Vietnam records world-highest trade surplus with US, surpassing Mexico, China

Vietnam’s exports to the US rose 53 per cent to exceed US$20 billion in January from a year earlier, official data ‌shows

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A container ship sails from the Hai Phong International Container Port in Vietnam. Photo: Reuters

Published: 3:30pm, 13 Mar 2026

Vietnam produced the largest trade surplus with the United States in January, overtaking both Mexico and China, latest official US data shows, as its exports rose sharply while Chinese direct shipments to the United States fell.

Hanoi has been negotiating a trade deal with Washington for months but no agreement has been reached because of the large trade gap and disagreements over tariff rates the US wants to impose on Vietnamese goods, officials have said.

In January, Vietnam’s trade surplus with the United States reached US$19 billion, according to US official data released on Thursday. It was the biggest dollar surplus for all US trading partners.

Vietnam’s exports to the US rose 53 per cent to exceed US$20 billion in January from a year earlier, the data ‌shows, while US imports from China in the same period dropped by 46 per cent.

Workers stitch garments at a factory in Vietnam’s Thai Nguyen province. Photo: AFP

Vietnam’s trade surplus with the US has surpassed China’s since the second quarter of 2025 and was second only to Mexico in the last three quarters. It reached US$178 billion for all of 2025.

Vietnam records world-highest trade surplus with US, surpassing Mexico, China

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Vietnam’s exports to the US rose 53 per cent to exceed US$20 billion in January from a year earlier, official data ‌shows

Vietnam’s exports to the US rose 53 per cent to exceed US$20 billion in January from a year earlier, official data ‌shows