VIỆT NAM TARGETS $48 BILLION IN TEXTILE-GARMENT EXPORTS
Việt Nam’s textile and garment industry is facing both opportunities and challenges amid complex and unpredictable developments in the global market, prompting businesses to improve growth quality, optimise production costs and enhance adaptability in pursuit of an export turnover of about $48 billion this year. The target is considered an important milestone that requires concerted efforts from management agencies and the business community.
VIỆT NAM'S FOOTWEAR, BAG EXPORTS TO US TOP $8 BILLION IN EIGHT MONTHS
Việt Nam's exports of footwear and handbags to the US exceeded US$8 billion in the first eight months of 2026, as the US and EU remained the country's biggest markets despite sluggish growth in footwear shipments. Exports from Việt Nam's leather and footwear sector reached more than $2.45 billion in August, down 9 per cent from July but up 3 per cent from a year earlier, according to preliminary statistics.
MANUFACTURING PRODUCTION RISES AT FASTEST PACE IN JUST OVER TWO YEARS
Growth in the Vietnamese manufacturing sector continued to strengthen midway through the third quarter of the year. The S&P Global Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) posted 53.3 points in August, up from 52.9 points in July and above the 50.0 no-change mark for the fourteenth consecutive month. The latest strengthening of business conditions in the sector, as revealed on September 3, was the most pronounced since February.
MANUFACTURING GROWTH STRENGTHENED IN JULY
The S&P Global Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 52.9 points in July, up from 51.8 points in June and signalling a solid monthly improvement in the health of the sector. Business conditions have now strengthened in 13 consecutive months, with the latest improvement the most pronounced since February.
FOOTWEAR INDUSTRY ACCELERATES GREEN TRANSITION, STRENGTHENS SUPPLY CHAINS
Việt Nam's footwear industry is stepping up efforts to build greener production and strengthen domestic supply chains as it seeks to maintain export growth amid global uncertainties. The sector earned nearly US$12 billion from exports in the first half of 2026. During the period, Việt Nam also overtook China to become the largest footwear supplier to the US market for the first time.
MANUFACTURING BOOSTED BY FDI, EXPORT RECOVERY AND PUBLIC INVESTMENT
Data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Finance on July 3 showed that the industrial and construction sector maintained solid momentum during the first six months of the year, while the services sector continued to benefit from recovering domestic consumption, tourism, and trade. Industrial value-added expanded by 9.86 per cent on-year during the period, contributing 40.35 per cent to Vietnam's overall economic growth.
TEXTILE AND GARMENT SECTOR POSTS NEARLY $10 BILLION TRADE SURPLUS IN H1
The textile and garment industry generated an estimated trade surplus of nearly US$10 billion in the first six months of this year, despite weak global demand, intense price competition and continued reliance on imported raw materials. The industry is aiming to achieve its full-year export target of $48 billion. According to the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), exports reached an estimated $22.2 billion in the first half, up 1.7 per cent from the previous year.
MANUFACTURING SECTOR ENDS FIRST HALF OF 2026 WITH FIRM GROWTH AS PMI HOLDS ABOVE NO-CHANGE MARK
The manufacturing sector ended the first half of 2026 on a firm footing, with sustained growth in output and new orders, even as supply-chain pressures and employment weakness persisted, according to S&P Global. The S&P Global Vietnam Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) posted 51.8 in June, down from 52.8 in May but still above the 50-point threshold, signalling a continued improvement in the health of the sector, S&P Global said in a news release on July 1.
