Vietnam’s merchandise trade turnover reached $117.69 billion in September, up 7.3% month-on-month and 42.4% year-on-year, according to data released by the National Statistics Office on October 3.
Notably, the trade balance returned to a surplus in September, after consecutive months of trade deficit, posting a surplus of $1.27 billion.
Across the first nine months of 2026, total merchandise import and export turnover reached $888.02 billion, surging 30.4% over the same period last year. Of this, exports increased 24.5%, while imports rose 36.7%.
In the third quarter of 2026 alone, export revenue stood at $167.85 billion, representing a 30.4% increase year-on-year and a 17.0% rise against the second quarter.
For the January–September period, merchandise exports totaled $434.30 billion, up 24.5% year-on-year. The domestic economic sector accounted for $83.89 billion, rising 7.5% and making up 19.3% of total outbound shipments. The foreign-invested sector (including crude oil) generated $350.41 billion, jumping 29.4% to represent 80.7% of total exports.
During the nine-month span, 35 product categories each exceeded $1 billion in export turnover, collectively accounting for 94.3% of the total export value—with seven key commodities each surpassing the $10 billion threshold to comprise 70.7%.
By export structure, processed industrial goods reached $392.79 billion, making up 90.4%; agricultural and forestry products reached $30.00 billion, accounting for 6.9%; aquatic products stood at $9.10 billion, representing 2.1%; and fuel and mineral resources totaled $2.41 billion, comprising 0.6%.
On the import side, September inward shipments reached $58.21 billion, up 6.0% month-on-month. Cumulative imports for the first nine months stood at $453.72 billion, climbing 36.7% year-on-year. Inbound shipments from domestic enterprises contributed $118.17 billion, up 23.5%, while foreign-invested enterprises accounted for $335.55 billion, an increase of 42.0%.
A total of 45 import categories each surpassed $1 billion in value during the nine-month period, representing 94.5% of total imports, including six categories each exceeding $10 billion (63.1% of total import value).
Regarding the import structure, means of production accounted for $426.92 billion or 94.1% of total imports. Within this group, machinery, equipment, tools, and spare parts represented 58.3%, while raw materials, fuels, and supplies made up 35.8%. Consumer goods accounted for $26.80 billion, or 5.9%.
Over the first nine months, the United States remained Vietnam’s largest export destination with turnover reaching $140.0 billion. China was Vietnam’s largest source of imports, totaling $187.34 billion.
Vietnam recorded a trade surplus of $122.62 billion with the US (up 23.8% year-on-year), $36.06 billion with the EU (up 25.3%), and $2.65 billion with Japan (up 85.9%). Conversely, Vietnam ran trade deficits of $121.48 billion with China (up 43.0%), $43.75 billion with South Korea (up 90.4%), and $15.49 billion with ASEAN (up 48.1%).
Overall, while September registered a merchandise trade surplus of $1.27 billion, the cumulative nine-month trade balance posted a deficit of $19.42 billion, compared to a trade surplus of $16.87 billion logged during the corresponding period last year.
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