According to preliminary statistics from General Department of Customs, in July 2024, Vietnam's imports of all kinds of coal reached 7.05 million tonnes, equivalent to nearly 838 million USD, up 10.8% in volume and 14.7% in value compared to the previous month.
In the first 7 months of the year, Vietnam's coal imports of all kinds reached 40.49 million tonnes, worth nearly 5.04 billion USD, up sharply by 36.9% in volume and 16.1% in value over the same period in 2023.
With increasing demand for electricity, Vietnam is having to promote use of coal in electricity production, leading to increased coal imports from many markets.
Vietnam is actively importing this item from many large markets such as Indonesia, Australia, Malaysia, etc.
Of which, Australia is the largest coal import market in terms of value of Vietnam in the first 7 months of the year. In July 2024, coal imports of all kinds from Australia reached nearly 2.63 million tonnes, worth nearly 346 million USD. In the first 7 months of 2024, coal imports of all kinds from this market reached 10.8 million tonnes, worth 1.73 billion USD.
Following are Indonesia and Russia, respectively. In July 2024, coal imports of all kinds from Indonesia reached 2.077 million tonnes, worth 187.4 million USD. In the first 7 months, imports of this item from the Indonesian market reached 16.36 million tonnes, worth nearly 1.5 billion USD. Also in July 2024, Vietnam imported 694,000 tonnes of coal from Russia, worth 113.37 million USD. In the first 7 months of the year, coal imports from this market reached 3.64 million tonnes, worth 657 million USD.
Notably, Laos is one of the countries that Vietnam plans to import in large quantities. Specifically, coal imports of all kinds from Laos in July reached nearly 100,000 tonnes with a turnover of 7.38 million USD, the price reached 74.3 USD/tonne.
In the first 7 months, import of this item from the neighboring country reached more than 1.26 million tonnes, worth nearly 83 million USD, with an average price of 65.5 USD/tonne. This is the cheapest import price compared to other markets. Meanwhile, in 2023, Vietnam will not import coal from Laos.
Ministry of Industry and Trade said that Vietnam's demand for importing raw materials and fuels is very large. In the period of 2025 - 2030, Vietnam has a demand for importing coal of up to about 60 - 100 million tons/year. In particular, to ensure sufficient coal supply for electricity production in 2024, investors of coal-fired thermal power plants are assigned to be responsible for arranging 74.307 million tonnes of coal, and plants are designed to use about 26.1 million tonnes of imported coal.
Therefore, Ministry of Industry and Trade has implemented the development of a Coal Trading Cooperation Agreement with Laos to ensure a stable coal supply for Vietnam. The market is highly appreciated for its potential and is gradually becoming an important source of products and raw materials for Vietnam in the ASEAN bloc.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn