Vietnam’s exports near $500bn in 10 months, with US as largest buyer

The National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday released its report on Vietnam’s socio-economic performance during the 10-month period.

Exports to the U.S. alone totaled $159.4 billion, accounting for nearly one-third of Vietnam’s total export value and reaffirming its position as Vietnam’s biggest buyer.

Foreign-invested enterprises continued to make up the bulk of the country’s export performance, contributing more than 81 percent of total export turnover.

Overseas shipments from these exporters rose 33 percent year on year, compared with growth of 8.2 percent for domestic enterprises.

By product category, processed industrial goods remained the biggest earner, accounting for more than 90 percent of Vietnam’s total export value.

Trade surplus surges to over $7bn in October

In October, Vietnam’s exports rose while imports declined month on month, significantly improving Vietnam’s trade balance.

Exports amounted to $64.67 billion in October, up 8.7 percent month on month, while imports fell 1.4 percent to $57.36 billion.

As a result, the monthly trade surplus climbed to $7.31 billion, compared with $1.3 billion in September.

October marked the second consecutive month Vietnam recorded a trade surplus in 2026.

However, the country still posted a cumulative trade deficit of over $12 billion between January and October, in sharp contrast to the trade surplus of some $19.5 billion recorded in the same period last year.

Vietnam’s total import and export turnover exceeded $1.01 trillion during the 10-month period, representing a year-on-year increase of 32.3 percent.

This marked the first time the country’s total trade value had surpassed the $1 trillion threshold.

Production inputs account for the lion’s share of imports

On the import side, production materials and inputs made up the majority of Vietnam’s purchases from overseas.

These goods accounted for 94.1 percent of total imports, which reached $511.3 billion during the 10-month period.

China was Vietnam’s largest supplier, with shipments valued at $212.5 billion.

Imports by foreign-invested enterprises grew faster than those by domestic businesses.