Vietnam, Paraguay enhance friendship, collaboration

Vietnam has always valued its relationship with Paraguay, an important partner in Latin America and a member of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur), Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay Ngo Minh Nguyet has affirmed.

In an interview with a Vietnam News Agency (VNA) correspondent in South America, ahead of her working trip to attend the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Paraguay (1995-2025) in Asuncion on December 11, Nguyet emphasized the many similarities between the two countries in their struggles for independence, national defence, and socio-economic development. She also appreciated the positive steps in their friendship over the past three decades.

The ambassador praised the support of the Paraguayan people for Vietnam’s struggle for independence and its national development, while confirming that the recent meeting between State President Luong Cuong and his Paraguayan counterpart Santiago Peña at the United Nations General Assembly in New York is a clear example of the solidarity, friendship, and cooperation between the two nations.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay Ngo Minh Nguyet (Photo: VNA)

She also shared that Paraguay is one of Vietnam’s top 10 trade partners in Latin America, with bilateral trade reaching over 233 million USD in 2024, a 22.2% increase compared to the previous year, and nearly 146 million USD in the first 10 months of this year. Key Vietnamese exports to Paraguay include mobile phones, footwear, textiles, auto tyres, and electronics. Imports consist mainly of soybeans, meat meal, cotton, frozen beef, and maize, according to VNA.

Nguyet urged Paraguay to back the early start of negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Mercosur and Vietnam.

She emphasized that the two countries should step up exchanges to achieve breakthroughs in the near future, as there is still significant potential for economic, trade, and investment collaboration.

The diplomat also suggested the two sides coordinate closely to promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and enhance cooperation and mutual support at multilateral forums.

Vietnam, Cambodia bolster border trade connectivity

A forum on border trade connectivity between Vietnam and Cambodia took place on December 10 in An Giang province, aiming to promote cross-border import–export activities and investment opportunities.

According to the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), during the first nine months of 2025, bilateral trade via land border gates reached 5.9 billion USD, up 15.5% year on year. Vietnam’s exports increased 16.6% to 5.83 billion USD, mainly textiles, steel and aquatic products, while Cambodia exported rubber, cashew nuts, and other agricultural goods.

The ministry targets bilateral turnover of 20 billion USD by 2030, with a focus on modernizing logistics, upgrading warehouse capacity and expanding digital border-gate models.

Vu Thi Minh Ngoc, Head of Trade Infrastructure, Domestic Market Department, said recent bilateral agreements have created an important legal foundation for improving border infrastructure. She noted that digital border procedures and single-stop models are shortening clearance time and increasing freight capacity on key corridors such as Moc Bai–Phnom Penh and Tinh Bien–Takeo.

At the forum (Photo: VNA)

She emphasized that with major international gates such as Moc Bai, Xa Mat, Tinh Bien, Khanh Binh and Ha Tien, the Vietnam–Cambodia border area has the potential to become a trade gateway to ASEAN.

While infrastructure has improved, Ngoc said many markets and logistics centres remain outdated, fragmented and lack synchronised planning.

Nguyen Duy Linh Thao, Deputy Director of An Giang’s Department of Industry and Trade, said the province will prioritize developing logistics infrastructure at Tinh Bien, Khanh Binh and Ha Tien border-gate economic zones, including bonded and cold-storage warehouses and new traffic links.

She added that An Giang will accelerate digital transformation, upgrade border markets and promote new commercial services such as duty-free shopping and international logistics.

Toward 2030, the ministry will prioritize modern logistics centres at major border gates and expand smart, one-stop customs procedures to reduce logistics costs and promote socio-economic development in border areas.

US$900 billion trade marks new growth momentum for Vietnam

Vietnam’s total export-import turnover is projected to reach US$900-920 billion in 2025, bringing the country closer to the world’s top 15 nations by overall trade scale.

This milestone is expected to usher in a new growth cycle built on supply-chain renewal, value upgrading of goods, and sustainable market expansion.

Steady momentum and transformation of key industries

According to recently released data from the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance, Vietnam’s trade turnover in 2025 is forecast at around US$900–920 billion, underscoring the economy’s recovery momentum and marking a new level of trade openness.

The growth comes amid ongoing global uncertainties, including geopolitical volatility and increasingly strict green standards in the European Union, the United States and other major economies. Despite these challenges, Vietnamese goods have maintained growth, demonstrating stronger resilience and adaptability.

In export structure, key sectors are entering a phase of “repositioning.” The electronics and components industry continues to lead growth, supported by expanded operations of major investors and rising global demand for digitalization. Export turnover of the sector is expected to reach US$100 billion this year.

The textile and footwear industry, after a period of declining orders, is showing clear recovery thanks to a shift toward green product lines, traceability compliance, and emission reduction in manufacturing. Machinery, equipment and transport vehicles have also posted strong gains as global supply chains gradually shift toward Asia, with Vietnam emerging as an important link in the network. Each of these sectors maintains export turnover at tens of billions of US dollars.

In agriculture, the growing presence of deep-processed products is helping elevate Vietnam’s export image and increase added value. Rice, coffee, processed fruits, rubber and cashew nuts are demonstrating a transition from exporting raw commodities to exporting higher-quality goods. This shift enables Vietnamese agricultural products to move beyond price-based competition and gain access to higher-end markets.

Secretary-General of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association Dang Phuc Nguyen said Vietnamese durian continues to grow thanks to improved quality and price competitiveness. The average export price reaches US$3,696 per tonne, about 15% lower than Thai durian, while shorter transport routes provide additional logistical advantages. These factors have helped Vietnam maintain its position as the second-largest supplier of durian to the Chinese market. On the current trajectory, Nguyen forecast durian export turnover could reach US$4 billion in 2025, with exports over the 11-month period estimated at roughly US$3.7 billion.

On the import side, rising purchases of raw materials and machinery for production indicate businesses’ confidence in the recovery of international orders. The NSO reported that in the 11-month period of 2025, production materials totalled US$383.96 billion, accounting for 93.7 percent of total import value. This dynamic cycle sees businesses increase inputs to secure output, while the economy benefits from stable trade flows.

The shift of foreign direct investment into high-tech industries is also strengthening export prospects. As major corporations expand production, domestic supply chains are activated, enabling Vietnamese enterprises to integrate more deeply into global value chains, reduce import dependence and raise local value-added content.

Impetus from integration, logistics and new green standards

Vietnam’s participation in new-generation free trade agreements, including the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), is now delivering practical results. Utilization of tariff preferences among businesses is increasing, particularly in agriculture, textiles and processing industries. This advantage becomes more valuable as major economies tighten trade standards and implement new trade-remedy measures, cited VOV.

Exports and imports remain a bright spot in Vietnam’s economy.

To ensure that the US$900 billion milestone becomes a sustainable launchpad, experts say Vietnam must confront new challenges, most notably the requirements of green transition, circular production, and carbon-emission control. The European Union’s CBAM mechanism and U.S. emission standards compel businesses to overhaul production processes, enhance transparency, and invest heavily in clean technologies. Delays could erode competitive advantages that would take years to restore.

Logistics systems are also facing growing pressure as trade accelerates. Volatile freight costs, coupled with port, warehousing and multimodal transport infrastructure that, despite improvements, has not fully kept pace with demand, remain constraints. The push for logistics digitalization and the application of big data and AI in supply-chain management are becoming inevitable trends. Only when storage, transportation and customs clearance costs are substantially reduced can Vietnamese goods further improve their competitiveness in global markets.

Another pressing issue is national branding. While many Vietnamese products are widely favored, few brands have secured strong positions in the mid- to high-end segments. The US$900 billion trade target presents an opportunity for enterprises to restructure international marketing strategies, placing greater emphasis on quality, packaging, traceability and brand storytelling. The deeper Vietnamese goods move into global markets, the more essential clear brand identities become.

The coordination of support policies, domestic market development, trade promotion and institutional reform acts as an “invisible hand” expanding Vietnam’s growth space. As the Government continues to streamline administrative procedures, advance digital governance, develop logistics infrastructure and enhance national branding, enterprises will gain a firmer platform for stronger breakthroughs.

Reaching US$900 billion in total trade is not only a commercial milestone but also confirmation of the rising global standing of Vietnamese goods. Amid intensifying international competition, sustaining export growth will require businesses to move faster in technological transformation, emission reduction, supply-chain upgrading and the development of higher-quality products.

Number of foreign visitors to Vietnam up 21% in 11 months

Vietnam welcomed 19.15 million foreign arrivals during January-November, a year-on-year increase of 21 percent, reported the National Statistics Office.

China continued to be Vietnam's largest tourist source market in January-November period, with nearly 4.8 million arrivals. South Korea ranked second with more than 3.9 million arrivals.

Northeast Asia remained the biggest source region for visitors to Vietnam, as the four key markets, including mainland China, South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan, accounted for 76 percent of total international arrivals, or nearly 10.5 million visitors.

The Chinese arrivals grew strongly by 43.1 percent compared to the same period in 2024. Japan and the U.S. also recorded solid rise of up to 15 percent and 8.4 percent, respectively. Remarkably, the number of visitors from India soared by 47.2 percent.

European markets continued to grow strongly, demonstrating the effectiveness of Vietnam's visa-exemption policy, notably Poland up 41.7 percent, the UK up 20.7 percent, France up 21.4 percent, Germany up 16.6 percent, Italy up 21.3 percent, Norway up 19.6 percent, and Switzerland up 17.1 percent.

Particularly Russian arrivals reached 593,000, up 190.9 percent year-on-year, reaffirming Russia's position as Vietnam's largest market in Europe and the fastest-growing market in the region.

In November alone, 1.98 million foreigners travelled to Vietnam, up 14 percent against the previous month and a year-on-year increase of 16 percent.

Revenue from accommodation and food services in the first 11 months was estimated at VND767.8 trillion (US$29.12 billion), accounting for 12 percent of total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenue.

The Government has supplemented 41 border gates to the list of ports that allow foreigners to enter and exit Vietnam by e-visa, bringing the total ports to 83.

Once being granted an e-visa, a foreigner can enter and exit Vietnam on multiple occasions within 90 days. These changes have made it easier for international tourists to visit Vietnam and have enhanced the country's tourism attractiveness, VGP reported.

Photo: VGP

As part of the 2025 national tourism stimulus program, the Government adopted Resolution No. 11/NQ-CP to grant conditional visa exemptions to nationals of Poland, the Czech Republic, and Switzerland. These visitors will benefit from a visa-free stay of up to 45 days if they travel under programs launched by authorized Vietnamese travel agencies. The policy is effective from March 1 to December 31, 2025.

Amid the general recovery of the tourism industry in Asia-Pacific, UN Tourism reported that Vietnam and Japan were the two destinations with the world's highest growth rates in the first half of 2025. Tourism in both countries grew by 21 percent compared with the same period last year.

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