AsemconnectVietnam - A report from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment showed that the export value of wood and wood products of Vietnam in March 2025 was estimated at 1.5 billion USD, bringing the total export value of wood and wood products in the first quarter of the year to 3.95 billion USD, up by 11.6% over the same period of 2024.

The United States was the largest market for wood and wood products in Vietnam, accounting for a market share of 53.1%. Japan and China were the next two largest markets with market shares of 13.2% and 10.6%, respectively.
Challenges for Vietnam's wood industry in 2025
In 2025, the world political and economic situation is forecast to continue to have many complex fluctuations affecting domestic and foreign commodity markets. Therefore, despite some initial positive results, compared to the export target set for the whole year, breakthrough solutions and efforts from the business community are required.
Vietnam's wood industry is currently preparing for a tariff storm, as the United States prepares to impose a 46% reciprocal tariff on Vietnamese goods.
Although Vietnam's wood exports reached 3.95 billion USD in the first quarter of 2025, marking an increase of 11.6% over the same period last year, the wood industry continues to grapple with significant challenges.
A large proportion of Vietnam's wood businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), many of which are family-owned. These companies are particularly vulnerable to market fluctuations and often struggle with the modernization of production and processing technology.
In addition, Vietnam also faces constraints on the wood supply side. Vietnam lacks a stable domestic supply of large timber, forcing companies to rely heavily on imports. This dependence not only increases production costs but also reduces the competitiveness of Vietnamese wood products in the global market.
In addition, while demand remains stable in core export destinations, Vietnam's wood exports remain overly concentrated in a few key markets. Such market dependence poses long-term risks, especially in the context of ongoing global geopolitical instability.
Impact of US tariff policy on Vietnam's wood industry prospects
One of the most pressing concerns today is the decision by the US government under President Donald Trump to impose a 46% reciprocal tariff on imports from Vietnam. This move directly impacts Vietnam's agricultural and wood exports to the United States - Vietnam's most valuable export market for agricultural, forestry and seafood products.
By 2025, Vietnam’s agricultural sector aims to export $18 billion worth of wood and wood products, up by 2 billion USD from the previous year. The United States remains the target market for much of this growth. However, tariff policy is a major challenge to this ambitious goal.
The wood industry is particularly competitive, generating the largest trade surplus among Vietnam’s agricultural exports to the United States. Over the past four years, Vietnam’s wood product imports to the United States have fluctuated between 7–9 billion USD annually, accounting for more than 50% of Vietnam’s total wood export turnover. In contrast, Vietnam only imports about 300 million USD worth of wood products from the United States annually, with 316 million USD in 2024.
CK
Source: VITIC/congthuong.vn/vietnamplus.vn