HANOI, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam spent 1.9 billion U.S. dollars importing nearly 2.1 million tons of paper of various kinds, including waste paper, in 2018, a year-on-year rises of 14.2 percent and 6.1 percent respectively, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said on Thursday.
Last month alone, the country imported 210,000 tons of paper worth 172 million U.S. dollars, mainly from China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea and Thailand, up 24.7 percent in volume and up 13.6 percent in value.
Among Vietnam's total paper output, 70 percent is made from waste paper, the ministry's Industry Agency said, noting that of the waste paper, some 60 percent are imports.
Vietnam's demand for paper of all kinds is estimated to grow 8-10 percent annually in the near future, while the country exports over 1 billion U.S. dollars worth of paper each year, mainly to China, the United States and Japan, according to the Vietnam Pulp and Paper Association.
