According to Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade, mobile phone and accessories have become the country's top export items for the first time during January and February 2014, seeing a 22.9% year-on-year growth in export value to total US$3.3 billion, reported Vientiane Times on March 10. The European Union, United Arab Emirates, United States and Russia are the main export destinations. In 2013, exports of Vietnamese mobile handsets and components surged 69.2% year on year, mainly attributed to Samsung's local plants, which produced 98% of Vietnam's mobile phones and accessories exported in 2012.