VALUE OF VIETNAM'S EXPORTS ON THE SLIDE AS GLOBAL PRICES FALL.

HANOI, Dec 1 Asia Pulse - Fallout from the global financial crisis and the knock-on effect of recession affecting many countries has had a negative impact on Vietnamese exports, with export values continually declining since September.

This fall goes against the trend experienced in the past, with the export market bustling and export values increasing during the year-end period.

According to the General Statistics Office, the country posted an export value of US$4.8 billion during November, the lowest total for eight months.

The prices of almost all of Vietnam's export staples have fallen in recent months, including the prices of crude oil, rice, coffee and rubber latex.

In November, the export value of crude oil dropped from US$669 million to US$505 million, while earnings from the export of rice and seafood fell by tens of millions of dollars.

In addition, exports of other products, such as garments and textiles, footwear and seafood were affected by trade barriers, including anti-dumping taxes and the monitoring mechanisms of major markets such as the US and EU.

Other factors include the difficulties facing producers and exporters in gaining access to sources of capital due to the government's strict monetary policy and the scarcity of the Vietnamese currency on the market during the first months of this year. Another reason is the poor competitiveness of Vietnamese goods compared to similar goods produced by other ASEAN countries and China .