The sum consists of $122.93 billion in exports and 126.57 in imports, respectively increasing 19.1% and 27%. That resulted in a trade deficit of $3.64 billion, compared to a surplus of $3.57 billion recorded in the same period last year, the National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Finance reported on Saturday.
Containers seen at Cat Lai Terminal in HCMC, Feb. 4, 2026. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Tung
During the first three months, domestic enterprises posted $24.47 billion in exports, falling 16.6% and accounting for 19.9% of total overseas shipments, while foreign-invested firms reported $98.46 billion (including crude oil), up 33.3% and making up 80.1%.
Twenty product categories achieved export revenue of over $1 billion each, accounting for 86.8% of the total exports. Among them, five surpassed $5 billion, accounting for 62.4%.
Processed industrial goods raked in $110.52 billion, equivalent to 89.9% of the total; agricultural and forestry products $9.34 billion, 7.6%; aquatic products $2.64 billion, 2.2%; and fuel and mineral products $0.43 billion, 0.3%.
In Q1, 22 imported items reached a value exceeding $1 billion each, making up 82.8% of total import turnover (with two items worth more than $5 billion each, accounting for 49.8%).
Regarding the structure of imports, production materials were valued at $118.84 billion, representing 93.9%. Among them, machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts accounted for 55.3%; raw materials and fuels 38.6%; and consumer goods 6.1%.
Domestic businesses imported $35.2 billion worth of goods during the first three months, down 4.3%, while foreign-invested companies imported $91.37 billion, up 45.3%.
In March alone, exports and imports totaled $93.55 billion, increasing 39.2% from the previous month and 23.9% from the same period last year.
Last month’s overseas shipments reached $46.44 billion, climbing 40.3% month on month. Of this, domestic firms recorded $8.96 billion, up 39.2% from February, and the foreign-invested sector $37.48 billion (including crude oil), up 40.6%.
Compared to the same period last year, the export value in March went up 20.1%, with that of the domestic sector decreasing 20.1% and the foreign-invested one (including crude oil) rising 36.5%.
Meanwhile, imports last month were estimated at $47.11 billion, a month-on-month increase of 38.2%. That led to a trade deficit of $0.67 billion in March, statistics show.