Strong export momentum and FTA advantages continue to support year-end economic acceleration.

Trade surpasses USD 800 billion: A springboard for year-end acceleration

According to the General Department of Customs, by November 15, 2025, Vietnam’s total trade value had reached more than USD 801 billion, the highest level ever recorded. In just the first half of November, trade reached USD 38.35 billion, with exports at USD 19.25 billion and imports at USD 19.1 billion. The figures reflect the economy’s strong resilience amid persistent global trade disruptions. Over the past ten months, Vietnam recorded a trade surplus of USD 19.54 billion, creating important policy space for macro-economic management and inflation control.

The strongest growth momentum came from processed-industrial commodities, which continue to benefit significantly from Vietnam’s network of FTAs. Customs data shows that in the first half of November, computers, electronics and components led with USD 4.8 billion; machinery, equipment and spare parts reached USD 2.36 billion; phones and components USD 2.16 billion; textiles USD 1.39 billion; and footwear surpassed USD 1 billion. These are all sectors deeply integrated into FTA markets and heavily reliant on preferential tariff commitments.

At a time of rising protectionism and tightening trade barriers worldwide, FTAs have served as essential buffers, helping Vietnam maintain its competitive edge. Agreements such as CPTPP, EVFTA, UKVFTA and RCEP have opened broad market access and elevated the quality of Vietnam’s exports.

First, tariff incentives reduce costs and provide direct competitive advantages for Vietnamese goods in high-standard markets. Electronics, textiles, footwear and seafood have grown strongly thanks to low-tariff or zero-tariff access.

Second, FTAs help diversify and restructure supply chains, reducing reliance on a single market. As the US imposed retaliatory tariffs, the EVFTA immediately became an alternative gateway for Vietnamese textiles, while CPTPP expanded market opportunities for seafood and agriculture in Canada, Japan and Australia.

Third, FTAs attract high-quality FDI into manufacturing, enhancing domestic value chains and fostering new export ecosystems.

At the conference “ASEAN Economic Community and leveraging FTAs for Vietnam’s key export sectors” organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), Nguyen Viet Chi, Deputy Director General of the Multilateral Trade Policy Department, noted that after three decades of ASEAN membership, the bloc remains one of Vietnam’s most important economic partners. Trade relations have grown steadily and produced notable achievements. “ASEAN-related FTAs have expanded business cooperation opportunities, diversified export markets, strengthened competitiveness and enabled deeper participation in global value chains,” Chi added.

Thanks to this synergy, FTAs continue to serve as a major driving force propelling Vietnam toward a new trade record in 2025.

Bright spots from core export sectors

The record-high trade value reflects strong contributions from key export industries. According to VASEP, as of October 2025, seafood exports reached USD 9.32 billion, up 13.1% year-on-year. Demand in major markets has risen sharply, China up 33.7%, the US up 7.5%, Japan up 10.5%, and Australia up 3.3%. Notably in Australia, Vietnam is now the largest seafood supplier by value, accounting for 21.96% of total imports. Australia’s market, where 65% of seafood consumption depends on imports, offers significant potential for high-value processed products, a major advantage under new-generation FTAs.

Shrimp exports surged to USD 3.9 billion in ten months, up 22%, the fastest-growing agricultural-aquatic segment. China spent more than USD 1.1 billion on Vietnamese shrimp imports, a stunning 64% increase. Rising demand for frozen and semi-processed shrimp in China’s modern retail system has become a key growth driver.

In industrial sectors, textile and garment exports reached USD 32.9 billion in ten months, a 7.6% rise; exports to the US reached USD 14.81 billion, up 11.3%. However, the US’s retaliatory tariffs effective from August 7, 2025 prompted enterprises to adjust strategies. The EVFTA and UKVFTA quickly became crucial replacement channels. Meeting the “fabric-forward” rules of origin remains challenging but encourages investment in green technology, supply-chain management and higher localization, critical for maintaining access to the EU’s high-standard market.

Local governments have also taken proactive actions to support exporters. Ho Chi Minh City, the country’s leading export hub, has deployed strong solutions in line with the Prime Minister’s Directive No.221/CĐ-TTg to stabilize macro-conditions and boost exports. Departments of Finance, Industry and Trade, Taxation, Customs and the State Bank have coordinated to ease capital constraints, speed up customs procedures, help businesses leverage FTAs, provide market intelligence and strengthen supply-chain links with FDI enterprises. As a result, the city’s export value reached USD 76.23 billion in ten months, up 4.87%. This underscores the vital role of local authorities in sustaining national export growth, especially in the year-end period.

Speaking to the Industry and Trade Newspaper, economist Nguyen Minh Phong said the breakthrough in core export sectors, combined with the spillover effects of FTAs, is creating significant opportunities for Vietnam to reach the USD 900 billion trade milestone in 2025. To achieve this, ministries and enterprises must continue expanding markets by fully utilizing the FTA network, accelerating green transformation and ensuring supply-chain transparency.

Enterprises also need to increase deep processing to enhance value addition, develop modern logistics chains to reduce export costs and coordinate closely with Vietnam’s overseas trade offices. FTAs will remain the key “external engine” that sustains Vietnam’s trade momentum, strengthens its global value-chain position and sets the stage for higher milestones in subsequent years.

With this growth trajectory, 2025 is poised to become the first year Vietnam achieves two historic milestones, surpassing USD 800 billion and having a high likelihood of reaching USD 900 billion in trade.