Want to be in the loop?
subscribe to
our notification
Business News
VIETNAM’S TRADE SET TO SURPASS US$900 BILLION FOR FIRST TIME
Employees process wood at a facility - PHOTO: ARCHIVES
HCMC – Vietnam’s total import-export turnover is expected to reach about US$920 billion by the end of the year, marking the first time the country’s trade value has exceeded the US$900-billion mark.
As of December 15, Vietnam’s total trade turnover stood at US$883.7 billion, according to the Agency of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Export growth in 2025 has been particularly strong, with export value forecast to exceed US$470 billion, up 16% from 2024, the Vietnam News Agency reported.
Speaking at a ceremony on December 19 to announce Vietnam’s 2025 trade results and honor top-performing exporters, representatives of the agency said Vietnam has recorded a trade surplus for 10 consecutive years since 2016. The trade surplus for 2025 is estimated at around US$21 billion.
Vietnam’s import-export sector has expanded rapidly over the past decade. Total trade soared from US$100 billion in 2009 to US$200 billion in 2011, US$300 billion in 2015, US$500 billion in 2017, and is now set to exceed US$900 billion.
The number of export items generating over US$1 billion in revenue increased to 36 in 2025, up from 10 in 2007. Meanwhile, the number of export markets with annual turnover exceeding US$1 billion rose from 27 in 2013 to 35 in 2024.
Source: The Saigon Times
Related News
INFRASTRUCTURE / CONSTRUCTION / LOGISTIC / PORT
VIETNAM EXPANDS INLAND CONTAINER DEPOT NETWORK TO 19
The two newly added ICDs are Cai Mep in HCMC and Tan Cang-Moc Bai (phase one) in Tay Ninh Province. Cai Mep ICD, located in Cai Mep Industrial Park in Tan Phuoc Ward, HCMC and developed by Cai Mep International Logistics JSC, covers 9.15 hectares and has an annual handling capacity of about 133,000 TEUs, according to the Government news site (baochinhphu.vn).
BANKING / FINANCE / INSURANCE / TAX
HCMC CREDIT UP 1.5% IN Q1
Outstanding loans in the city reached an estimated VND5.28 quadrillion, up 0.77% from the previous month and 16.25% year-on-year, data from the State Bank of Vietnam’s Regional Branch 2 showed. Vietnam dong loans accounted for 96.1% of total credit and rose 1.46% from the end of 2025. Medium- and long-term lending made up 55% of total outstanding loans and increased 3.22%.
VIETNAM ECONOMY INVESTMENT
HCMC TO ESTABLISH CULTURAL INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT FUND
The HCMC People’s Committee has tasked relevant departments with establishing a cultural industry development fund and developing a 150-hectare film studio complex. The move follows an instruction by HCMC Party Committee Secretary Tran Luu Quang. The city’s cultural industry development fund will be structured under a venture capital model.
HR / LABOUR/ EMPLOYMENT
EMPLOYEES’ AVERAGE INCOME INCREASES
Average monthly income of workers in the first quarter reached VND9 million, up 3.8% from the previous quarter and 8.5% from a year earlier, according to the National Statistics Office. Male workers earned an average of VND10.1 million per month, compared with VND7.7 million for female workers. In urban areas, average income reached VND10.7 million per month, while in rural areas it was VND7.9 million.
INFRASTRUCTURE / CONSTRUCTION / LOGISTIC / PORT
HCMC KICKS OFF OVER 10 PROJECTS DURING APRIL
Work will start on major projects in transportation, urban development and logistics sectors in HCMC this month, coinciding with Vietnam’s Reunification Day, April 30. They include the N3 ramp at the An Phu interchange with an investment of VND3.4 trillion and the 1.69-hectare Tan Chanh Hiep Park. In addition to these, seven other projects are slated to break ground within the month, including the Ho Tram – Long Thanh airport urban expressway, the Nha Rong – Khanh Hoi port area and the Ho Chi Minh Museum expansion.
HOSPITALITY / TOURISM / ENTERTAINMENT
VIETNAM’S Q1 FOREIGN TOURIST ARRIVALS HIT RECORD HIGH
Vietnam welcomed nearly 2.1 million international visitors in March, bringing first quarter foreign tourist arrivals to 6.76 million, up 12.4% year-on-year and marking a record high for the period, the national authority for tourism said. Air travel accounted for 82.3% of international arrivals, followed by land at 15.5% and sea at 2.2%, according to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism.
Events Sponsors
