Vietnam recorded a trade deficit of USD 5.21 billion in May 2026, shifting from a surplus of USD 0.62 billion in the same month a year earlier and marking the largest trade deficit since records began in 1990. Exports grew 18.0% yoy to a record peak of USD 46.93 billion, while imports rose at a faster pace of 33.8% to a record high of USD 52.14 billion. For the first five months of the year, the country posted a USD 13.8 billion trade deficit, with exports rising 19.5% yoy to USD 215.66 billion, and imports surging 30.8% to USD 229.46 billion. During the period, exports of processed industrial goods were estimated at USD 193.71 billion, accounting for 89.8% of total exports. The US remained the largest export market, with exports estimated at USD 69.6 billion. Meanwhile, imports of production materials were estimated at USD 215.99 billion, accounting for 94.1% of total imports. China remained the largest source of imports, with import turnover estimated at USD 92.6 billion. source: General Statistics Office of Vietnam

Vietnam recorded a trade deficit of 5.21 USD Billion in May of 2026. Balance of Trade in Vietnam averaged 0.06 USD Billion from 1990 until 2026, reaching an all time high of 4.99 USD Billion in August of 2020 and a record low of -5.21 USD Billion in May of 2026. This page provides the latest reported value for - Vietnam Balance of Trade - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. Vietnam Balance of Trade - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on June of 2026.

Vietnam recorded a trade deficit of 5.21 USD Billion in May of 2026. Balance of Trade in Vietnam is expected to be 0.50 USD Billion by the end of this quarter, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analysts expectations. In the long-term, the Vietnam Balance of Trade is projected to trend around 1.50 USD Billion in 2027, according to our econometric models.



Calendar GMT Reference Actual Previous Consensus TEForecast
2026-05-03 02:00 AM
Balance of Trade
Apr $-3.28B $-0.67B $-0.8B
2026-06-03 02:00 AM
Balance of Trade
May $-5.21B $-3.99B $-3.4B
2026-07-03 02:00 AM
Balance of Trade
Jun $-5.21B $ 0.5B


Related Last Previous Unit Reference
Balance of Trade -5.21 -3.99 USD Billion May 2026
Exports 46.93 45.99 USD Billion May 2026
Imports 52.14 49.98 USD Billion May 2026
Terms of Trade 103.15 102.95 points Dec 2024
Tourist Arrivals YoY 1779.88 2031.52 Thousand May 2026


Vietnam Balance of Trade
Since 2012, Vietnam’s has been reporting trade trade surpluses more frequently as exports growth have been stronger than imports. In 2017, trade deficits were recorded with South Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore and Argentina. Vietnam recorded trade surpluses with the United States, Netherlands, Hong Kong, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and Austria.
Actual Previous Highest Lowest Dates Unit Frequency
-5.21 -3.99 4.99 -5.21 1990 - 2026 USD Billion Monthly

News Stream
Vietnam Posts Largest Trade Gap on Record
Vietnam recorded a trade deficit of USD 5.21 billion in May 2026, shifting from a surplus of USD 0.62 billion in the same month a year earlier and marking the largest trade deficit since records began in 1990. Exports grew 18.0% yoy to a record peak of USD 46.93 billion, while imports rose at a faster pace of 33.8% to a record high of USD 52.14 billion. For the first five months of the year, the country posted a USD 13.8 billion trade deficit, with exports rising 19.5% yoy to USD 215.66 billion, and imports surging 30.8% to USD 229.46 billion. During the period, exports of processed industrial goods were estimated at USD 193.71 billion, accounting for 89.8% of total exports. The US remained the largest export market, with exports estimated at USD 69.6 billion. Meanwhile, imports of production materials were estimated at USD 215.99 billion, accounting for 94.1% of total imports. China remained the largest source of imports, with import turnover estimated at USD 92.6 billion.
2026-06-03
Vietnam Posts Largest Trade Gap Since 1996
Vietnam posted a trade deficit of USD 3.28 billion in April 2026, shifting from a surplus of USD 0.90 billion in the same month a year earlier. It marked the largest trade gap since December 1996, as imports rose faster than exports. Exports rose 21% from a year earlier to USD 45.52 billion, while imports grew faster at 32.5% to a record high of USD 48.8 billion. For the first four months of the year, the country recorded a USD 7.11 billion trade deficit, with exports rising 19.7% year-on-year to USD 168.53 billion, and imports advancing 28.7% to USD 175.64 billion. During the period, processed industrial goods were estimated at USD 151.5 billion, accounting for 89.9% of total exports. The US remained the largest export market, with an estimated value of USD 53.9 billion. Meanwhile, production materials were estimated at USD 165.37 billion, accounting for 94.2% of total imports. China remained the largest import market.
2026-05-03
Vietnam Trade Balance Swings to Deficit in March
Vietnam’s trade balance reversed to a deficit of USD 0.67 billion in March 2026 from a surplus of USD 1.70 billion in the same month a year earlier. Year-on-year, exports rose 20.1% to USD 46.44 billion while imports grew faster at 27.8% to USD 47.11 billion. For the first quarter, exports increased 19.1% to USD 122.93 billion, with sales of computers, electronics, and components surging over 40%, while phones and machinery rose 23.1% and 18.2%, respectively. Meanwhile, the agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector expanded 5.9%. Imports in the period jumped 27.0% to USD 126.57 billion, resulting in a cumulative trade deficit of USD 3.64 billion.
2026-04-04