AsemconnectVietnam - According to the statistics figures from the Customs Department, imports of goods by FDI enterprises in May of 2026 reached US$38.97 billion, an increase of 10.66% compared to April of 2026 and an increase of 38.21% compared to the same period in 2025.

In the first five months of 2026, the imports by FDI enterprises reached US$165.2 billion, an increase of 34.26% compared to the same period in 2025. The high growth rate of imports reflects the strong expansion of production activities, especially in the electronics, high-tech, and processing and manufacturing industries serving exports.
The import structure of the FDI sector continued to focus mainly on machinery, equipment, electronic components, and input materials for production. This indicates that imports are still primarily for supplementing production materials rather than for consumption, thereby laying the foundation for export growth in the following months.
*The electronics and high-tech group continued to play a leading role
The group of computers, electronic products, and components continued to lead in import value in May of 2026, reaching US$20.91 billion, an increase of 14.39% compared to April of 2026 and a 61.54% increase compared to the same period of 2025.
Totally in the first five months of 2026, the imports of computers, electronic products, and components reached US$85.89 billion, an increase of 57.63% compared to the same period in 2025. This group of items accounted for 51.99% of the total import value of the entire FDI sector, reflecting the huge demand for electronic components, semiconductor chips, circuit boards, and high-tech components for production activities. The outstanding growth of this product group showed that multinational electronics corporations continued to expand their production scale in Vietnam because they simultaneously increased imports of raw materials to meet the growing demand of key export markets such as the United States, the European Union (EU), and Northeast Asia. This product group also contributed the most to the overall import growth of the FDI sector in the first five months of 2026.
The imports of machinery, equipment, tools, and other spare parts in May of 2026 reached US$4.25 billion, an increase of 5.4% compared to April of 2026 and an increase of 11.5% compared to May of 2025. Overall, in the first five months of 2026, the imports of machinery, equipment, tools, and other spare parts reached US$19.31 billion, an increase of 18.08% compared to the same period of 2025. This showed that FDI enterprises continue to implement investment plans to expand production capacity, modernize technology lines, and add equipment to serve new projects. The stable growth in machinery imports is a positive sign, reflecting the confidence of the FDI sector in the prospects for production and export in the coming period.
The imports of telephones and components in May of 2026 reached US$770.73 million, an increase of 18.25% compared to April of 2026 and an increase of 10.18% compared to May of 2025. Overall, in the first five months of 2026, the imports of all types of phones and components reached US$3.55 billion, a decrease of 8.57% compared to the same period of 2025. This reflects the adjustment of production and inventory cycles by electronics corporations after a period of high growth in previous years, and also shows that consumer demand for smartphones in the global market is still recovering slowly.
*Industrial raw material imports increased
Most input material groups serving production recorded significant increases in May of 2026 and the first five months of 2026.
In May of 2026, the imports of other base metals reached US$978.18 million, an increase of 7.77% compared to April of 2026 and an increase of 45.81% compared to the same period of 2025. For the first five months of 2026, the imports of other base metals reached US$4.21 billion, an increase of 38.65% compared to the same period of 2025.
The imports of iron and steel products in May of 2026 reached US$623.7 million, an increase of 3.26% compared to April of 2026 and an increase of 21.02% compared to May of 2025. The total imports of iron and steel products in the first five months of 2026 reached US$2.78 billion, an increase of 31.47% compared to the same period of 2025.
The imports of all types of iron and steel in May of 2026 reached US$442.74 million, a decrease of 6.26% compared to April of 2026 but an increase of 3.23% compared to May of 2025. The total imports of all types of iron and steel in the first five months of 2026 reached US$2.12 billion, an increase of 5.45% compared to the same period of 2025.
The imports of other base metal products in May of 2026 reached US$436.6 million, an increase of 11.99% compared to April of 2026 and an increase of 10.89% compared to May of 2025. In the first five months of 2026, the country’s total imports of other base metal products reached US$1.96 billion, an increase of 23.77% compared to the same period of 2025.
The imports of electrical wires and cables in May of 2026 reached US$408.44 million, an increase of 7.51% compared to April of 2026 and an increase of 13.89% compared to May of 2025. The total imports of electrical wires and cables in the first five months of 2026 reached US$1.83 billion, an increase of 13.82% compared to the same period of 2025.
These developments indicated that the demand for raw materials in the mechanical, electronics, electrical equipment, automotive, and supporting industries continued to increase along with the expansion of production in the FDI sector.
* Chemical and petrochemical raw materials group showed significant growth
The chemical and petrochemical raw materials groups continued to record positive growth rates in both May of 2026 and the first five months of 2026.
Chemical imports in May of 2026 reached US$615.78 million, a decrease of 6.27% compared to April of 2026 but an increase of 28.31% compared to May of 2025. The total chemical imports of chemicals in the first five months of 2026 reached US$2.74 billion, an increase of 29.49% compared to the same period of 2025.
Meanwhile, the imports of chemical products in May of 2026 reached US$513.19 million, an increase of 5.55% compared to April of 2026 and an increase of 15.37% compared to May of 2025. The total imports of chemical products in the first five months of 2026 reached US$2.3 billion, an increase of 16.77% compared to the same period of 2025.
The imports of raw plastic materials in May of 2026 reached US$776.2 million, an increase of 1.9% compared to April of 2026 and an increase of 19.68% compared to May of 2025. The total imports of raw plastic materials in the first five months of 2026 reached US$3.35 billion, an increase of 13.84% compared to the same period of 2025.
The imports of plastic products in May of 2026 reached US$810.8 million, an increase of 4.16% compared to April of 2026 and an increase of 8.69% compared to May of 2025. In the first five months of 2026, imports of plastic products reached US$3.65 million, an increase of 18.35% compared to the same period of 2025.
This trend indicated that the demand for raw materials serving the electronics, packaging, engineering plastics, electrical equipment, and consumer goods manufacturing industries continued to increase.
* Textile and footwear raw material group recovery is uneven.
The imports of raw materials for the textile and footwear industries show signs of recovery but are still differentiated among different product categories.
The imports of various types of fabrics in May of 2026 reached US$835.35 million, a decrease of 0.28% compared to April of 2026 and a decrease of 2.27% compared to May of 2025. In the first five months of 2026, the imports of all types of fabrics reached US$3.66 billion, a decrease of 0.53% compared to the same period of 2025.
Meanwhile, the imports of raw materials and accessories for textiles, garments, leather, and footwear in May of 2026 reached US$473.74 million, a decrease of 3.14% compared to April of 2026 but an increase of 1.64% compared to May of 2025. The total imports of raw materials and accessories for textiles, garments, leather, and footwear in the first five months of 2026 reached US$2.2 billion, an increase of 3.96% compared to the same period of 2025.
Imports of all types of cotton in May of 2026 reached US$235.33 million, a decrease of 0.98% compared to April of 2026 but an increase of 8.33% compared to May of 2025. In the first five months of 2026, the country’s total imports of all types of cotton reached US$959.34 million, a decrease of 8.34% compared to the same period of 2025.
The imports of all types of textile fibers and yarns in May of 2026 reached US$221.25 million, an increase of 6.44% compared to April of 2026 and an increase of 16.39% compared to May of 2025. The total imports of all types of textile fibers and yarns in the first five months of 2026 reached US$910.17 million, an increase of 11.58% compared to the same period of 2025.
Overall, the imports of textile raw materials are still affected by the trend of optimizing inventory and adjusting the input material structure of businesses, in the context of consumer demand in major export markets not yet fully recovering.
*Energy and fuel group saw strong growth
The imports of energy commodities recorded a high increase, reflecting the continued demand for raw materials to serve industrial production.
In May of 2026, crude oil imports reached US$1.08 billion, an increase of 124.37% compared to April of 2026 and 169.7% compared to May of 2025. For the first five months of 2026, crude oil imports reached US$2.92 billion, an increase of 8.67% compared to the same period of 2025.
The imports of various types of coal in May of 2026 reached US$297.27 million, an increase of 24.28% compared to April of 2026 and 68.06% compared to May of 2025. In the first five months of 2026, imports of all types of coal reached US$1.06 billion, an increase of 16.95% compared to the same period of 2025.
Notably, the imports of other petroleum products in May of 2026 reached US$102.48 million, a decrease of 78.3% compared to April of 2026 but an increase of 154.66% compared to May of 2025. The total imports of other petroleum products in the first five months of 2026 reached US$812.92 million, an increase of 328.07% compared to the same period of 2025.
This trend showed that the energy demand for production and power generation in the FDI sector remains high, and also reflects the impact of the import cycle as well as fluctuations in energy prices on the international market.
* The automotive and transportation sector showed clear differentiation
In May of 2026, imports of completely assembled automobiles reached US$308.82 million, more than doubled (100.23%) compared to April of 2026 and a 30.97% increase compared to May of 2025. In the first five months of 2026, the total imports of completely assembled automobiles reached US$1.11 billion, a 4.94% increase compared to the same period of 2025.
Conversely, the imports of automotive components and parts in May of 2026 reached US$204.79 million, a decrease of 6.52% compared to April of 2026 and a decrease of 7.56% compared to May of 2025. In the first five months of 2026, imports of automotive components and parts reached US$1.1 billion, an increase of 15.40% compared to the same period of 2025.
This showed an adjustment in the import structure between complete vehicles and components according to domestic consumption needs, the production plans of assembly enterprises, and the business strategies of FDI corporations in each period.
CK
Source: VITIC