Vietnam-Malaysia trade rises 43.4% to US$15.28 billion
Vietnam’s trade deficit with Malaysia reached US$5.25 billion, increasing 39.1% from the same eight-month period in 2025.
Vietnam and Malaysia recorded US$15.28 billion in bilateral trade over January–August 2026, a 43.4% increase from a year earlier, according to the Vietnam Trade Office in Malaysia. That brought the eight-month figure close to the US$16.33 billion recorded for all of 2025.
Department of Vietnam Customs data put Vietnamese exports to Malaysia at US$5.01 billion, up 45.8%, while purchases from Malaysia rose 42.3% to US$10.26 billion. Vietnam’s resulting trade deficit was US$5.25 billion, an increase of 39.1%.
Computers, electronics and their components accounted for 29.2% of Vietnamese exports to Malaysia, with their value increasing 151.4%. Exports in the machinery category, including equipment, tools and spare parts, grew 58.4%, while chemical products rose 94.2%.
Other export gains included phones and components at 25.3%, textiles and garments at 20.7%, and seafood products at 19.6%. However, exports of transport vehicles and their spare parts fell 23.1%, coffee dropped 25.8%, and rice declined 8.2%.
Computers, electronic products and their components were also the largest import category, representing 37.2% of Vietnam’s purchases from Malaysia and growing 48.4%. Petroleum products contributed 16% of imports after a 118.7% rise. Machinery and related equipment, tools and spare parts held a 10.3% share, with growth of 72.4%.
Phung Van Thanh, Vietnamese Trade Counsellor in Malaysia, forecast that bilateral trade would exceed US$18 billion for the first time in 2026, based on the current momentum.
