Worldsteel said Vietnam produced around 2.1 million tonnes of crude steel in April 2026, up 4% from the same period last year. The result helped Vietnam surpass Italy and secure a place among the world’s 10 largest crude steel producers for the first time.

In the first four months of this year, Vietnam produced a total of 8.5 million tonnes of crude steel, marking an 8.4% increase year-on-year.

Iran, which had remained in the global top 10 until February 2026, fell to 12th place with output of 1.8 million tonnes after two of its major steel plants - Khuzestan and Mobarakeh - were bombed by Israel, severely disrupting the country’s steel industry.

At its current production pace, Vietnam is seen as having a strong opportunity to maintain its position among the world’s top 10 steel-producing countries if growth momentum continues through the rest of the year.

According to the Vietnam Steel Association, the country’s steel industry has developed rapidly in both production scale and product diversity over the past two decades.

In 2000, most domestic steel mills still relied heavily on imported billets to roll construction steel for the local market.

However, since 2010, Vietnam’s steel sector has gradually achieved self-sufficiency across a wide range of steel products serving industries including mechanical engineering, shipbuilding, energy projects such as wind power and offshore rigs, and even defense manufacturing.

A number of large-scale and modern steel production complexes have since been built and put into operation.

One example is the Hoa Phat Dung Quat integrated steel complex, which manufactures high-grade and technically demanding products including engineering steel, tire bead wire steel, welding wire steel, spring steel, bolts and screw steel, crane steel, prestressed steel, railway steel for high-speed rail projects and structural steel products.

In 2023, Vietnam ranked 12th globally in crude steel production with output reaching 20 million tonnes.

By 2025, Vietnam’s crude steel output had climbed to around 24.6 million tonnes, making it the largest steel producer in Southeast Asia and the world’s 11th-largest producer.

Hoa Phat Group accounted for the biggest share with 11 million tonnes, equivalent to 44.7% of total national output. Other major contributors included companies under Vietnam Steel Corporation (Vnsteel) and Formosa.

Tam An