After more than 5 years of implementation, Vietnam-United Kingdom and Northern Ireland Free Trade Agreement (UKVFTA) has created an important foundation for Vietnamese goods to access UK market. Export growth momentum in 2026 shows that potential from the agreement remains significant, but along with opportunities come increasingly high demands on quality, origin and production methods.
In the first six months of 2026, Vietnam's exports to the United Kingdom are expected to reach approximately US$4.5 billion, an increase of 16.3% compared to the same period in 2025; total bilateral trade will exceed US$5 billion. Vietnam's key export product groups continue to have a presence in this market, from electronics, machinery and equipment to textiles, footwear and agricultural products and food.
Notably, movements in each product category show that the UK market still has much potential but is not easy to conquer. For textiles, one of Vietnam's traditional export groups, data from the UK's Royal Customs and Excise Agency shows that in the first six months of 2026, value of textile imports from Vietnam reached £284.66 million, an increase of 4.53% compared to the same period last year. However, in June 2026 alone, import value reached £43.93 million, a decrease compared to both the previous month and the same period in 2025.
These figures show that advantages from an FTA do not necessarily mean a market that always grows in a straight line. Changing demands, increased competition, and ever-higher standards are forcing businesses to be more proactive if they want to maintain their market share in the UK.
In an interview with Industry and Trade Newspaper, economist Associate Professor Dr. Dinh Trong Thinh stated that the United Kingdom is a large market that Vietnamese businesses need to continue to pay attention to and strive to exploit. Boosting exports to this market requires not only ability to get goods to the UK, but more importantly, improving quality and better meeting market requirements.
“UK is a large market, and Vietnam also has products with competitive advantages. The issue is that businesses must pay attention and strive to better exploit this market, so as to get more Vietnamese goods into the UK market”, Mr. Dinh Trong Thinh commented.
Not stopping at tariff preferences
A notable point of UKVFTA is that the Agreement creates clear trade advantages for Vietnamese goods, but tariff preferences are only one part of the equation for market access. Once goods have passed through customs, businesses still face requirements regarding quality, safety, traceability, environmental protection, and production responsibility.
This is also why exploiting UKVFTA is increasingly linked to upgrading business capabilities. A product with a tax advantage but failing to meet market technical requirements will find it difficult to translate that advantage into a real business advantage. Conversely, businesses that effectively control quality, raw materials, and production processes are more likely to maintain customer relationships and expand their markets.
According to economist Dinh Trong Thinh, one of requirements that businesses need to pay special attention to is the trend of green production. This is no longer a concern for just a few industries but is becoming an increasingly common requirement in major markets.
“With green standards, we are still striving to apply and expand them every day, because all markets have requirements, especially large markets. Therefore, origin of goods and greener, cleaner production are among the things businesses need to pay attention to,” emphasized economist Dinh Trong Thinh.
From this perspective, UKVFTA is creating a broader impact than just tax incentives. The agreement places Vietnamese businesses before the requirement to change their production organization to better suit a developing market. While previously businesses could focus heavily on cost and delivery capabilities, now the issue of raw material origin, product quality, production processes and environmental factors is playing an increasingly important role.
This is also an opportunity for Vietnamese goods to move up to higher-value segments. When businesses invest in technology, effectively control processes, and build products that meet high standards, the benefits extend beyond just one order in the UK; they can expand to other developed markets.
Improving quality for the long term
UK market still has room for Vietnamese goods, but to transform that room into stable orders and market share, businesses must delve deeper into the characteristics of each segment. Not only must they meet the exact product needs, but they must also maintain consistent quality and supply throughout the partnership.
For agricultural products and food, traceability, food safety, and quality control are almost mandatory requirements. Meanwhile, textiles, footwear, wood products, and other industrial products are increasingly affected by requirements regarding raw materials, production processes, environmental standards and supply chain responsibility.
It's worth noting that these requirements cannot be addressed at the final stage, when the product is already ready for export. To maintain market share, businesses must consider everything from the input stage, from raw materials and product design to the production process. This is also a way to mitigate risks when working with importers and avoid costly adjustments after orders have been secured.
The pressure to raise standards from the UK market will also spread to domestic production. When export businesses tighten standards for raw materials, quality, and processes, suppliers in the chain will also be forced to change to meet them. Therefore, the requirements of an export market not only affect businesses directly selling goods but can also lead to changes in the entire supply chain.
This is also a point to consider when evaluating the effectiveness of the UKVFTA. The value of the Agreement lies not only in the reduced tariffs, but in its ability to help Vietnamese businesses build products with long-term competitiveness. When the stringent requirements of the UK market are translated into production capacity, quality standards, and supply chain control capabilities, the benefits from the FTA will truly penetrate the production sector.

Source: Vitic/ congthuong.vn