Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang said that in the first seven months of 2025, Viet Nam’s total import and export value reached nearly 515 billion USD. Photo: Ministry of Industry and Trade

This information was shared by Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang at the series of events “Vietnam International Sourcing (VIS 2025) – International Supply Chain Connectivity for Goods” & “Ho Chi Minh City Export Forum” held in conjunction with the Ho Chi Minh City International Travel Expo 2025 (ITE HCMC 2025) on 4 September in Ho Chi Minh City.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Phan Thi Thang stated that, for the first time, central agencies including the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and localities led by Ho Chi Minh City have joined hands to co-organize this series of events.

This is a series of events that both promotes tourism and showcases Vietnamese products and enterprises, as well as investment opportunities and the building of production and supply chains in Viet Nam to friends and businesses from around the world. The harmonious combination of activities and the close coordination among agencies and organizations have created a multiplying attraction, drawing thousands of foreign business delegations to attend events over three days at the Saigon Exhibition and Convention Center (SECC), as well as at many other venues in Ho Chi Minh City and localities across the country.

Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang emphasized that the appeal of today’s events also stems from the internal strength and dynamism of Viet Nam’s economy, which has consistently maintained a high growth rate in recent years and is heading towards a double-digit growth target in the near future. In that, Viet Nam’s import–export activities and tourism sector have contributed significantly to this success.

“In 2024, Viet Nam’s total import and export value reached more than 786 billion USD, of which exports stood at 405 billion USD, up 14.3%, with 37 items exceeding the 1-billion-USD mark and 8 items surpassing 10 billion USD. The target of 12% import–export growth in 2025 is achievable when, in the first seven months of 2025, Viet Nam’s total import and export value reached nearly 515 billion USD, an increase of 16.3% compared to the same period last year. International tourism contributed around 8% to Viet Nam’s GDP in 2024, with more than 18 million international arrivals, and this figure is expected to rise to 25 million in 2025,” Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang said.

Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang also affirmed that, in recent times, the Party, the State and the Government have issued important strategies to maintain and further promote economic growth, including: developing the private sector; creating breakthroughs in science, technology and innovation; renewing law-making and law-enforcement work; and deepening international integration.

The series of events comprising Vietnam International Sourcing, the Export Forum and the Ho Chi Minh City International Travel Expo 2025 are activities aimed at implementing and concretizing these strategies.

The ITE 2025 International Travel Expo is not only a venue to showcase Viet Nam’s cultural beauty, heritage and attractive tourism products, but also a bridge for tourism to become a driver of trade and investment. Millions of international visitors do not only bring home memories and images of the country and people of Viet Nam; they also become “trade ambassadors” for Vietnamese goods, helping to expand export markets.

In parallel, the series of events “Export Forum and Exhibition on International Supply Chain Connectivity – Vietnam International Sourcing 2025” focuses on linking global supply chains, helping Vietnamese enterprises participate more deeply in international production networks and value chains. In its third year, VIS 2025 has expanded by one and a half times and recorded extremely impressive figures.

“The series of events has attracted 450 purchasing delegations from 60 countries and territories coming to Viet Nam to seek sources of supply for goods and products. These delegations come from traditional markets such as the United States, the European Union, Japan and the Republic of Korea, as well as from emerging potential regions such as the Middle East, Latin America and countries in Eastern Europe.

More than 400 Vietnamese enterprises with 12,000 products displayed on an area of 10,000 m² – ranging from agricultural products, beverages and processed foods to consumer industrial goods such as textiles and garments, footwear, wooden furniture, interior furnishings, packaging and even supporting-industry products – will take part in business matching activities. There will be 60 Trade Offices and branches of Trade Offices worldwide participating in inviting buyer delegations,” Deputy Minister Phan Thi Thang noted.

Huu Hung