According to preliminary data from the General Department of Customs, Vietnam’s imports from China reached an impressive $101.4 billion in the first seven months of 2025 - up by more than $21 billion compared to the same period last year. This 27% year-over-year growth far outpaces the national average import growth rate.

With this increase, the proportion of Chinese goods in Vietnam’s total import turnover has climbed from 37.3% to 40.2%, solidifying China’s position as Vietnam’s largest import partner.

At the top of the import list are computers, electronic products, and components. In just seven months, Vietnam spent $28.5 billion importing this category from China - marking a 46.7% increase over the same period last year.

Following closely are machinery, equipment, tools, and spare parts, with an import value of $21.3 billion, up 35.5%. This growth is significantly higher than the average national growth rate for the same group of goods.

Beyond high-tech imports, several other product categories from China also recorded import values in the billions of dollars. For instance, mobile phones and components reached $5.1 billion (up 10.6%), fabrics neared $6 billion, textile and footwear materials hit $2.44 billion (up 12.8%), and textile fibers totaled $1.1 billion (up 14.4%).

These figures highlight a clear recovery in Vietnam’s textile and footwear industries - key export sectors that heavily rely on raw material imports from China.

In addition, imports of plastic products from China reached $3.6 billion (up 31.2%), while plastic raw materials stood at $2.2 billion (up 24.4%).

One notable surge was in automobile imports. In just seven months, Vietnam spent nearly $888 million on fully assembled cars from China - an astonishing 70.42% increase. Meanwhile, imports of auto parts and components hit $1.1 billion, up 74.7% - a record spike that reflects increased domestic demand and a growing trend of shifting auto supply chains toward China.

Other categories that posted triple-digit growth in import value from China include edible oils, precious stones and metals, fragrances, cosmetics, and hygiene products.

Meanwhile, Vietnam’s exports to China during the same period reached $35.02 billion, up 7.8% or $2.5 billion year-over-year. As a result, Vietnam posted a trade deficit of approximately $66.4 billion with China.

Though this import surge is helping maintain production supply chains in sectors like electronics, machinery, textiles, and automobiles, experts have cautioned that Vietnam must accelerate the development of its domestic supporting industries. At the same time, it should diversify its import partners - particularly from South Korea, Japan, ASEAN, and India - to reduce risks and achieve a more balanced trade relationship globally.

PV