Vietnam July trade surplus widens to $2.8 billion - customs

HANOI, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Vietnam recorded a trade surplus of $2.8 billion in July, widening from a surplus of $1.85 billion in June, government customs data released on Wednesday showed.

Exports in July rose 10.2% from June to $24.87 billion, while imports were up 6.7% to $22.10 billion, the Customs Department said in a statement.

For the first seven months of this year, Vietnam's exports rose 1.5% from a year earlier to $147.61 billion, while imports fell 3.0% to $139.21 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $8.4 billion. (Reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)