The European Union (EU) remained the biggest export market of Vietnam in the first half of 2013, according to Vietnam's General Statistics Office (GSO) on Monday.

During the period, EU imported $11.6 billion worth of products from Vietnam, posting an increase of 25.4 percent year on year, said the GSO.

In the past two years, EU witnessed higher growth rate of import from Vietnam, surpassing the United States to become the country's biggest export destination.

In the first half of this year, Vietnam's export to the United States reached $11 billion in value, up 18.5 percent, and that to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), $9. 3 billion, up 17.7 percent.

So far this year, Vietnam pocketed over $62 billion from export, up 16.1 percent, and spent over $63.4 billion for import, up 17.4 percent, thus posting a trade deficit of about $1.4 billion, according to the GSO.