Vietnam’s total import and export turnover of goods reached US$82.49 billion in September, down 0.7 percent from August but up 24.8 percent year-on-year, according to data from the National Statistics Office → view source.
It did, however, record a goods trade surplus of US$2.85 billion.
For the first nine months of 2025, total trade hit US$680.66 billion, up 17.3 percent year-on-year.
Exports rose 16 percent, imports 18.8 percent, resulting in a trade surplus of US$16.82 billion.
Exports
September exports were valued at US$42.67 billion, down 1.7 percent month-on-month but up 24.7 percent year-on-year.
The domestic sector earned US$8.66 billion (down 5.5 percent), while the foreign-invested sector, including crude oil, reached US$34.01 billion (down 0.6 percent).
In the third quarter, exports rose 18.4 percent from a year earlier to US$128.57 billion.
Cumulative exports for the first nine months of 2025 reached US$348.74 billion, up 16.0 percent year-on-year.
The domestic sector contributed US$85.41 billion (up 2.0 percent), while the foreign-invested sector accounted for US$263.33 billion (up 21.4 percent).
Seven key export categories exceeded US$10 billion each, led by electronics, computers and components (US$77.49 billion, up 45.9 percent), phones (US$43.59 billion, up 4.1 percent), machinery and equipment (US$42.99 billion, up 13.5 percent), textiles and garments (US$29.74 billion, up 8.6 percent), footwear (US$17.79 billion, up 7.4 percent), vehicles and spare parts (US$12.78 billion, up 13.3 percent), and wood and wood products (US$12.50 billion, up 6.8 percent).
Processed industrial goods dominated exports accounting for US$309.03 billion (88.6 percent of total), followed by agriculture and forestry (US$29.51 billion, 8.5 percent), aquatic products (US$8.17 billion, 2.3 percent), and fuel and minerals (US$2.03 billion, 0.6 percent).
Imports
Imports in September totalled US$39.82 billion, up 0.4 percent from August and 24.9 percent higher than a year ago.
The domestic sector imported US$10.91 billion, while the foreign-invested sector brought in US$28.91 billion.
In the third quarter, imports reached US$119.66 billion, up 20.2 percent year-on-year.
For the first nine months, imports totalled US$331.92 billion, up 18.8 percent.
Domestic firms accounted for US$105.67 billion (up 4.6 percent) and foreign-invested firms US$226.25 billion (up 26.8 percent).
Three categories surpassed US$10 billion: electronics, computers and components (US$109.98 billion, up 39.0 percent), machinery and spare parts (US$44.27 billion, up 24.7 percent), and fabric (US$11.23 billion, up 2.3 percent).
Production materials made up 93.8 percent of total imports, while consumer goods represented 6.2 percent.
Trade by market
The United States remained Vietnam’s largest export destination with US$112.8 billion, while China was its biggest import source at US$134.4 billion.
The trade surplus with the U.S. rose 28.3 percent to US$99.1 billion, while surpluses with the EU (US$28.8 billion) and Japan (US$1.5 billion) narrowed slightly.
Deficits widened with China (US$84.8 billion), South Korea (US$23 billion), and ASEAN (US$10.6 billion).
The domestic sector recorded a trade deficit of US$20.26 billion, offset by a US$37.08 billion surplus in the foreign-invested sector.
Services trade
Vietnam’s service exports reached US$7.52 billion in the third quarter, up 20.2 percent year-on-year, while service imports were US$10.97 billion, up 13.9 percent.
For the nine-month period, service exports totalled US$21.99 billion, up 19.1 percent, led by tourism (US$11.12 billion, up 26.5 percent) and transportation (US$6.3 billion, up 20.9 percent).
Service imports reached US$30.29 billion, up 16.3 percent, including transportation (US$12.41 billion, up 18.5 percent) and tourism (US$11.44 billion, up 23.7 percent).
Vietnam recorded a service trade deficit of US$8.3 billion for the first nine months of 2025.
See also: Vietnam’s Free Trade Agreements 2025: List & Key Partnerships