Key Highlights:

• Vietnam's total imports crossed $455 billion in 2025

• Electrical machinery (HSN 85) tops the import list at $186.68B during April 2025 - March 2026

• About 93.6% of all Vietnam imports are production inputs, not consumer goods

• China supplies nearly 40% of all Vietnam imports

Get Access To Vietnam Trade Data

Vietnam’s total imports in 2025 crossed $455 billion and interestingly 2026 is performing even higher. In Q1 2026 alone, import turnover of goods reached $126.57 billion, a year-on-year surge of 27.0%. That's not a minor data point. That's a trade story happening at a serious scale.

But it’s still that part of the Vietnam story that doesn’t get enough attention. For every smartphone, garment, and piece of furniture exported from Vietnam, is an extensive list of raw materials, components, and machinery that were imported first. Vietnam isn’t just a country that exports but it’s a country that imports strategically to export at scale.

So, what are the top import products of Vietnam feeding into this engine? The answer is more layered than most people expect - and it tells you a lot about where Vietnam's economy is actually headed.

Why Vietnam Continues to Increase Its Imports?

Vietnam’s import growth doesn't mean Vietnam has more dependency on others. It's a strategy that smartly boosts the nation's exports. Semiconductors, display modules, industrial machinery, plastic resins, and textile fabrics don't get produced domestically at the scale Vietnam needs, so they import them.

Foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) drove most of this. These are companies like Samsung, LG, Canon, and Intel - running large Vietnamese production operations that depend on global supply chains for their components. Production inputs alone made up 93.6% of total import value. Consumer goods barely registered at 6.2%.

Vietnam's GDP grew 8.02% in 2025 - one of the fastest rates in nearly three decades. Infrastructure development added another layer of demand, raising demand for steel, machinery, and chemicals for large-scale construction projects. This is what makes Vietnam's imports and exports so interdependent. The more Vietnam exports, the more it needs to import.

List of Top Import Products of Vietnam

The table below gives a breakdown of the main products that Vietnam imported from April 2025 to March 2026. Each HS code corresponds to a significant product category, plus its overall estimated import value. Together, these ten categories account for the bulk of Vietnam's import demand - from semiconductors and industrial machinery to food commodities and pharmaceuticals.

HS Code	Product Details	Value (USD)
85	Electrical Machinery and Equipment	$186.68B
84	Machinery and mechanical appliances	$43.45B
39	Plastics and articles thereof	$31.08B
27	Mineral fuels, mineral oil, bituminous substances, and related products	$25.42B
72	Iron and steel	$11.94B
90	Optical, photographic, cinematographic, measuring, medical, and surgical instruments	$9.94B
87	Vehicles other than railway or tramway rolling stock and parts and accessories	$6.74B
30	Pharmaceutical products	$6.38B
10	Cereals (including wheat, maize, rice, barley, oats, etc.)	$5.77B
23	Residues and waste from food industries	$4.07B

Electrical Machinery and Equipment (HS 85)

This is Vietnam's largest import category by a very wide margin. HS 85 covers semiconductors, integrated circuits, display modules, circuit boards, and electronic components. Nearly all of it flows directly into Vietnam's electronics manufacturing and assembly sector. The logic is straightforward: Vietnam assembles finished electronics for export, but doesn't yet produce the core chips and panels used inside them. Those come from China, South Korea, and Taiwan. Until domestic semiconductor production scales up - which the government is actively working toward - HSN 85 will stay at the top of this list by a large margin.

Machinery and Mechanical Appliances (HS 84)

The HS 84 imports are rising due to factory upgrades and new production lines. This category includes products such as industrial machines, CNC equipment, conveyor systems, industrial robots, engines, and mechanical tools. As more multinationals set up or expand facilities in Vietnam, they bring in production machinery - most of which is sourced from Japan, Germany, South Korea, and China. Machinery and equipment imports grew 24.8% in 2025, reaching a record $61 billion.

Plastics and Articles Thereof (HS 39)

Vietnam mainly imports huge quantities of plastic resins and raw plastic materials to meet the demands of its packaging and manufacturing industries. The HS 39 covers different types of plastic like polyethene, polypropylene, PVC, and other plastic compounds. These plastics find their way into the packaging of electronic goods, making industrial parts, household items, and garment accessories. As Vietnam's electronics and consumer goods manufacturing has grown, so has its appetite for upstream plastic inputs. China is the dominant supplier here.

Mineral Fuels, Mineral Oils and Related Products (HS 27)

Vietnam produces oil, it's a fact, but it hasn't built up enough refining capacity to satisfy its own industrial needs. HS 27 relates to different energy products, like refined petroleum, LPG, diesel, coal, and others. Locally, only a part of the domestic demand for petroleum products is met by two major Vietnamese refineries - Dung Quat and Nghi Son, but large manufacturing zones, steel mills, and power plants require more than local refining can supply. Purchases of liquefied petroleum gas rose 174.3% in February 2026 alone, reflecting fast-growing industrial energy demand. Coal imports hit record volumes in 2025 because of Vietnam's expansion of thermal power capacity to match the growing industrial electricity consumption.

Iron and Steel (HS 72)

Construction and heavy manufacturing are the primary drivers of Vietnam's steel imports. HS 72 covers flat-rolled steel, bars, rods, and structural sections. Vietnam's infrastructure development - roads, bridges, ports, industrial parks - consumes substantial volumes of imported steel. FDI-backed automotive plants and machinery manufacturers add further demand. Finished steel product imports surged 27.9% in 2025, reflecting how quickly Vietnam's construction and industrial base is expanding.

Optical, Photographic and Medical Instruments (HS 90)

This category reflects two separate but growing demand streams in Vietnam. On the industrial side, precision optical components and camera modules are imported as inputs for electronics production - Canon and Nikon both run manufacturing facilities in Vietnam. On the healthcare side, medical devices, diagnostic equipment, and surgical instruments are imported to supply Vietnam's expanding hospital network. Both streams are growing, which is why HSN 90 holds a consistent place among the top Vietnam import products.

Vehicles and Parts (HS 87)

Most of the key components in Vietnam's domestic automotive assembly sector are imported and they’re passenger cars, trucks, motorcycles, and automotive parts and accessories under HS 87. Major brands like Toyota, Honda, Hyundai, and Ford assemble their vehicles in Vietnam by using parts imported from Japan, South Korea, Thailand, and China. The country's rising middle class and expanding logistics sector both sustain demand. There is no full domestic automotive supply chain at a large scale yet, which means imports are the only option.

Pharmaceutical Products (HS 30)

Vietnam's pharmaceutical imports have increased gradually with the development of its healthcare system. HS 30 covers finished medicines, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), and medical preparations. Although domestic pharma production has grown, the industry remains dependent on the import of APIs - mainly from China and India - and on branded finished medicines from Europe and the US. The government's effort to boost local pharma manufacturing has not yet managed to close the import gap.

Cereals (HS 10)

Vietnam is one of the major exporters of rice, yet it imports a significant volume of other grains. The cereals under HS 10 are wheat, maize, barley, and other cereals. Most of these imports go to the animal feed and food processing rather than direct consumption. Wheat for flour milling and maize for livestock feed are the dominant subcategories. Corn imports rose 145.4% and soybean imports jumped 68% in February 2026, reflecting how quickly Vietnam's food manufacturing and animal husbandry sectors are scaling. As Vietnam's food manufacturing and animal husbandry sectors grow, so does this import line. The US, Australia, and Argentina have historically been key sources.

Residues and Waste from Food Industries (HS 23)

These products under HSN 23 mainly include imports that are used in animal feeds. It includes products such as soybean meal, dried distillers grains, oilcake, and other by-products from food and oilseed processing. Vietnam’s significant aquaculture and poultry industries depend on these imported feed materials. Soybean meal from the US, Brazil, and Argentina makes up the largest chunk. Demand tracks closely with the scale of Vietnam's shrimp, catfish, and chicken production - all of which are themselves significant export industries.

Vietnam's Largest Import Partners

Import Partner	Key Products Supplied
China	Electronics, machinery, plastics, textiles, steel
South Korea	Semiconductors, electronics, machinery, chemicals
Japan	Precision machinery, auto parts, instruments
Taiwan	Semiconductors, display panels, electronics components
United States	Agricultural goods, aircrafts, specialty machinery

China supplied close to 40% of the total imports in 2025 which makes it a dominant source. China supplies all the upstream inputs that Vietnam needs for its export manufacturing. South Korea comes second at roughly 11-12% of total imports. Samsung's enormous production footprint in Vietnam creates a direct supply chain link - components manufactured in Korea are shipped to Vietnam for assembly into finished electronics. Japan ranks third, contributing approximately 5-8% of total imports. Japanese imports are typically high-value and Japanese FDI in Vietnam also creates captive import demand, as Japanese manufacturers source components from their home country. Taiwan stands at fourth place, primarily as a supplier of semiconductors, display panels, and electronics components - all of which are essential inputs for Vietnam's electronics manufacturing cluster. The United States supplies a smaller but strategically important share - primarily agricultural commodities (soybeans, cotton, cereals), aircraft, and specialty machinery.

Wrapping Up

Vietnam’s import profile tells exactly what kind of economy it is building. It’s focusing on production and not just on consumption. Almost every imported product plays a crucial role in manufacturing, exports, or industrial development. The top import products of Vietnam 2026 are the raw materials of exports that crossed $475 billion in 2025 and is targeting over $500 billion in 2026.

Understanding who Vietnam buys from, what it buys, and in what volumes gives businesses a serious edge - whether you're sourcing from Vietnamese factories, supplying into Vietnam's manufacturing base, or tracking competitive shifts in the region. Trade intelligence platforms like EX-IM By The Dollar Business with shipment-level data make this kind of analysis fast and reliable. If that's the kind of visibility you're looking for, book a demo with us today and see how the right platform can sharpen your next trade decision.

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