AsemconnectVietnam - Vietnam’s total merchandise trade turnover for the first eight months of 2026 reached a record $770.14 billion.

However, as the growth rate of imports (up by 35.3%) outpaced that of exports (up by 22.4%), the trade balance shifted to a deficit of $20.46 billion.
According to data released by the General Statistics Office (Ministry of Finance) on the morning of September 3, 2026, total merchandise trade turnover in August 2026 reached $109.7 billion, a 0.1% decrease from the previous month but a 31.7% increase year-on-year. For the first eight months of 2026, total merchandise trade turnover hit $770.14 billion, marking the highest level ever recorded for this period, up by 28.7% year-on-year; specifically, exports rose by 22.4% and imports by 35.3%.
Regarding exports specifically, the figure for August of 2026 stood at $54.79 billion, up by 3.2% from the previous month. Of this, the domestic economic sector contributed $10.5 billion (up by 2.2%), while the FDI sector (including crude oil) accounted for $44.29 billion (up by 3.4%). Compared to the same period last year, merchandise export turnover in August of 2026 rose by 26%, with the domestic sector increasing by 14.1% and the FDI sector (including crude oil) by 29.2%. In the first eight months of 2026, the total export turnover of goods reached US$374.84 billion, an increase of 22.4% compared to the same period last year. Of this total, the domestic economic sector accounted for US$74.47 billion (up by 7.4%, representing 19.9% of the total), while the FDI sector (including crude oil) reached US$300.37 billion (up by 26.9%, representing 80.1%).
In the first eight months of this year, 33 commodities recorded export turnover exceeding US$1 billion, accounting for 93.6% of the total export value (with seven commodities exceeding US$10 billion, accounting for 70%).
Regarding the export product structure for the first eight months of 2026, processed industrial goods reached US$337.99 billion (90.2% of the total); agricultural and forestry products reached US$26.65 billion (7.1%); aquatic products reached US$8.0 billion (2.1%); and fuels and minerals reached US$2.2 billion (0.6%).
Conversely, the import turnover of goods in August 2026 reached US$54.91 billion, a decrease of 3.1% compared to the previous month. Specifically, the domestic economic sector accounted for US$12.82 billion (down by 7.1%), and the FDI sector accounted for US$42.09 billion (down by 1.8%). Compared to the same period last year, the import turnover in August of 2026 rose by 37.9%, with the domestic economic sector increasing by 19.7% and the FDI sector increasing by 44.6%. In the first eight months of 2026, the total import turnover reached US$395.3 billion, an increase of 35.3% year-on-year; of this, the domestic economic sector accounted for US$105.07 billion (up by 23.7%), and the FDI sector accounted for US$290.23 billion (up by 40.1%).
During this period, 43 import items exceeded US$1 billion in value, representing 93.9% of the total import turnover (with three items exceeding US$10 billion, accounting for 55.5%).
Regarding the structure of imports, the group of production materials reached US$372.04 billion (94.1% of the total), comprising machinery, equipment, tools, and spare parts (57.6%) and raw materials and fuels (36.5%). Consumer goods imports reached US$23.26 billion, accounting for 5.9%.
In terms of markets, the United States was Vietnam's largest export market, with a turnover of US$122.0 billion, while China was the largest import market, with a turnover of US$161.9 billion.
In the first eight months of this yeawr, Vietnam recorded a trade surplus of US$106.6 billion with the United States (up by 22.7% year-on-year), US$31.4 billion with the EU (up by 22.8%), and US$2.4 billion with Japan (up by 58%); meanwhile, it recorded a trade deficit of US$107.7 billion with China (up by 41.7%). The trade deficit with South Korea stood at $37.8 billion, up by 89.4%, while the deficit with ASEAN was $13.5 billion, up by 43.4%.
Based on these figures, the merchandise trade balance for August showed a deficit of $0.12 billion. In the first eight months of 2026, the merchandise trade deficit totaled $20.46 billion (compared to a surplus of $14.02 billion in the same period last year). Specifically, the domestic economic sector recorded a deficit of $30.6 billion, whereas the foreign-invested sector (including crude oil) posted a surplus of $10.14 billion.
Source: VITIC/vneconomy.vn