HANOI, June 16 (Xinhua) -- A total of 176,681 units of automobiles were sold in the Vietnamese market in the first five months of this year, up 39 percent year on year, according to the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers' Association.
Sales of domestically-assembled automobiles surged 47 percent to 105,022 units, while those of imported ones rose 29 percent year on year to 71,659, according to the association's monthly sales report released Thursday.
The shortage of semiconductor chips and the disruption of the supply chain of components have affected the automobile sector in Vietnam, according to the daily newspaper Thanh Nien.
In May, the last month of the country's registration fee slashing policy, the number of cars sold in Vietnam still grew but not significantly, according to the report.
In 2021, 304,149 units of automobiles were sold in Vietnam, up 3 percent year on year, said the association.
The country spent nearly 8.7 billion U.S. dollars importing completely-built automobiles and components for assembly last year, posting a year-on-year surge of 36.2 percent, according to Vietnam's General Statistics Office. ■