Vietnam's trade in goods has passed $1 trillion for the first time, with imports and exports in the first ten months of 2026 reaching an estimated $1,010.6 billion, up 32.3% on the same period last year. The milestone was crossed with two months of the year still to run, according to figures from the country's trade authorities.

Exports were estimated at about $499 billion, up 27.4% year on year, while imports reached $511.3 billion, up 37.4%. October alone accounted for an estimated $122.2 billion of trade, up 47.6% on October 2025, as shipments accelerated through the final months of the year.

A milestone two decades in the making

The trillion-dollar figure caps a rapid climb since Vietnam joined the World Trade Organization. Goods trade first reached $100 billion in 2007, then $200 billion in 2011, $300 billion in 2015, $400 billion in 2017 and $500 billion in 2019. It passed $600 billion in 2021, $700 billion in 2022 and $900 billion in 2025, before crossing $1 trillion on 29 October 2026, according to the Customs Department.

Vietnam now ranks 18th in the world for exports and 20th for imports, and trades with 237 countries and territories. The figures underline how far the country has travelled from a largely agricultural exporter to one of Asia's major manufacturing and assembly hubs, supplying electronics, garments, footwear and machinery to markets around the world.

Imports outpace exports

The headline total hides an imbalance. Because imports grew faster than exports, Vietnam recorded a cumulative merchandise trade deficit of about $12.7 billion over the ten months, a swing from a surplus of roughly $19.5 billion in the same period a year earlier.

Much of the import growth reflects the raw materials, components and machinery that feed Vietnam's export factories. Foreign-invested enterprises remain the engine of the trade boom: their import-export turnover reached $778 billion, or 77.5% of the national total, up 37% year on year. Domestic firms accounted for the rest.

Full-year growth set to beat target

The Customs Department forecasts that full-year 2026 trade turnover will rise by around 25%, well above the government's target of 15% to 16% growth. Export turnover alone is expected to grow by more than 25% for the year.

Officials also cautioned that the sector faces headwinds. As of mid-September, Vietnamese goods faced 327 trade defence investigations in 27 markets, and the trade ministry is drafting a goods import and export strategy running to 2030, with a vision extending to 2045, to keep the momentum going.

For now, though, the $1 trillion mark stands as the clearest sign yet of Vietnam's weight in world trade — reached in ten months, with the year's busiest shopping season still ahead.