Vietnam imported over 4.3 million tons of plastic worth roughly 5.3 billion U.S. dollars in the first eight months of this year, posting a year-on-year rise of 4 percent in volume and decrease of 12.3 percent in value, according to its Ministry of Industry and Trade on Monday.

Between January and August, the country spent nearly 4.5 billion U.S. dollars importing plastic products, up 6.5 percent from the same period last year, according to the ministry.

Its largest suppliers of plastic and plastics products included China, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and the United States, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs.

In 2019, Vietnam imported nearly 6.4 million tons of plastic totaling more than 9 billion U.S. dollars, up 14 percent and down 0.8 percent respectively from the previous year.