Vietnam supplies nearly half of US woodwork imports in 11 months of 2025

The figure was released by the Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, citing data from the U.S. International Trade Commission.

Although the United States’ woodwork imports declined over eight percent year on year, the structure of suppliers shifted markedly.

While shipments from most major exporters fell, the purchase from Vietnam moved in the opposite direction.

The United States imported wooden furniture worth more than $8.1 billion from Vietnam during the 11-month period last year, giving the Southeast Asian nation a market share exceeding 45 percent.

In contrast, U.S. imports from China continued to decline sharply.

Its imports from China totaled $1.7 billion, down 41 percent from a year earlier, with China’s market share shrinking to just 9.8 percent.

Despite Vietnam’s expanding footprint, overall demand in the U.S. market was contracting, said the agency.

The agency urged Vietnamese exporters to prioritize product quality and design improvements to increase order value rather than compete solely on volume.

Though the U.S. cut overall imports of wooden-frame seats, Vietnam managed to raise its share of that segment from nearly 43 percent to 52 percent, supplying more than half of U.S. demand.

3 key risks

The agency warned that rapid market share gains also carry significant risks for Vietnamese exporters.

First, the United States maintains strict trade monitoring mechanisms to protect domestic production.

When a single country gains an overwhelming share of imports, U.S. industry associations are more likely to initiate trade remedy cases, including anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations or probes into alleged tariff circumvention.

Second, Vietnam’s large trade surplus with the United States could attract scrutiny under tariff measures or exchange rate-related policy pressures.

Third, heavy dependence on a single market leaves Vietnam’s wood industry vulnerable to shifts in U.S. economic policy or tighter regulatory standards.

To mitigate these risks, firms should diversify into growing markets such as the European Union, Japan, and the Middle East.

Also, companies are advised to maintain meticulous documentation on timber origin to prepare for potential inspections by U.S. authorities.

The agency encouraged firms to move up the value chain by focusing on original design manufacturing rather than relying predominantly on original equipment manufacturing.

Vietnam’s forestry exports totaled $18.5 billion in 2025, of which wood and wood products contributed $17.2 billion, up around six percent from 2024.

The U.S. became Vietnam’s biggest wood and woodwork buyer.

In January this year, exports of wood and wood products reached $1.6 billion, marking a year-on-year increase of nearly 13 percent.

Looking ahead to 2026, the agency forecast continued growth in wood and woodwork exports, supported by Vietnam’s proactive adaptation to the European Union’s EU Deforestation Regulation and compliance with sustainability certification requirements such as Forest Stewardship Council and Program for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.

These steps are expected to help Vietnamese wood products penetrate deeper into premium segments in Europe and the United States.

The nation is also projected to see a stronger shift from original equipment manufacturing to original design manufacturing, boosting profit margins and easing pressure from input material costs.

Vietnam is poised to remain a key destination for large-scale orders, bolstered by political stability and concentrated manufacturing capacity.