Vietnam Posts Largest Trade Gap in Nearly 4 Years

2026-02-06 02:06 By Chusnul Chotimah 1 min. read

Vietnam posted a trade deficit of USD 1.78 billion in January 2026, shifting from a USD 3.1 billion surplus in the same month of 2024.

It marked the second straight month of trade deficit and the largest gap since February 2022, as exports rose less than imports.

Outbound shipments grew 29.7% year-on-year to USD 43.19 billion, while imports jumped 49.2% to USD 44.97 billion.

During the month, shipments of processed industrial goods totaled USD 38.43 billion, accounting for 89.0% of total exports, while imports of production materials amounted to USD 42.3 billion, representing 94.0% of total imports.

The US remained Vietnam’s largest export market, with turnover reaching USD 13.9 billion, while China was the largest importer, with turnover of USD 19.0 billion.

The surplus with the US was $12 billion in January, nearly 30% higher than a year earlier, and only slightly lower than the USD 12.3 billion in December.

Last year, Vietnam registered a total trade surplus of USD 20.03 billion.



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