HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam’s garment and textile exports exceeded US$17.58 billion in the first five months of 2025, up 9 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Meanwhile, imports totalled $10.63 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $6.95 billion for the sector, according to the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS).

Trương Văn Cẩm, vice chairman and general secretary of VITAS, noted that despite ongoing challenges such as slow global demand recovery and geopolitical tensions in some regions, many enterprises still maintained stable production, gradually improved their operations, and tapped into niche markets to seek new growth opportunities.

With the US adjusting its tariff policies on many countries, including Việt Nam, Cẩm urged businesses to explore other markets with significant potential.

He further shared that surveys conducted across six countries – Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, China, and Việt Nam – showed Việt Nam ranked below China in just a few criteria while outperforming the others in most aspects. This indicated that the quality and pricing of Vietnamese textile and garment products were already in the mid-range or higher segment.

However, Cẩm also pointed out that the inability to fully control supply sources of raw materials not only hindered the traceability of Vietnamese textile products – a key factor for seeking preferential tariffs, but also limited design development, thus reducing competitiveness in foreign markets.

According to Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Đặng Minh Khôi, Russia, with the world’s fourth-largest GDP by purchasing power parity, is currently eager to enhance cooperation with Việt Nam, whose apparel has high quality and designs suiting the fashion tastes and trends in this market. Therefore, Vietnamese businesses should be more active to seize market opportunities.

Economists believe that although Việt Nam’s textile-garment shipments to Russia have grown rapidly in recent years, they still account for a modest share of the overall market. As such, there is considerable potential for further collaboration in this sector. — VNS