Vietnam’s wood exports hit nearly $11.7 billion in the first eight months

According to a report released by the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment on September 8, exports of wood and wood‑based products grew steadily in the first eight months of this year, reaching approximately $11.69 billion, an increase of 5 % year‑on‑year. Wood and wood products rank first among Vietnam’s agricultural exports. August alone recorded $1.48 billion in export value, giving strong momentum to total export growth over the eight‑month period.

Vietnam’s wood‑export market landscape has undergone notable shifts, yet the United States remains its largest destination, accounting for 49.9 % of total wood‑product exports, or nearly half of all shipments. Excluding the US market, the local wood‑industry target for full‑year 2026 exports stands at $19 billion, leaving $7.3 billion to be achieved in the final four months.

Beyond China and the United States, Vietnam maintained solid export growth to Japan, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom. The sustained recovery of demand across multiple European and Asian regions creates favourable conditions for Vietnamese wood enterprises to expand overseas client bases and optimise their global footprint.

Among Vietnam’s top‑15 wood‑export markets, Mexico posted the most striking performance with year‑to‑date export volumes doubling. By contrast, India registered the sharpest decline; its imports of Vietnamese wood fell 30.3 % year‑on‑year.

This divergent market performance is pushing Vietnam’s wood sector to accelerate transformation and upgrading. Exports to the United States now face severe headwinds. Escalating US trade‑protection measures have substantially raised market‑access thresholds. Long‑standing supply‑chain strengths have made Vietnam a key supplier of furniture to the US. Nevertheless, higher trade costs driven by tariff barriers have already produced tangible impacts on industry trade flows.

US importers have grown far more cautious when concluding long‑term contracts. They are shortening order lead‑times and requiring suppliers to absorb a larger share of costs, further squeezing profit margins for Vietnamese exporters. More critically, should US buyers shift sourcing bases and establish new quality‑inspection, logistics and product‑standard frameworks, Vietnamese wood firms will find it extremely difficult to recapture lost US‑market share.

Industry experts therefore stress that Vietnamese exporters should prioritise preserving trust with US partners rather than aggressively chasing new orders. Vietnamese authorities have rolled out multiple measures to mitigate foreign‑trade risks and support domestic businesses. The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, working alongside national wood‑industry associations, is helping enterprises respond to US anti‑dumping and countervailing‑duty investigations and attend hearings related to Section 301 probes, to resolve trade disputes targeting US‑bound shipments. Relevant agencies are also addressing VAT‑related bottlenecks along wood‑export chains and rolling out supporting incentives to relieve pressure on exporters and sustain stable industry development.