HANOI, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- From mid-July to early August 2018, there were eight trade defense cases initiated by other countries towards steel products imported from Vietnam, local media reported on Friday.

Of the 78 anti-dumping investigations Vietnam has encountered in the past two years, 37 cases were related to iron and steel, accounting for 47.4 percent of the goods in question, daily newspaper Vietnam News quoted the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry as reporting.

As trade protectionism rises around the world, the domestic steel industry could be targeted by several markets, and these lawsuits will directly affect the exportability of Vietnamese steel, according to the Vietnam Steel Association.

In the first 10 months of this year, Vietnam produced over 20 million tons of steel, posting a year-on-year rise of 17.7 percent, said the association. The sale of steel reached over 18 million ton, up 27.7 percent, of which, exports stood at more than 3.9 million tons, up 31.6 percent.