Workers manufacture cars at the Ford factory in Hai Duong province. (Photo: VNA)

The processing and manufacturing sector enjoyed the highest growth, followed by construction, services and agriculture.

Foreign trade is estimated at nearly 250 billion USD, the highest half-year figure ever, driven by the foreign-invested sector. Vietnam targets growth of 6.8 percent this year.

The World Bank in April said Vietnam’s GDP growth rate is projected to fall to 6.6 percent this year, a decline from the decade-high 7.1 percent last year.

This is in line with declining year-on-year growth of 0.3 percentage points in developing countries in the East Asia and Pacific (EAP) region, the World Bank said.