In 2024, two-way trade between Vietnam and Canada reached over 11 billion USD, with Vietnam enjoying a trade surplus of nearly 10 billion USD. A key contributor to this success has been Vietnamese-Canadian businesses, notably Renso Foods.
At a meeting in Tokyo on June 9, Director General of National Export Development at the ministry Fajarini Puntodewi emphasised the potential for increasing exports of renewable energy items such as palm kernel shells and wood pellets, which are in growing demand in Japan.
Building on robust bilateral trade growth and China's rising demand for Thai products, such as rice, cassava, and durian, the Ministry of Commerce is pushing to make further inroads into the Chinese market.
According to the Department of Vietnam Customs, in the first four months of 2025, the trade turnover of agricultural, forestry and aquatic products between Vietnam and China was estimated at 5.07 billion USD, up 3.7% over the same period in 2024. Of which exports from Vietnam reached about 3.62 billion USD (down 1.1%), and imports 1.45 billion USD (up 17.6%).
By the end of May, the total textile and garment industry's exports reached nearly 16.8 billion USD, including nearly 15 billion USD from exports of textiles and garments. Exports to key markets such as the US, Japan, and Europe all saw double-digit growth.
In the first four months of this year, Vietnam’s coffee exports reached a value of 3.8 billion USD, a year-on-year increase of over 51%—the highest growth among all Vietnamese agricultural exports.
The UK, with an annual agri-food import value of 67 billion USD, is seen as a high-potential market. In 2024, Vietnam’s agri-export turnover to the UK reached nearly 883 million USD, a 15.4% year-on-year increase.
In the first four months, Vietnam exported a total of 74,250 tonnes of pepper, earning 510.6 million USD. While export volume declined by 10.6% year-on-year, export turnover soared by 45%.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE), Vietnam’s agricultural product exports are inevitably affected by disruptions in global supply chains and the imposition of unilateral, stringent tariff policies by major economies. Nonetheless, these challenges also present an opportunity for Vietnam to adjust its export strategy and focus more intently on emerging and high-potential markets.
Speaking at the 2025 Annual Public-Private Partnership Group Conference organised by the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association, Le Viet Anh, the VPSA’s chief of office, reported that in the first quarter Vietnam exported 39,853 tonnes of black pepper and 7,807 tonnes of white pepper for 326.6 million USD.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the export value of wood and wood products in March 2025 was estimated at 1.5 billion USD, bringing the total figure for the first quarter to 3.95 billion USD, an increase of 11.6% compared to the same period in 2024.
Vietnamese exporters of fresh and chilled fruits and vegetables are encouraged to stay abreast of the new system, maintain close communication with their Singaporean counterparts, and ensure timely response to inspection results to avoid disruptions in distribution.
Hien explained that rules of origin are a set of criteria used to determine the country where a product is manufactured (i.e. country of origin). These rules are especially important for goods produced using inputs from multiple countries, and require clearly defined methods and standards to identify the origin accurately.
In 2024, Vietnam’s seafood exports exceeded 10 billion USD, with key buyers including China, the US, Japan, the EU, and the Republic Korea. The momentum continued in the first quarter of 2025, with a value of 2.29 billion USD, rising 18.1% year-on-year
While AmCham acknowledges the need to address the growing trade deficit between the two nations, it strongly urges the US administration to consider implementing a grace period.
Handicrafts remains among Vietnam’s top 10 export categories, featuring a wide range of diverse products with high added value and greater profit margins compared to many other export items.
In the first two months of 2025, most categories of agricultural, forestry, and fishery exports recorded growth compared to the same period last year. Particularly in February, export revenue reached 4.4 billion USD, up 32.7% year-on-year.
