HANOI, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam spent over 6.7 billion U.S. dollars importing cloth in the first half of this year, posting a year-on-year increase of 7.6 percent.

Its largest import market of cloth was China, tailed by South Korea and Japan, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade on Thursday.

Between January and June, Vietnam imported 826,000 tons of cotton worth over 1.5 billion U.S. dollars, down 1.3 percent in volume and 2 percent in value.

The country also poured more than 1.2 billion U.S. dollars into importing 535,000 tons of yarn in the same period, up 6.6 percent and 8.6 percent, respectively.

In 2018, Vietnam spent 12.9 billion U.S. dollars on importing cloth, up 13.5 percent; over 3 billion U.S. dollars on cotton, up 28.5 percent; and 2.4 billion U.S. dollars on yarn, up 32.7 percent.

Vietnam reaped 30.4 billion U.S. dollars from exporting garments and textiles last year, up 16.6 percent against 2017, mainly to the United States, Japan and China, according to the country's General Statistics Office.