fuels LLC imported 21,700 t of US coal, which arrived at a port in northern Vietnam.
Vietnam’s imports of coal have surged by more than 50% year-on-year in the first half of this year to a record high. The country is increasingly reliant on imported coals, and its biggest coal importers in the period were Indonesia and Australia.
Vietnam is increasing its buying from the US as an effort to minimize the trade gap between the two countries following US President Donald Trump’s threat of tariffs on its products.
According to customs data, the country’s trade surplus with the US widened to USD24.46 billion in the first half of 2020 from USD20.58 in the corresponding period of 2019.
