AsemconnectVietnam - Building on the foundation of special friendship, solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation, bilateral trade between Vietnam and Laos continued to make a strong mark in 2025 with a turnover reaching nearly $3 billion.

This result creates an important impetus for the two countries to realize the $5 billion target in the 2026-2030 period.
A solid foundation to promote bilateral trade
Ms. Tran Thi Tu Anh - Commercial Counselor, Vietnam Trade Office in Laos, said: Vietnam and Laos are two neighboring countries with a special traditional relationship, nurtured over the past 60 years. With a shared border of more than 2,337 km, passing through 10 provinces of Laos and 9 provinces of Vietnam, the two countries possess a wide-open space for economic cooperation, holding a strategic position on the East-West Economic Corridor, connecting ASEAN with regional and global markets. This is a significant advantage for promoting cross-border trade in goods, investment, and services.
Over the years, trade cooperation between Vietnam and Laos has been built on an increasingly complete legal framework. Important agreements such as the Bilateral Trade Agreement signed on March 3, 2015 (amended and newly signed on April 8, 2024), the Border Trade Agreement signed on June 27, 2015, and the Vietnam-Laos Agreement on Coal and Electricity Trade signed on January 9, 2025, have created a favorable legal framework, removing barriers and supporting businesses in both countries to expand their import and export activities.
Under the close guidance of the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Lao Ministry of Industry and Trade, many trade promotion activities, business networking events, trade fairs, seminars, and bilateral trade programs are regularly organized. Through these, businesses in both countries have the opportunity to introduce their products, find partners, sign contracts, and expand their distribution systems. Thanks to these synchronized efforts, Vietnam is now Laos' third largest trading partner, after China and Thailand.
A notable result is the continuous achievement of new growth milestones in bilateral trade turnover. In 2024, for the first time, trade turnover between Vietnam and Laos exceeded US$2 billion, reaching US$2.2 billion. In 2025, this figure is expected to continue to increase sharply, reaching US$2.98 billion, a 32.7% increase compared to 2024. This is not only an achievement in scale, but also reflects the increasingly substantive, effective, and sustainable quality of cooperation.
New impetus towards the US$5 billion target
The structure of import and export goods between the two countries is becoming increasingly diversified, reflecting the complementary nature of the two economies. In 2025, Vietnam's key export items to Laos were estimated to continue maintaining high growth momentum. The exports of chemical products to Laos reached US$353.2 million, an increase of 112.7%; machinery, equipment, tools, and other spare parts reached US$140.7 million, an increase of 132.8%; iron and steel products reached US$64.6 million, an increase of 21.4%; and various types of iron and steel reached US$47.7 million, an increase of 52.8%; animal feed and raw materials reached US$44.6 million, an increase of 41.4%; and various types of fertilizers reached US$30.2 million, an increase of 16.8%.
In addition, many product groups recorded impressive growth rates, such as plastic products reaching US$24.9 million, an increase of 27%; paper and paper products reaching US$21.7 million, an increase of 79%; electrical wires and cables reaching US$18.7 million, an increase of 126.7%; and other base metals and products reaching US$18.3 million, an increase of 289%. The exports of ceramic and porcelain products reached US$18.1 million, an increase of 8.7%; clinker and cement reached US$11.8 million, an increase of 264.4%; confectionery and cereal products reached US$10.9 million, an increase of 21.5%; and coffee reached US$1.5 million, an increase of 96.9%.
Conversely, Vietnam continued to import strong export items from Laos to meet domestic production needs. The imports of coal reached US$145.8 million, an increase of 15.2%; fertilizers reached US$96.7 million, an increase of 12%; fruits and vegetables reached US$8.8 million, an increase of 199.8%; and other base metals reached US$1.2 million, an increase of 10.1%. These figures showed that the potential for cooperation remains very large, especially in the fields of energy, agriculture, and processing industries.
In the 2026-2030 period, the two countries agreed in the Joint Statement of December of 2025 on the goal: "Making economic, trade, and investment cooperation a pillar of the new strategic linkage." This is an important orientation, opening a new chapter for Vietnam-Laos cooperation, in which trade continues to play a key role.
To realize the target of 5 billion USD in trade turnover, a synchronized effort from ministries and agencies from the central to local levels is needed, along with the proactive and creative participation of the business communities of both countries. The large-scale cooperation projects in the renewable energy sector are becoming a new driving force. A prime example is the Truong Son wind power project with a capacity of 600MW in Bolikhamxay province, which will begin commercial operation in September 2025 after 15 months of implementation; the Savan 1 wind power project, with a capacity of 300MW in Savannakhet province, will begin commercial operation and sell electricity to Vietnam from December 2025 after 14 months of implementation.
In the coming period, the both sides will continue to make the most of the tax and fee incentives from the signed agreements, thereby promoting the substantive and sustainable development of bilateral trade. Not only does it contribute to job creation, income improvement, and people's living standards, but trade cooperation between Vietnam and Laos also plays a crucial role in building a peaceful, friendly, stable, cooperative, and long-term developing border between the two neighboring brotherly nations.
CK
Source: VITIC/ thuehaiquan.tapchikinhtetaichinh.vn