TCF POST Report
Vietnam’s textile and garment export turnover reached 17.81 billion USD in the first five months of 2026, marking a marginal year-on-year increase of 0.6% compared to 2025, according to data released by the Vietnam Textile & Apparel Association (VITAS).
In May 2026 alone, export turnover fell to an estimated 3.64 billion USD, reflecting a 0.7% decline from April and a 4.7% drop compared to the same period last year.
Industry analysts attribute the slowdown to dull global demand and fierce competition among major manufacturing nations.
As the sector faces tightening global headwinds, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc urged exporters to counter these market challenges skillfully.
Advising textile, clothing, and footwear (TCF) firms to aggressively transition toward sustainable and profitable operations, Pham said integrating science, technology, innovation, digital transformation, and e-commerce will be vital to driving factory productivity and product quality forward.
In the meantime, the trade balance sheet shows that raw material and accessory imports rose by 1.8% year-on-year during the five-month period to hit an estimated 10.80 billion USD. Such a trend signals that shipments may rise in the coming months.
The TCF sectors remain crucial to Vietnam’s economy; textiles and clothing alone generate approximately 10 percent of the nation’s total export turnover and employ nearly 1.8 million workers, while the leather and footwear sector employs an additional 1.5 million. Despite current market stagnation, Vietnam is maintaining its ambitious annual export target of 48 billion to 49 billion USD for clothing and textiles in 2026.
