South Korea's exports to Vietnam soared about 50 percent in the first seven months of 2017, an increase that is likely to put the Southeast Asian country among the top three shipment destinations for Korean goods after China and the U.S. this year. 
 
According to data released by the Korea Customs Service on Wednesday, exports to Vietnam for the January-July period came to 26-point-96 billion dollars, up around 50 percent from the same period last year and nearly three times higher than the 16 percent increase for South Korean exports as a whole. 
 
The total amount is the third-highest after 79-point-26 billion dollars for China and 39-point-67 billion dollars for the U.S. 
 
Shipments to Vietnam have been increasing by double digits every year since 2010 except for 2014, mainly due to South Korean firms moving their production facilities to the Southeast Asian country. 
 
An official at the customs service said more South Korean companies are exporting raw materials and intermediary goods to Vietnam to be made into finished goods.