Vietnam records 9.95% growth in third quarter, returns to trade surplus
Pledged foreign investment reached US$50.4 billion over nine months, while September inflation was 5.1 per cent.
Vietnam’s GDP increased by 9.95 per cent year on year during the third quarter of 2026, figures issued on Oct 3 by the National Statistics Office showed. The country also recorded a September trade surplus of US$1.3 billion following eight months of deficits.
The quarterly growth rate was the highest since the third quarter of 2022, exceeding the median forecast of 8.7 per cent from eight economists surveyed by Bloomberg. Output grew 9 per cent over the nine months through September, against the government’s full-year target of at least 10 per cent.
September exports increased 39.1 per cent, surpassing the forecast of 26.6 per cent. Imports rose 45.8 per cent, also above the expected 38.1 per cent increase.
Foreign direct investment pledges totalled US$50.4 billion over the first nine months, a rise of 76.4 per cent. Manufacturing and property were among the main sectors attracting commitments. Disbursed investment increased 12.1 per cent over that period.
Consumer prices were 5.1 per cent higher in September than a year earlier, matching economists’ expectations. The government’s annual inflation ceiling is 4.5 per cent.
The statistics office reported gains across nearly all economic sectors. It attributed support to government efforts towards double-digit growth and said structural reforms had improved governance and the use of resources.
Vietnam’s nine-month surplus with the US, its biggest export market, increased 23.8 per cent to US$122.6 billion, the agency said. Its deficit with China, the leading supplier of raw materials and components, reached US$121.5 billion, up 43 per cent from the corresponding period last year.
