9:21:27 AM | 10/22/2025
According to the Department of Vietnam Customs, the country’s total import-export value reached US$680.66 billion in the first nine months of 2025, up 17.3% year on year. This strong growth demonstrates the effectiveness of recent policies that have supported production, boosted exports, and expanded markets.
Exports totaled US$348.74 billion, up 16% (or US$48.09 billion), while imports increased 18.8% to US$331.92 billion (up US$52.42 billion). The strong growth in both exports and imports reflects a solid recovery in production, particularly in the processing and manufacturing sector, which remains the key driver of Vietnam’s merchandise trade. However, since imports grew faster than exports, the country still recorded a trade surplus of US$16.82 billion.
In September 2025 alone, total trade reached US$82.49 billion, down 0.7% from the previous month. Of this, exports stood at US$42.67 billion (down 1.7%) and imports at US$39.82 billion (up 0.4%). Despite a slight slowdown, trade value remained high, sustaining the year’s overall growth momentum. The monthly trade surplus was US$2.85 billion, down from US$3.72 billion in August, mainly due to adjustments in export values of key product groups in line with market demand.
Notably, state budget revenue from import-export activities posted positive results. In September, revenue reached VND36.082 trillion, down 4.2% from the previous month due to trade fluctuations. However, total revenue for the first nine months reached VND336.54 trillion, equivalent to 81.9% of the annual estimate and 71.6% of the performance target, up 9.9% from the same period in 2024. These results highlight the stable and sustainable contribution of trade to the national budget and the customs sector’s effective and precise revenue management.
Alongside revenue collection and trade facilitation, the Customs sector intensified efforts to combat smuggling and trade fraud. Between August 15 and September 14, 2025, customs authorities detected, seized, and handled 1,416 violations involving goods valued at an estimated VND1.544 trillion. Of these, one case was prosecuted, 17 were referred for prosecution, and nearly VND75 billion was collected for the state budget. Compared to the same period last year, detected cases rose by 22 (up 1.58%), prosecutions fell by four (down 80%), and referrals for prosecution increased by two (up 13.3%).
Cumulatively, in the first nine months of 2025, customs authorities handled 13,328 violation cases with an estimated total value of VND17.695 trillion. The sector initiated 15 prosecutions, referred 93 cases for prosecution, and contributed about VND664.12 billion to the state budget. These figures highlight the Customs sector’s strong commitment to maintaining a fair business environment, preventing tax losses, and upholding border trade discipline.
Drug prevention and control remained a top priority. In September 2025, law enforcement agencies uncovered 15 cases involving 22 suspects, including six led by Customs, six by the Police, and three by Border Guard and Coast Guard units. Authorities seized 37.67 kilograms of various narcotics. During the first nine months of 2025, a total of 152 cases involving 194 suspects were detected, with 2,301 kilograms of narcotics seized, 63 of which were led by Customs. These results demonstrate the strong commitment of enforcement agencies to combating transnational drug crimes and protecting national security and public health.
Overall, the first nine months of 2025 saw a strong rebound in international trade, both in scale and efficiency. Robust export growth and a sustained trade surplus reinforced Vietnam’s position in global supply chains. At the same time, the customs sector’s solid budget performance and achievements in anti-smuggling and drug enforcement demonstrate its effective, balanced approach to fulfilling the dual mission of facilitating trade and ensuring national economic security.
By Huong Hau, Vietnam Business Forum
Vietnamese
