Footwear exports near US$12 billion, US drives growth

Data from the National Statistics Office (NSO) shows, the growth rate slowed from 0.87% recorded in the first quarter, reflecting weaker demand in several export markets, including China, Japan, the United Kingdom and Mexico.

The slowdown was partly offset by stronger shipments to the United States and the European Union, which continued to underpin the industry's overall performance.

The United States was Vietnam's largest footwear export market, with shipments estimated at US$4.55 billion in the first half, up more than 6% year on year. The market accounted for nearly 39% of Vietnam's total footwear export value.

The performance came despite an overall decline in US footwear imports, highlighting the growing competitiveness of Vietnamese-made products.

According to the US International Trade Commission, Vietnam became the largest supplier of footwear to the United States for the first time during the first quarter of 2026. Imports from Vietnam reached US$2.47 billion, up 9.27% from a year earlier, while imports from China fell by more than 50% to around US$1.12 billion.

As a result, Vietnam's share of the US footwear import market rose to 40.24%, compared with 33.84% a year earlier. China's market share, meanwhile, dropped sharply to 18.27%, roughly half of its 33.94% share in the same period of 2025.

Other suppliers, including Indonesia, Italy and Cambodia, also expanded their presence in the US market, although Vietnam maintained a comfortable lead. Industry analysts expect the United States to be the key driver of Vietnam's footwear export growth in the coming months.

Vietnam is currently the world's third-largest footwear producer and second-largest footwear exporter. In 2025, the industry's total export turnover hit nearly US$29 billion, including more than US$24 billion from footwear exports alone. The industry comprises around 3,000 companies, employs nearly 1.5 million workers, and produces between 1.3 billion and 1.4 billion pairs of shoes annually.

Seminar promotes sustainable value chains in Vietnam-India leather, footwear sector

VOV.VN - An online seminar held on April 9 by the Vietnam Trade Office in India in coordination with the Vietnam Leather and Footwear Institute discussed ways to strengthen business links and expand cooperation in the leather and footwear sector, with a focus on building sustainable value chains between Vietnam and India.