Exports continue to be the main driver of economic growth

Exports in the first 6 months of 2025 increased by 14.4%, exceeding the set target, with many markets growing impressively and many industries making strong breakthroughs. This result clearly reflects the coordinated efforts of ministries, branches, localities and the business community. However, in the context of many potential challenges in the second half of the year, achieving the annual export growth target of 12% requires determination and flexibility in management.

Textiles and agricultural products flourish

Ms. Nguyen Thu Oanh, Head of the Service and Price Statistics Department (General Statistics Office), said that exports continued to be the main growth driver of Vietnam's economy in the first 6 months of 2025, with turnover reaching 219.8 billion USD, up 14.4% over the same period. The trade surplus reached 7.63 billion USD, contributing to stabilizing the current account balance, exchange rate and controlling inflation.

Durian plays a key role in promoting Vietnam's fruit and vegetable exports.

In the first half of the year, 28 items achieved export turnover of over 1 billion USD, accounting for nearly 92% of total turnover. Many groups of processed and assembled goods increased sharply, such as electronics, computers and components, up 40%; textiles and garments, up 12.3%; machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts, up 15.4%. The FDI sector continued to play a key role in export activities. Ms. Oanh emphasized that strong export growth not only reflects the recovery of the economy but also creates a solid foundation for macroeconomic stability.

Notably, the textile and garment group reached 18.7 billion USD. Textiles and garments alone were exported to 132 markets, of which the US market led with nearly 7 billion USD, up 17%, showing the recovery of production and quick adaptation of enterprises. According to Mr. Le Tien Truong, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietnam Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex), in the first 6 months of 2025, the textile and garment industry achieved a revenue growth rate of about 8%, export turnover increased by about 11% compared to the same period in 2024. Notably, the profits of many enterprises improved significantly; Vinatex alone doubled its profits compared to the same period last year. Mr. Truong said that the fact that profits increased faster than revenue showed that the selling price of goods had improved positively. At the same time, thanks to large, stable and long-term orders, enterprises were more proactive in production. Normally, the first 6 months of the year only account for about 40% of the annual profit, but many businesses have received orders until August and September, showing positive signs of market demand. The whole industry expects that with the available order volume, production will be guaranteed from now until the end of the year, helping export turnover increase by about 7-8% in 2025.

Vietnam's agricultural, forestry and fishery exports in the first 6 months of 2025 reached 33.84 billion USD, an increase of 15.5% over the same period in 2024. In particular, coffee continued to play a key role with a turnover of 5.45 billion USD, nearly reaching the annual target after only half a period - a record number for this industry. Mr. Le Thanh Son, Director of Commodity Business Division of Simexco Daklak, said that in the period of 2023-2024, the company achieved a revenue of more than 9,354 billion VND, with products exported to over 60 countries and territories. Coffee exports alone reached more than 100,000 tons, with a turnover of 287.7 million USD. In the first 6 months of 2025, the company's export turnover increased by 5.3% in volume and 67.5% in value over the same period last year. The average export price of coffee reached 5,708.3 USD/ton, an increase of 59.1%, bringing the company's total export value to its highest level ever.

Mr. Son said that the strong price increase comes from the decline in domestic supply and the shortage in the global market, while the demand for Robusta coffee is increasing. It is expected that coffee exports for the whole year of 2025 could exceed 7 billion USD, setting a new milestone for this industry. However, according to Mr. Son, coffee enterprises mainly operate seasonally, from October to June of the following year. During the period from July to September 2025, the inventory among people is low, and the amount of purchase commitments by enterprises is not large, so the export output is expected to remain around 110,000 tons, equivalent to the previous year. However, the export value is forecast to increase by about 55%. Simexco continues to maintain traditional markets such as the EU, while seeking to expand to new markets.

Need to adjust product structure to suit the market

Mr. Dang Phuc Nguyen, General Secretary of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, said that the fruit and vegetable industry entered 2025 with many challenges when export turnover decreased by 7% compared to the same period in 2024 and recorded a series of 5 consecutive months of decline. However, positive signals appeared in June when export turnover reached 807 million USD, up 31% compared to the previous month and more than 20% compared to the same period last year.

The main driver of this impressive recovery is durian, especially frozen durian - known as the "king of fruits" in the fruit and vegetable industry. In the first 6 months of 2025, Vietnam exported 388 batches of frozen durian with an output of 14,282 tons, more than 3 times higher than the same period in 2024.

According to Mr. Nguyen, this progress comes from the Protocol on Exporting Frozen Durian to China, which will take effect from August 2024. This policy has paved the way for many businesses to boost exports, especially to the Chinese market - the main consumer market of this product. At the same time, the standardization of growing areas and packaging facilities is also focused on. As of June 2025, Vietnam has 1,396 growing area codes and 188 packaging facilities that have been granted codes, meeting export conditions. This data has been integrated into the national traceability system, helping to increase transparency and management efficiency. Notably, China has approved the addition of nearly 1,000 new growing area codes and packaging facilities, opening up opportunities for a strong recovery for fresh durian in the third quarter of 2025, especially during the peak harvest season from August to October. For fresh durian, businesses have proactively checked the cadmium content before purchasing from growers and traders, helping to significantly increase the rate of shipments meeting export standards. With positive signals from durian and synchronous solutions, the Vietnamese fruit and vegetable industry is expected to continue to maintain high growth momentum in the coming months.

For the coffee industry, experts also said that to maintain export advantages and stabilize the market, the Vietnamese coffee industry needs to continue to closely monitor global fluctuations, while promoting improvements in product quality and efficiency of the domestic supply chain.

Despite positive results, Vietnam's export activities in the second half of the year are forecast to face many challenges. To achieve the annual export growth target of 12%, enterprises and management agencies need to be more proactive in updating policies, expanding markets and improving competitiveness. According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Son, Director of the Import-Export Department ( Ministry of Industry and Trade ), trade negotiations with the United States and tariff adjustments from major partners will affect export activities in the coming time. Enterprises need to enhance their legal understanding and proactively respond to trade defense cases. In the last 6 months of the year, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will promote trade, reform administrative procedures, support the issuance of certificates of origin (C/O) and create conditions for enterprises to participate deeply in the global supply chain. The development of the Law on E-commerce and the development of the domestic market are also important levers to promote exports in the digital era. In addition, it is necessary to increase the localization rate, develop supporting industries, improve supply chain transparency and control origin. At the same time, encourage enterprises to boost exports to new markets such as India, the Middle East, South Asia, Eastern Europe, Africa and expand cross-border e-commerce.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/xuat-khau-tiep-tuc-la-dong-luc-chinh-thuc-day-tang-truong-kinh-te-5053129.html