Two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and Laos reached $2.98 billion in 2025, representing a 32.7% increase year on year.
Vietnam is currently Laos’ third-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade continuing to set new records. In 2024, two-way trade surpassed the $2 billion mark for the first time, reaching a record $2.2 billion.
The strong growth in recent years has been underpinned by a series of key legal frameworks, including the Bilateral Trade Agreement (amended in 2024), the Border Trade Agreement (2015), and the Agreement on the Sale and Purchase of Coal and Electricity signed in 2025. These agreements have helped facilitate the exchange of goods and promote the development of border trade between the two countries.
Vietnam’s exports to Laos were led by chemical products, which reached $353.2 million, up 112.7% year on year, followed by machinery and equipment at $140.7 million, an increase of 132.8%. Other export items also posted strong growth, including iron and steel (up 52.8%), animal feed (up 41.4%), paper (up 79.0%), electrical wires (up 126.7%), and clinker and cement (up 264.4%).
On the import side, Vietnam mainly sourced coal from Laos, valued at $145.8 million, along with fertilisers worth $96.7 million, and vegetables and fruits, which recorded a sharp increase of 199.8%.
Vietnam and Laos have set a target of raising bilateral trade turnover to $5 billion during the 2026–2030 period.
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