Prioritizing quality and clear origin

Vietnam’s trade picture during the eight-month period shows many bright spots. Total trade turnover was estimated at US$597.93 billion, up 16.3% year-on-year. To reach the target of 12% growth in export value and a trade surplus of about US$30 billion in 2025, Vu Ba Phu, Director of the Trade Promotion Agency under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said it is essential to diversify both export and import markets and reduce reliance on traditional partners.

Vietnam’s trade offices abroad should further enhance their role as “bridges” between international markets and domestic businesses by providing information, connections, and introductions to importers and distributors, while taking advantage of opportunities from free trade agreements (FTAs). Additionally, localities and industry associations need to work closely together and actively participate in national trade promotion programs to create momentum for exports.

“The success of exports in 2025 is not only about growth figures, but more importantly about balance, sustainability and diversification. Businesses and industry associations need to make the most of emerging markets while consolidating their presence in traditional ones,” Phu stressed.

At present, both China and the US are large yet challenging markets, with strict demands on quality and transparency. According to Nong Duc Lai, Vietnam’s trade counselor in China, the country has opened its doors wider to agro-forestry- fishery products but with tougher requirements on food safety and traceability. As a result, exports of farm produce to China have surged over the past eight months, while processed industrial goods have declined.

Regulations on food safety management have been enforced rigorously, with both online and on-site inspections at foreign production facilities. Businesses need to improve the quality of agro-forestry-fishery products, ensure comprehensive traceability, invest in processing and preservation technologies to add value, and step up trade promotion in northern and northwestern provinces of China where demand for premium food is high. Enterprises should also pay attention to packaging and design to suit consumer tastes, as well as invest in logistics and cold storage to stabilize supply, Lai stressed.

Vietnam-US trade reached US$114.5 billion over the January-August period, up 41%, with Vietnam enjoying a surplus of US$98 billion. Key exports such as machinery, wood, textiles and garments and seafood all recorded strong growth. However, Do Ngoc Hung, Vietnam’s trade counselor in the US, noted that the market still carries risks related to tariffs, rules of origin and increasing trade defense investigations.

Hung suggested that the two countries continue pushing for a trade agreement; coordinate inter-ministerial efforts to deal with policy impacts, particularly for seafood; strengthen trade promotion; and provide timely information. For seafood, transitional mechanisms should be sought, while for timber, businesses must ensure transparency of origin and production processes, and improve forecasting and early warnings on trade defence measures.

Green transition becomes imperative

Taking advantage of more than 90% of tariff lines reduced to zero under the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) offers major opportunities for Vietnamese enterprises to boost market diversification in the EU. However, according to Tran Ngoc Quan, Vietnam’s trade counselor in Belgium and the EU, the bloc is adjusting trade policies to cope with tariff changes from the US and is tightening requirements on food safety, origin and the environment.

“The EVFTA is an opportunity for enterprises to diversify markets, reduce dependence on the US and expand in Europe.

However, it also comes with risks such as tariff evasion by goods from third countries through Vietnam, stricter food safety checks and the extension of safeguard measures on steel and alloys. Without green transition, Vietnamese goods will find it hard to maintain a long-term foothold,” Quan said.

Sharing the same view, Nguyen Thi Hoang Thuy, Vietnamese trade counselor in Sweden, said that while Northern Europe is a promising market, it is limited by high logistics costs and geographic distance. Consumers there prioritize green, innovative and responsible products. Although the EU has temporarily delayed progress on the Green Deal, in the long run compliance with sustainability standards will be mandatory.

Many experts believe that to boost exports in the remaining months of 2025, Vietnamese enterprises need to continue enhancing competitiveness, investing in technology, improving designs and building brands to sustain export growth. At the same time, developing domestic production of input materials such as fabric for textiles, components for footwear and materials for wood processing remains crucial. Supporting industries should be further facilitated through favorable policies to attract investment in materials and components.

In addition, industry associations need to strengthen information updates from Vietnam’s overseas trade offices. Organizing fairs and large-scale international business matchmaking events was also emphasized as a way for enterprises to promote products and expand investment cooperation.

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