The State Bank of Vietnam published a notice on its website on Wednesday saying that it plans to officially allow the use of the Chinese yuan for trading goods in its northern border towns, the Nikkei Asian Review reports. According to the latest statistics of the General Department of Vietnam Customs, by the end of July, the total export turnover between the two countries reached nearly $US 55.7 billion, with China ranked first place in supplying many commodities to Vietnam. Despite having territorial disputes over areas in the South China Sea, the two countries have pledged to upgrade pragmatic cooperation and align development plans.