Vietnam Trade Balance Swings to Deficit
2026-08-03 02:28
By
Jereli Escobar
1 min. read
Vietnam recorded a trade deficit of USD 3.6 billion in July 2026, shifting from a surplus of USD 2.3 billion in the corresponding month a year earlier.
Exports rose 25% year-on-year to USD 53.1 billion, while imports jumped 41.4% to USD 56.7 billion.
In the January-July period, the country posted a trade deficit of USD 20.5 billion, with exports increased 21.7% to USD 319.53 billion, while imports climbed 34.8% to USD 340.1billion.
The cumulative deficit has already exceeded previous full-year record of about USD 18 billion set in 2008, with higher fuel costs contributing to import growth.
Processed industrial goods accounted for an estimated USD 287.9 billion, or 90.1% of total exports.
The US remained the largest export market, with exports estimated at USD 104.7 billion.
Meanwhile, imports of production materials were estimated at USD 320 billion, representing 94.1% of total imports.
China remained the largest source of imports, with import turnover estimated at USD 138.6 billion.