Hanoi, July 24 -- Vietnam's merchandise trade balance posted an estimated trade deficit of 16.65 billion USD in the first six months, as compared to a trade surplus of 7.95 billion USD in the same period last year, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO). Against this backdrop, the agro-forestry-fisheries sector remained a bright spot, maintaining a trade surplus of around 9.2 billion USD. This once again underscores the sector's important role in easing pressure on the country's overall trade balance. However, compared to the same period last year, the agricultural sector's trade surplus declined by 7.7%, largely due to a sharp rise in imports, which reached 26.68 billion USD, up 11.7% year-on-year. Most import categories recor...