Vietnam Industry and Trade News Bulletin for November 20, 2025

A. POSITIVE NEWS

1. Import-Export Turnover Surpasses $800 Billion Milestone According to the latest statistics from the General Department of Customs, as of November 15, Vietnam’s total import-export turnover exceeded $800 billion, setting an all-time record.

• Exports: Reached $410.28 billion.
• Imports: Reached $390.74 billion.
• Trade Surplus: $19.5 billion, supporting macroeconomic stability and exchange rates. Growth drivers include the leading role of processing and manufacturing industries (electronics, machinery), effective utilization of FTAs, and increased import of raw materials for year-end production .

2. Pepper Exports Set New Record After 10 Months In the first 10 months of 2025, pepper exports reached 205,229 tons worth $1.39 billion (down 6.4% in volume but up 25.3% in value). This figure nearly matches the historical record of $1.43 billion set in 2016. The US remains the largest market ($341 million), followed by Germany. High global prices and recovering demand are expected to boost exports in the final months .

B. GENERAL ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS

1. PM: Vietnam Can Invest in Algeria from Tea to 5G Chips At the Vietnam-Algeria Economic Forum on November 19, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Algerian Prime Minister Sifi Ghrieb emphasized the upgraded Strategic Partnership.

• Investment Opportunities: Vietnam encourages investment in energy (wind, solar), oil & gas, and agriculture in Algeria.
• Technology: The PM suggested Viettel cooperate with Algerian partners to produce 5G and 6G equipment.
• Trade: Algeria aims to be a gateway for Vietnamese goods into Africa and Europe .

2. Growth Drivers for 2026 Vietnam is likely to exceed its 8% GDP growth target for 2025. For 2026, the target of 10% growth is challenging but supported by:

• Trade: Strong import-export momentum despite trade defense measures.
• Public Investment: Expected to be a key pillar with a projected capital of 8.5 quadrillion VND for 2026-2030 (vs 2.87 quadrillion in the previous period), focusing on infrastructure like Long Thanh Airport and high-speed rail.
• Consumption: Domestic demand is expected to recover, supported by tax cuts (VAT, personal income tax) .

3. Vietnam Emerges as a Key Destination for Global Tech Giants At the opening of GEIMS Vietnam 2025 (International Exhibition on Electronics and Smart Manufacturing) on November 20, experts highlighted Vietnam’s pivotal role in the global supply chain shift.

• Tech Shift: ASUS has moved over 90% of PC production to Southeast Asia, with Vietnam as a key hub.
• Smart Manufacturing: The market size is forecast to grow from $116.8 billion in 2024 to over $303 billion by 2033.
• Semiconductors: Vietnam is attracting investment in chip design, assembly, and testing, moving towards becoming a high-tech industrial center .

4. Ministry of Finance to Review Tax Threshold for Household Businesses During the National Assembly discussion, Minister of Finance Nguyen Van Thang acknowledged concerns that the proposed tax threshold of 200 million VND/year for household businesses is still low compared to wage earners (who have deductions).

• Debate: Delegates proposed raising the threshold to 500 million VND or even 1 billion VND to reflect actual profit margins (often low in retail/services) and ensure fairness.
• Plan: The Ministry will review the threshold to balance revenue collection and support for the 5 million household businesses .

C. ENERGY

1. Hydro Discharge vs. Low Power Consumption Due to heavy rains in the Central region, 86 out of 122 reservoirs are discharging water. Notably, Song Ba Ha Hydropower Plant is discharging ~15,000 m3/s (30 times its generating flow). Meanwhile, national power consumption remains low (97% of the same period last year). The grid operator (NSMO) is balancing sources to ensure safety amidst local outages caused by floods .

D. EXPORT – IMPORT & LOGISTICS

1. Ninh Binh Mobilizes Resources for Logistics Infrastructure Ninh Binh is investing in transport infrastructure (road, rail, waterways) to become a logistics hub in the North. The province is developing “Logistics-Industrial Clusters” (LIC) to attract investment, leveraging competitive land rental costs ($130-140/m2) and a strategic location .

2. Export Slowdown in Key Commodities While overall exports grew, four groups saw significant declines in the first 10 months, totaling a drop of $4.7 billion:

• Steel: Down $2.3 billion.
• Rice: Down $1.2 billion (volume down 7.6%, value down 24.7%).
• Fuel & Crude Oil: Down over $1 billion combined.
• Reason: Reduced demand from major markets like ASEAN (for rice/steel) and price fluctuations .

3. Shrimp Exports to China Surge, But “Value Gap” Remains Shrimp exports to China jumped 64% in 10 months, reaching $1.1 billion. However, Vietnam mainly exports raw/frozen shrimp, while Chinese firms process and resell them at 2-3 times the price. Experts urge investing in deep processing (ready-to-eat, breaded shrimp) to capture more value .

4. Mandatory Sustainability for Exporters At a MoIT workshop on November 18, experts warned that criteria like carbon footprint (ISO 14067), traceability (EUDR), and ESG are becoming mandatory “passports” for markets like the EU. Vietnam currently has very few Environmental Product Declarations (EPD), risking missed opportunities in global green supply chains .

5. PM Directive on Tax Rates for Integration The Prime Minister directed the Ministry of Finance to review export/import tax rates to align with international integration roadmaps. The directive also emphasizes supporting businesses affected by US reciprocal taxes and preventing fraud/transshipment .

6. Positioning Vietnamese Rice by Quality Rice export turnover reached nearly $4 billion in 10 months. To maintain growth amidst shrinking traditional markets (Philippines, Indonesia), the sector is expanding to Africa and focusing on high-quality rice (like ST25) and the “1 million hectares of high-quality rice” project in the Mekong Delta .

E. DOMESTIC MARKET

1. Vegetable Prices Surge in HCMC due to Weather Heavy rains and floods in supply regions (Central Highlands, West) have caused vegetable prices to spike in HCMC. The Department of Industry and Trade is coordinating with retailers like Saigon Co.op and MM Mega Market to source from unaffected areas and stabilize prices for the year-end season .

2. Vietnam-China International Trade Fair in Lao Cai The 25th Vietnam-China International Trade Fair opened on November 20 in Lao Cai. It features diverse products from agricultural cooperatives (OCOP) to industrial goods, fostering cross-border trade and introducing Vietnamese specialties to the Chinese market .

3. Off-Season Durian Prices High Farmers in Dong Thap and Vinh Long are harvesting off-season durian, fetching high prices (80,000-110,000 VND/kg for Monthong). Shifting to off-season production helps farmers avoid salinity intrusion and double their profits compared to the main season.

F. E-COMMERCE

1. Farmers on E-commerce Platforms More farmers in HCMC are moving sales to digital platforms. Cooperatives are using QR codes for traceability to meet export standards (e.g., to China) and selling processed products online to reach wider domestic markets .