HANOI, Jan. 28 -- China remained Vietnam's largest trade partner in 2013 with total turnover reaching 50.21 billion U. S. dollars, up 22 percent year-on-year, according to statistics from the Vietnam Customs on Tuesday.

Specifically, in 2013, Vietnam spent 36.95 billion U.S. dollars for imports from China, up 28.4 percent, while it transported some 13.26 billion U.S. dollars worth of goods to China, up 7 percent year-on-year.

During the period, imports from China accounted for 28 percent of Vietnam's total import value, while exports to China accounted for 10 percent of total export value, said the customs office.

Vietnam's trade deficit with China in 2013 stood at around 23.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2013, an increase of 44.5 percent compared to 2012, said the customs office.

Bilateral trade turnover is expected to reach 60 billion U.S. dollars in 2015.