Viet Nam’s merchandise trade reached USD104.2 billion in June, marking a 5.2-per-cent increase from the previous month and a 36.3-per-cent jump compared with a year earlier, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Finance in its second-quarter and first-half 2026 socio-economic report.

For the first six months of the year, the country’s total import and export turnover climbed 27.1 per cent year-on-year to USD549.69 billion, supported by robust expansion in both outbound and inbound trade.

The NSO reported that exports grew 21 per cent to USD266.5 billion, while imports surged 33.4 per cent to USD283.2 billion, driven by stronger manufacturing activity and rising demand for production inputs, particularly among foreign-invested enterprises. During the period, 29 export items recorded a turnover of above USD1 billion, accounting for 92.1 per cent of total exports, including five items exceeding USD10 billion and making up 62.6 per cent.

In June alone, export turnover reached USD50.8 billion, up 8.2 per cent month-on-month, while imports stood at USD53.4 billion, up 2.5 per cent.

Export growth was led by the foreign-invested sector, which continued to account for the majority share, while domestic enterprises also posted steady gains.

In the second quarter, exports reached USD143.6 billion, up 22.7 per cent year-on-year.

By structure, processed industrial goods remained the dominant export category, accounting for the vast majority of shipments, followed by agricultural goods, seafood, and fuels and minerals.

On the import side, capital goods such as machinery and equipment continued to make up the bulk of purchases, alongside raw materials for production, while consumer goods accounted for a small share.

For the first half, Viet Nam recorded a trade deficit of USD16.7 billion, compared with a surplus in the same period last year, as imports grew faster than exports.

Source: Borneobulletin