HCMC – Vietnam recorded a trade deficit of about US$7.11 billion in the first four months of 2026 though the export sector performed well, official data showed.
Vietnam’s total trade in April was estimated at US$94.32 billion, up 26.7% from a year earlier, according to the National Statistics Office of Vietnam. During the first four months of 2026, trade reached an estimated US$344.17 billion, up 24.2% year-on-year.
Exports in April were put at US$45.52 billion, down 2% against the previous month. Between January and April, export revenue soared 19.7% compared to the same period last year to about US$168.53 billion.
Of this, the domestic sector accounted for US$33.65 billion, up a slight 0.4%, while the foreign-invested sector, including crude oil, made up US$134.88 billion, rising 25.8%.
There were 24 export categories with revenue exceeding US$1 billion, accounting for 89.1% of total exports. Among them, seven items recorded export value above US$5 billion, representing 69.1%.
Manufactured goods remained the main driver of exports, totaling US$151.5 billion and accounting for 89.9% of shipments. Agricultural and forestry products made up 7.5%, seafood 2.1%, and fuels and minerals 0.5%.
Meanwhile, imports in the first four months were estimated at US$175.64 billion, up 28.7% from a year earlier. The domestic sector’s imports totaled US$49.27 billion, up 20.4%, while the foreign invested sector brought in US$126.37 billion, up 32.3%.
A total of 30 import categories exceeded US$1 billion in value, accounting for 87.4% of total imports. Of these, two items surpassed US$5 billion, representing nearly half of the total.
Production materials continued to dominate the import structure, totaling US$165.37 billion, or 94.2% of overall imports.
The United States was Vietnam’s largest buyer, with turnover of about US$53.9 billion during the four-month period. Meanwhile, China was the country’s largest source of imports, with turnover of around US$69 billion.
According to the National Statistics Office of Vietnam, Vietnam posted a deficit of US$3.28 billion in April. In the year to the end of April, the country had recorded a trade deficit of about US$7.11 billion, compared with a surplus of US$4.3 billion in the same period last year.
