Official sales data from the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (VAMA) showed total vehicle sales reached 25,395 units in August, down 25% from July 2026 and 2% from the same month last year.
Passenger cars recorded the sharpest decline, with sales falling 34% to 16,738 units. Commercial vehicles posted sales of 8,258 units, up 5%, while specialised vehicles fell 37% to 399 units.
A notable feature of the August market was the widening gap between domestically assembled vehicles and completely built-up (CBU) imports. Domestic assembly faced increasing competition from regional production centres, particularly in the traditional petrol-powered vehicle segment.
Retail sales of domestically assembled vehicles totalled 9,960 units in August, down 28% month on month. Meanwhile, sales of imported vehicles reached 15,435 units, a smaller 22% decline from July.
Both segments were affected by weaker consumer demand during the seventh lunar month, traditionally considered an unfavourable period for major purchases. However, imported vehicles still outsold locally assembled models by more than 5,400 units in August.
The gap was even more pronounced during the first eight months of 2026. Domestic vehicle sales reached 108,081 units, up just 2% from 105,491 units in the same period of 2025.
In contrast, sales of completely built-up imports surged 20% year on year to 138,854 units, compared with 115,242 units during the first eight months of last year.
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