State-owned Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation (Vicem), the country's leading cement producer recorded a seven per cent rise in sales over the first four months of the year boosted by an increase in exports.

In the January-April 2014 period, Vicem sold  7.4Mt, surpassing the initial target by 13.5 per cent. Some 5.87Mt of cement were sold domestically (-10.4 per cent YoY) and 1.54Mt were exported (+312 per cent).

The corporation also produced 5.25Mt of clinker between January and April, down 3.5 per cent YoY, including 89,200t in April, down 9.5 per cent.

Cement output, meanwhile, rose by 6.3 per cent YoY to 5.69Mt, including 99,700t in April, up 7.4 per cent.

In April alone, it sold 2.23Mt of cement and clinker in April, up 11.4 per cent YoY. Of the total, 1.76Mt of cement and clinker were sold to the domestic market – down 9.2 per cent YoY. Meanwhile, 474,000t of the total volume were exported, an increase of 597 per cent.