Hanoi, May 25 -- Vietnam has, for the first time, broken into the world's top 10 crude steel producers, marking a major milestone for its fast-growing steel industry, according to the World Steel Association (Worldsteel). In April, Vietnam's crude steel output was estimated at 2.1 million tonnes, up 4% year-on-year. With this result, Vietnam surpassed Italy to secure a place among the top 10 global producers. In the first four months, Vietnam produced 8.5 million tonnes of crude steel, representing an increase of 8.4% from the same period last year. According to Worldsteel, the country's steel sector has expanded rapidly in both scale and product range. In the early 2000s, domestic producers largely depended on imported billets for produc...