What Vietnam Imports to Make What It Exports

Most people look at Vietnam's exports and stop there. The better question is what had to come in first. Vietnam is an assembly and processing hub, so for almost every phone, shirt, shoe or chair that leaves its ports, a chain of imported chips, fabric, plastic resin or timber arrived earlier. The numbers show it clearly: in 2025 Vietnam imported about US$455 billion of goods, up close to 19% on the year, and more than 93% of that value was production inputs rather than consumer goods.

That is why import data is as useful as export data. It shows who supplies the factories, what they depend on and where the next opportunity is. This guide maps the main imports to the exports they become, with the HS codes you can search in Vietnam electronics import data and Vietnam plastics import data.

The Import to Export Map

Each major export has an imported input behind it. The table links them, with the HS chapters to search on the import side.

Vietnam exports	Key imported inputs	Import HS codes	Main supplier countries
Phones and electronics	Chips, display modules, circuit boards, phone parts	8542, 8524, 8534, 8517	China, South Korea, Taiwan
Computers and machinery	Components, parts, industrial machinery	84, 8473, 8471	China, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea
Garments	Fabric, cotton, yarn, trims	52 to 55, 60, 58, 96	China, South Korea, Taiwan, United States
Footwear	Synthetic leather, soles, rubber, leather	59, 6406, 40, 41	China, Taiwan
Plastic goods	Plastic resin such as polyethylene and polypropylene	3901 to 3907	South Korea, China, Middle East, Thailand
Furniture	Timber, panels, foam, metal fittings	44, 3921, 8302	China, Europe, United States, Africa
Cashew kernels	Raw cashew nuts in shell	0801.31	Cambodia, Ivory Coast, Ghana

The Biggest Imports by Value

Electronics lead by a wide margin, followed by machinery and a group of materials that feed other industries.

Import category	2025 value (approx.)	HS chapters	What it feeds
Computers, electronics and parts	Well over US$130 billion	84, 85	Phones, computers, appliances
Machinery and equipment	About US$55 to 61 billion, a record	84	Factories and construction
Fabric	About US$14 to 15 billion	52 to 55, 60	Garment factories
Chemicals	About US$7 billion and above	28 to 38	Plastics, electronics, coatings
Plastic resin and goods	Billions of dollars, rising fast	39	Packaging and manufacturing
Iron, steel and products	Strong growth in 2025	72, 73	Construction and industry

Electronics: Imports Run Ahead of Exports

Electronics is the clearest example of a processing hub. In 2016 Vietnam exported about US$18.5 billion of electronics, computers and parts and imported about US$27.8 billion. By 2024 exports had grown to about US$68 billion, while imports had climbed above US$110 billion. Imports keep ahead of exports because factories bring in most components, add value through assembly and testing and ship the finished product out.

Year	Exports (US$ billion)	Imports (US$ billion)	What changed
2016	About 18.5	About 27.8	Early stage of large-scale assembly
2024	About 68	Above 110	Both grew more than threefold
2025	Record year	Above US$130 billion	Chips and computer parts surge

Who Supplies the Factories

China is by far the largest source, supplying close to 40% of Vietnam's imports in 2025, up from about 37% a year earlier. South Korea and Taiwan follow, mainly with semiconductors, display parts and chemicals, and Japan and the United States fill in with machinery, precision parts, cotton and animal feed ingredients.

Supplier country	What Vietnam mainly buys	Searchable HS codes
China	Electronics, machinery, fabric, plastics, steel	85, 84, 52 to 55, 39, 72
South Korea	Chips, display parts, chemicals, machinery	8542, 8524, 29, 38, 84
Taiwan	Semiconductors, display panels, components	8542, 9013, 8534
Japan	Machinery, precision parts, steel	84, 90, 72
United States	Cotton, animal feed, machinery	5201, 2304, 84

What This Means for Different Readers

• Suppliers of components and materials: import records show which Vietnamese factories buy your product today, how much and from whom. These are your direct competitors and the sourcing partners of your target buyers.
• Buyers of Vietnamese goods: check what a factory imports. A garment maker that buys fabric from several mills is more flexible than one tied to a single source.
• Analysts: imports lead exports. A jump in fabric or chip imports often appears in export figures a few months later.

How to Trace an Export Back to Its Inputs

1. Search export records for the product and note the top exporters.
2. Look up the same companies in the import records.
3. Group their imports by HS code to see the main inputs.
4. Check the supplier country and price per unit for each input.
5. Compare several factories to find the common suppliers behind the chain.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Vietnam import the most?

Computers, electronics and parts, followed by machinery and equipment, then fabric, chemicals, plastics and steel.

Why does Vietnam import so much if it exports so much?

Most exports are made in factories that assemble imported parts and materials. Imports of production inputs made up more than 93% of the total value in 2025.

Which country does Vietnam import the most from?

China, which supplied close to 40% of imports in 2025, followed by South Korea and Taiwan.

Which HS code covers plastic resin?

Plastics are in chapter 39. Primary forms such as polyethylene, polypropylene and PVC sit in headings 3901 to 3907.

Explore Vietnam Import Data

Want to see the companies behind these numbers? Open Vietnam electronics import data to search chips, displays and components, or Vietnam plastics import data for resin and plastic goods. If you need a specific supplier list, send us an enquiry.