Vietnam Feb trade deficit likely $800 mln vs $2.09 bln surplus in Jan

HANOI, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Vietnam likely recorded a trade deficit of $800 million in February, government data released on Sunday showed, reversing a year-earlier surplus of $2.09 billion.

Exports in February likely fell 4.7% from a year earlier to $20 billion, while imports were likely up 10.5% to $20.8 billion, the General Statistics Office (GSO) said in a statement.

The GSO's trade data is traditionally released before the end of the reporting period and often subject to revision.

For the January-February period, the Southeast Asian country's exports likely rose 23.2% to $48.55 billion, while imports were up 25.9% to $47.26 billion, translating into a trade surplus of $1.3 billion, the GSO said.

According to the GSO, Vietnam's industrial output in the first two months of this year rose 7.4% from a year earlier and average consumer prices fell 0.14% on year. (Reporting by Phuong Nguyen; Editing by William Mallard)