Vietnam imported US$637.95 million worth of chemicals in August 2025, down 8 percent from US$693.45 million in July, according to Vietnam’s General Department of Customs.
Year-to-date imports totalled US$5.25 billion.
China remained the top supplier at US$292.24 million, representing 44.9 percent of the total, though this was down 6.9 percent month-on-month.
Taiwan followed with a sharp 22 percent rise to US$66.27 million, while Japan increased shipments 7.9 percent to US$47.93 million.
In contrast, imports from South Korea fell 12.1 percent to US$36.43 million and Malaysia dropped nearly 29 percent to US$34.91 million.
The USA supplied US$31.03 million, down 10.5 percent, while Thailand increased exports by 10.3 percent to US$30.53 million.
Among other suppliers, India rose 10.7 percent to US$22.11 million, while Germany decreased 18.7 percent to US$16.24 million.
Indonesia and Singapore recorded significant falls of 38.2 and 41.5 percent respectively.
Overall, Vietnam’s chemical imports in August reflected weaker demand, though Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, and India bucked the trend with higher shipments.
Of note, local chemical output is concentrated in basic chemicals, while high-value specialty and intermediate products required for sectors such as textiles, plastics, electronics, fertilisers, and pharmaceuticals are sourced abroad.
The agriculture industry also relies heavily on imported fertilisers and crop-protection products.
Despite recent investment in petrochemical complexes, Vietnam continues to depend on imports of feedstocks like ethylene, propylene, and aromatics.
Importing is often more cost-efficient and technologically reliable than domestic production, given gaps in capacity and expertise.
As a result, Vietnam’s chemical imports remain critical to sustaining industrial growth, though the government has identified localisation and recycling as long-term priorities to reduce reliance on external supply.
See also: Vietnam’s Chemical Industry 2025: Growth, Key Players, Products & More
Vietnam import data for chemicals in August 2025 US$millions
| August | July | MoM | YTD | % of YTD | |
| Total | 637.95 | 693.45 | -8.00% | 5,247.62 | 100.00% |
| Other | 9.42 | 18.23 | -48.34% | 87.08 | 1.66% |
| China | 292.24 | 313.84 | -6.88% | 2,357.13 | 44.92% |
| Taiwan | 66.27 | 54.31 | 22.03% | 440.78 | 8.40% |
| Japan | 47.93 | 44.42 | 7.90% | 336.43 | 6.41% |
| South Korea | 36.43 | 41.44 | -12.10% | 283.01 | 5.39% |
| Malaysia | 34.91 | 49.13 | -28.93% | 325.10 | 6.20% |
| USA | 31.03 | 34.69 | -10.54% | 310.41 | 5.92% |
| Thailand | 30.53 | 27.69 | 10.26% | 243.89 | 4.65% |
| India | 22.11 | 19.97 | 10.69% | 169.48 | 3.23% |
| Germany | 16.24 | 19.97 | -18.68% | 194.27 | 3.70% |
| Saudi Arabia | 11.36 | 14.49 | -21.55% | 75.17 | 1.43% |
| Russia | 9.51 | 9.78 | -2.73% | 61.47 | 1.17% |
| Indonesia | 7.73 | 12.51 | -38.22% | 103.07 | 1.96% |
| Singapore | 6.69 | 11.43 | -41.48% | 130.38 | 2.48% |
| Italy | 1.78 | 1.97 | -9.46% | 16.05 | 0.31% |
| Bangladesh | 1.75 | 1.25 | 40.17% | 7.63 | 0.15% |
| Qatar | 1.66 | 1.59 | 4.90% | 7.72 | 0.15% |
| Spain | 1.65 | 0.86 | 91.64% | 6.07 | 0.12% |
| France | 1.58 | 2.01 | -21.41% | 11.22 | 0.21% |
Brunei Darussalam | 1.52 | 4.18 | -63.72% | 20.13 | 0.38% |
| Turkey | 1.49 | 2.73 | -45.54% | 13.60 | 0.26% |
| Netherlands | 0.91 | 1.09 | -16.57% | 6.93 | 0.13% |
| Switzerland | 0.66 | 1.40 | -52.68% | 15.46 | 0.29% |
| Austria | 0.63 | 0.90 | -29.95% | 4.74 | 0.09% |
| Brazil | 0.55 | 0.19 | 197.99% | 4.79 | 0.09% |
| South Africa | 0.43 | 0.58 | -25.58% | 2.55 | 0.05% |
| UK | 0.33 | 0.93 | -64.83% | 3.82 | 0.07% |
| Belgium | 0.28 | 0.41 | -33.63% | 4.24 | 0.08% |
| Czech Republic | 0.23 | 0.79 | -70.28% | 2.92 | 0.06% |
| Hong Kong | 0.05 | 0.21 | -75.68% | 1.16 | 0.02% |
| Australia | 0.05 | 0.00 | 0.00% | 0.38 | 0.01% |
| Kazakhstan | 0.00 | 0.48 | -100.00% | 0.53 | 0.01% |