Vietnam's exports in the first quarter fell 11.8% from a year earlier to $79.3 billion, government's customs data released on Monday showed.

Imports in the January-March period fell 15.4% to $74.5 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $4.8 billion, the Customs Department said in a report.

In March, exports rose 14% from February to $29.7 billion, wile imports were up 21.8% at $28.3 billion, the department said.

(Reporting by Khanh Vu Editing by Ed Davies)