Vietnam’s total trade turnover exceeded US$825 billion as of September 15, 2026, rising 29.4% year on year, as imports grew faster than exports, pushing the trade deficit to around US$23.5 billion.Vietnam’s total trade turnover exceeded US$825 billion as of September 15, 2026, rising 29.4% year on year, as imports grew faster than exports, pushing the trade deficit to around US$23.5 billion.Preliminary statistics show, exports reached US$400.84 billion, up 23.2% year on year, while imports stood at US$424.35 billion, up 36%. The substantial difference in growth rates between the two sides resulted in a goods trade deficit of around US$23.51 billion, an increase of approximately US$2.82 billion from the end of August.Foreign trade expands alongside productionThe rising export growth was largely driven by processing and manufacturing. By mid-September, exports of computers, electronic products and components reached US$110.66 billion; machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts, US$50.71 billion; and phones and components, US$48.5 billion. These groups, together with a range of other industrial products, continued to play a leading role in export growth.Agriculture, forestry and fisheries also contributed to the upward trend. As of September 15, seafood exports brought back US$8.45 billion, fruits and vegetables US$6.71 billion, coffee US$6.27 billion, cashew nuts US$3.58 billion and rice US$2.93 billion.On the import side, computers, electronic products and components hit US$174.92 billion, while machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts stood at US$50.68 billion. Vietnam also imported large volumes of fabrics, iron and steel, petroleum products, coal and crude oil.Foreign-invested enterprises continued to account for a large share of trade flows. As of September 15, the sector recorded about US$321.43 billion in exports and US$312.69 billion in imports, generating a trade surplus of approximately US$8.74 billion.The figures show that foreign trade is expanding rapidly in both scale and its links with international production chains. At the same time, the faster pace of import growth has made the trade balance increasingly tilted towards imports.Moving closer to the US$1 trillion markWith total trade surpassing US$825 billion after just over eight months, foreign trade is moving closer to new milestones in scale. The nearly 30% year-on-year increase indicates that goods trade remains an important driver of the Vietnamese economy in 2026.In the final months of the year, exports are expected to continue drawing on electronics, machinery and equipment, phones and components, along with several agricultural, seafood and industrial sectors that are recording strong growth. On the import side, demand for raw materials, components and equipment for production is likely to remain high.According to the National Statistics Office, if the current growth momentum is maintained, Vietnam’s total trade turnover could exceed US$1.2 trillion in 2026.The rapid expansion of trade creates more room for Vietnamese businesses to participate more deeply in international supply chains, but it also underscores the need to strengthen domestic production capacity, develop supporting industries and increase the domestic value added in exports, particularly as imports of production inputs are growing faster than exports. (ICE HO CHI MINH CITY)

Fonte notizia: VOV - Voice of Vietnam