Seminar seeks export opportunities for Vietnamese goods in UK

In the first half of 2026, two-way trade turnover between Vietnam and the UK surpassed US$5 billion. Of this total, Vietnam’s exports to the UK reached US$4.51 billion, marking a 16.34% year-on-year increase.

Key export items from Vietnam to the UK include electronic products, phones, machinery and equipment, footwear, textiles and garments, agricultural goods, and seafood.

Despite these figures, Vietnamese goods still maintain a modest market share relative to the UK’s total import scale, which exceeded GBP 945 billion in 2025.

The UK represents a major economy with high purchasing power and rich potential for Vietnamese products. At the same time, it is a demanding market with strict requirements regarding product quality, technical specifications, food safety, traceability, and environmental and social responsibility standards.

The implementation of the UKVFTA alongside the UK’s official accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) in December 2024 has brought additional export opportunities and tariff preferences for Vietnamese enterprises. However, utilizing these advantages ultimately depends on the capacity and initiative of individual businesses.

Master Trinh Huynh Quang Canh from UEH analyzed that the UKVFTA, which officially took effect in May 2021 on the basis of inheriting the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), aims at eliminating 99% of import tariffs between the two sides over a 6-to-7-year roadmap. This mechanism is estimated to save Vietnamese exporters approximately GBP 114 million in tariffs.

Making use of the EVFTA and other trade agreements helps raise the value of Vietnamese goods within global supply chains while improving overall product quality. Once enterprises become familiar with these established market practices and production standards, they can more smoothly adjust their production chains when expanding into other markets such as China, Japan, or New Zealand.

Canh noted that businesses must strictly comply with rules of origin and material provenance while maintaining rigorous quality control. Markets applying the UKVFTA, EVFTA, and CPTPP enforce stringent quality standards, requiring enterprises to strictly follow and adjust their production models to meet these requirements.

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