Services & Trade
This category includes the service sector, retail, logistics, finance, e-commerce, and tourism, alongside trade policy and investment trends. It covers import/export dynamics, banking regulations, stock market movements, and infrastructure development. With increasing integration into regional and global trade, this section provides insights into consumer behavior, foreign investment, and evolving service industries.
Key Challenges in Vietnam-US Trade Negotiations: Unpacked
The US-China tit-for-tat trade war has seen tariffs on China rise to 145 percent and tariffs on the US reach 125 percent. As a key link between these two economies, this puts Vietnam in a tricky situation entering trade negotiations with the United States. Add to that the often contradictory objectives of its foreign-invested and domestically owned sectors and this should make for some very interesting negotiations.
Banking: Vietnam’s compulsory bank transfers only effective with real capital, experts warn
The compulsory transfer of four underperforming Vietnamese banks to stronger commercial lenders has been met with some skepticism at an April 11 workshop on bank restructuring in Hanoi. This comes in the context of several of the four underperforming banks being rebranded and relaunched as digital banks, VN Express is reporting.
Bonds: Vietnam sees March jump in corporate bond issuances
Vietnam recorded a jump in corporate bond issuance in March 2025, with VND 10.7 trillion (US$428 million) raised, according to data from the Vietnam Bond Market Association. The spike in issuance comes despite a heavy redemption calendar for the remainder of the year and some continued default activity.
Healthcare: Vietnam X-ray market set to reach US$99.22 million by 2030 on diagnostic demand surge
Vietnam’s X-ray market is expected to grow from US$73.12 million in 2024 to US$99.22 million by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.22 percent, according to a report from MarkNtel Advisors. The rise is being driven by higher diagnostic demand, chronic disease cases, and investments in healthcare infrastructure, the report says.
Stock market: Vietnam’s VN-Index surges 4.6 percent, trading tops US$1.5 billion
Vietnam’s benchmark VN-Index jumped 4.63 percent to close at 1,222.46 points, marking a strong recovery across the board. Trading value on the VN-Index reached VND 38.16 trillion, or approximately US$1.53 billion, according to data from the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange.
Tourism demand drives March rise in entertainment and culture prices in Vietnam
Vietnam’s consumer price index (CPI) for culture, entertainment, and tourism rose 0.18% in March 2025, primarily due to increased travel demand and higher associated service costs, according to data from the General Statistics Office.
Vietnam education prices edge up in March on higher stationery costs
The education consumer price index (CPI) rose 0.02% in March 2025 compared to February, driven entirely by a modest increase in stationery and school supply prices, according to data from the General Statistics Office.
Vietnam to remain on emerging market upgrade watch list: FTSE Russell March update
FTSE Russell has retained Vietnam on its Watch List for possible reclassification from Frontier to Secondary Emerging market status, citing ongoing progress but noting that key market access criteria are still unmet, according to the FTSE Equity Country Classification March 2025 Interim Announcement.
Vietnam credit growth hits 3.93 percent in Q1 2025
Vietnam’s banking system added nearly VND614 trillion (US$23.8 billion) in new credit during the first quarter of 2025, with total credit outstanding reaching VND16,230 trillion (US$629 billion), according to State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) Governor Nguyen Thi Hong. The quarterly growth rate of 3.93 percent outpaced the same period last year by more than double, The Investor is reporting.
Vietnam’s mobile wallet market set to surge to US$12.37 billion by 2033: Report
Vietnam’s mobile wallet industry was valued at US$782.4 million in 2024 and is forecast to reach US$12.37 billion by 2033, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 35.9 percent from 2025 to 2033, according to IMARC Group.
Vietnam’s security market to triple by 2033: Report
Vietnam’s security market reached an estimated US$601.6 million in 2024 and is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.18 percent, hitting US$1.83 billion by 2033, according to IMARC Group.
VN-Index rises 3.2 percent in Q1 2025, but trading volume lags 2024 average
Vietnam’s stock market ended the first quarter of 2025 with modest index gains and a recovery in March trading value, though average Q1 volumes remained below 2024 levels, according to data from the General Statistics Office.
Vietnam’s insurance premium revenue up 5.6 percent year-on-year in Q1 2025
Vietnam’s insurance market posted solid performance in the first quarter of 2025, with notable gains in non-life premiums, reinvested capital, and total assets, despite a decline in benefit payouts, according to data from the General Statistics Office.
What’s Next for Vietnam if Trump’s 46 Percent Tariff is Here To Stay?
Last week, the President of the United States Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on imports from all over the world. Among them was a 46 percent tariff on imports from Vietnam. This will have broad implications for Vietnam’s economy and the world economy more broadly. With this in mind, this article looks at what Trump hopes to achieve and the way he intends to achieve it, both of which make it look a lot like these tariffs are here to stay. That being the case, it also looks at the implications for Vietnam and ways it might be able to formulate an impact-mitigating response.
Vietnam’s Q1 2025 trade turnover hits US$202.5 billion, up 13.7 percent
Vietnam’s total trade in goods reached US$202.52 billion in the first quarter of 2025, rising 13.7 percent year-on-year. While exports rose by 10.6 percent to US$102.84 billion, a faster 17.0 percent increase in imports narrowed the country’s trade surplus to US$3.16 billion, according to a press release from the General Statistics Office.
Vietnam’s exports to China rise 16 percent in February
Vietnam exported US$4.24 billion worth of goods to China in February 2025, up 16.15 percent from US$3.65 billion in January, according to Vietnam’s General Department of Customs. This brought total exports to China in the first two months of the year to US$7.88 billion.
Vietnam’s imports from Canada rise 13 percent in February
Vietnam imported US$77.80 million worth of goods from Canada in February 2025, up 13.17 percent from US$68.75 million in January, according to Vietnam’s General Department of Customs. This brought total imports from Canada for the first two months of the year to US$146.57 million.
Vietnam’s exports to Indonesia climb 18 percent in February
Vietnam exported US$515.19 million worth of goods to Indonesia in February 2025, up 17.84 percent from January’s US$437.20 million, according to Vietnam’s General Department of Customs. This brought total exports to Indonesia in the first two months of 2025 to US$951.77 million.
Vietnam’s imports from Australia fall 10 percent in February
Vietnam imported US$515.61 million worth of goods from Australia in February 2025, down 9.79 percent from January’s total of US$571.61 million, according to Vietnam’s General Department of Customs. This brought total imports from Australia for the first two months of the year to US$1.08 billion.
Vietnam’s exports to the Philippines rise 9 percent in February
Vietnam exported US$442.63 million worth of goods to the Philippines in February 2025, an increase of 8.86 percent from US$406.61 million in January, according to Vietnam’s General Department of Customs. This brought total exports to the Philippines in the first two months of the year to US$849.44 million.
In today’s Vietnam news: Fuel prices cut, Double-digit growth target reinforced, New airport services delay approval requested, TikTok VN investment, Bybit in Vietnam, LG
In today’s Vietnam news: VN renews antidumping tariffs on Thai sugar, Power supply challenges continue, USTR tariffs forced labour, AMRO growth forecast downgrade, Foreign
In today’s Vietnam news: Fund outflows May, New HCMC airport trial operations to begin September, M&A HCMC 2026, Compensation for gas-to-electric bike switch Hanoi,
This is an interview with Chris Walker, a Vietnam Sourcing Expert with Vietnam Factory Tours how rising oil prices and the Middle East crisis are
This is an interview with John Gardner, CEO and Founding Partner, at Optimum Hospitality in Ho Chi Minh City. It covers fuel price impacts on:
This is an interview with Dr Nuno F. Ribeiro, Associate Professor, International Tourism & Hospitality Management at Copenhagen Business College, formerly of RMIT Vietnam. It