HCMC – Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade has told the customs to strengthen inspections as imports of wide-format rolled steel jumped to 215,000 tons in June, raising fears of revenue loss and strain on local steelmakers.
The ministry has issued a directive to the General Department of Vietnam Customs to tighten inspections of hot-rolled coil steel (HRC) with widths of 1,880mm or more, following a recent surge in imports and signs of misreporting to evade taxes, the Government news site reported.
Vietnam imported 215,000 tons of large-format HRC steel in June, a 26-fold surge from last year’s 8,000 tons, official data showed.
In the first half of this year, imports from China reached nearly 650,000 tons, 15 times higher than in the same period in 2024, with 74% of the volume comprising steel widths of 2,000mm.
The sharp increase in large-format steel imports is believed to be driven by a new tax policy implemented in February, when Vietnam began imposing provisional anti-dumping duties on HRC steel with widths of no more than 1,880mm imported from China and India.
Meanwhile, steel products exceeding this width threshold are not subject to the tax, creating a loophole that allows businesses to adjust specifications to evade duties.
The Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam stated that HRC steel with widths from 1,880mm and above is essentially the same as the type currently subject to anti-dumping duties in terms of characteristics, intended use, and market consumption.
Shifting to the import of similar large-format steel products shows signs of circumventing trade remedy measures, which violates regulations outlined in Decrees 10/2018 and 86/2025.
