HCMC – The World Steel Association (Worldsteel) has released its latest ranking of the world’s largest crude steel producing countries, with Vietnam entering the global top 10 for the first time.
Vietnam’s crude steel output was estimated at 2.1 million tons in April, up 4% year-on-year. With this result, Vietnam surpassed Italy to secure a place among the top 10 global producers, according to the Government news portal (VGP).
In the first four months of 2026, Vietnam produced a total of 8.5 million tons of crude steel, an increase of 8.4% year-on-year.
The Vietnam Steel Association said the domestic steel industry has made remarkable progress in both production scale and product diversification.
In 2000, most steel mills in Vietnam still relied on imported billets to roll construction steel for the domestic market. However, over the past decade, particularly since 2010, the industry has undergone significant transformation.
Vietnamese steelmakers are now capable of producing all types of steel needed for the economy, including products serving mechanical engineering, shipbuilding, energy projects such as wind power and oil rigs, and even the defense industry.
Several large-scale and modern steel complexes have been developed and put into operation, including the Hoa Phat Dung Quat Iron and Steel Integrated Complex of Hoa Phat Group. The plant pioneered the production of high grade and technically demanding steel products, such as engineering steel, tire cord steel, welding wire steel, spring steel, bolt and screw steel, crane steel, prestressed steel, as well as steel rails for high-speed railways and structural steel.
In 2023, Vietnam ranked 12th globally in crude steel production with output reaching 20 million tons. By 2025, the country’s crude steel output rose to 24.6 million tons, the highest in Southeast Asia and ranking 11th worldwide.
