Vietnam's automobile import up 22.5% in January

HANOI, Feb 8 (Xinhua): Vietnam spent US$551 million on importing completely-built automobiles and components for assembly in January, posting a year-on-year increase of 22.5 per cent. Specifically, the country imported around 6,000 completely-built automobiles worth US$191 million, up 32.8 per cent in volume and 58.6 per cent in value, according to the country's Ministry of Industry and Trade on Monday. In 2020, Vietnam's total automobile sales stood at 296,634 units, down 8 per cent year on year, according to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association. Last year, Vietnam spent nearly US$6.3 billion importing completely-built automobiles and components for assembly, down 14.3 percent against 2019. Meanwhile, Vietnam recorded 20 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, which were all locally transmitted, according to its Ministry of Health. The new infections brought the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 2,001 with 35 deaths, the ministry said. Among the cases, 19 were recorded in northern Hai Duong province, the country's Covid-19 hotspot at the moment, and one was detectd in the central highlands Gia Lai province. As many as 1,472 patients have been given the all-clear, the ministry said, adding that over 83,100 people are being quarantined and monitored. The latest wave of Covid-19 infections hit the country on Jan. 28, with 418 community cases so far confirmed in 12 cities and provinces, according to the ministry. - Xinhua