PHNOM PENH, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia had imported 335,131 vehicles in the first half of this year, 60.6 percent rise from 208,611 vehicles it imported at the same period last year, showed the statistics from the Commerce Ministry on Wednesday.

The country spent the total amount of 179.4 million U.S. dollars during the first half of this year to buy the vehicles, 57 percent rise from 114.3 million U.S. dollars it spent within the same period last year, it added.

The data did not separate the number of motorcycles and automobiles.

In Cambodia, vehicles have been imported from Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, China, South Korea, the United States, and the United Kingdom.

Japan-branded vehicles are the most popular ones in this country.

"The increasing demand of vehicles reflects people's better living condition and recovering economy," Preap Chan Vibol, director of the Ministry's Overland Transport Department, said Wednesday.

He added that as of June this year, the country has a total of 1.49 million motorcycles and 300,000 cars, buses and trucks.