Vietnam's exports in the first quarter rose 16.8% from a year earlier to $92.88 billion, government data showed on Tuesday.

Imports in the January-March period rose 14.0% to $85.08 billion, the Customs Department said in a report, resulting in a trade surplus of $7.8 billion for the quarter.

In March, exports rose 36.4% from February to $33.66 billion, while imports were up 32.5% to $30.88 billion, the department said. (Reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by Martin Petty)