The biggest driver of exports in the second half of May still came from processed and manufactured industrial goods groups. According to the Customs Department, export value in the second half of May increased sharply in the group of computers, electronic products and components, with an increase of 1.31 billion USD compared to the previous period, equivalent to an increase of 21.7%. Along with that, the group of machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts increased by 900 million USD, equivalent to an increase of 35.1%; telephones of all kinds and components increased by 731 million USD, equivalent to an increase of 33.5%; textiles and garments increased by 400 million USD, equivalent to an increase of 28.7%.
Accumulated for the first 5 months of the year, the group of computers, electronic products and components continued to be the largest export group, reaching 48.82 billion USD. Machinery, equipment, tools and spare parts reached 23.50 billion USD; telephones of all kinds and components reached 19.73 billion USD; textiles and garments reached 13.33 billion USD.
The foreign direct investment enterprise sector continues to play a large role in exports. In the first half of May, the export value of this sector reached 21 billion USD, an increase of 25% compared to the previous period. In general, in 5 months, exports of FDI enterprises reached 171.47 billion USD, an increase of 24.7% compared to the same period last year, accounting for 79.5% of the total export value of the whole country.
The above figures show that large-scale manufacturing industries, especially electronics, machinery and equipment, are still an important driving force for Vietnam's exports. This is also a commodity group that has the potential to create a fast recovery momentum when international orders improve.
In addition, some traditional strengths still maintained an increase compared to the same period last year. Accumulated to May 15, 2026, textiles and garments increased from 13.14 billion USD to 13.33 billion USD; footwear increased from 8.59 billion USD to 8.64 billion USD; seafood increased from 3.64 billion USD to 4.10 billion USD; wood and wood products increased from 5.98 billion USD to 6.24 billion USD.
These commodity groups are of great significance to domestic production. These are industries associated with many domestic enterprises, using a lot of labor, having raw material areas and a relatively large domestic supply system. Therefore, the export picture in the first 5 months of the year shows two parallel layers of momentum. On the one hand, the electronics, machinery, and equipment group continues to lead in terms of turnover scale. On the other hand, traditional industries still play a fundamental role in maintaining orders, jobs and spillover to the domestic production sector.
In the coming months, if the export recovery momentum continues to be maintained, the growth room will not only lie in expanding turnover, but also in the ability to increase domestic content, increase added value and consolidate the position of Vietnamese enterprises in the supply chain.
In the context of economic fluctuations, many agricultural and aquatic product processing enterprises exporting to the Mekong Delta still record very impressive results. Units in the industry have diversified their product portfolios with many types of seafood such as pangasius, shrimp, seafood... to tropical fruits such as mangoes, pineapples, lotus seeds... deeply processed in boxes, frozen or dried, and made into juice. To date, these items have successfully conquered many large markets such as the EU, USA, Japan, South Korea, Australia and Canada. To meet increasingly strict international standards on environment and traceability, the pioneering trend of enterprises today is to pursue the Net Zero journey through green agricultural product chains and closed circular economy. Many units have proactively become self-sufficient in large-scale raw material areas and set a goal to expand strongly in the future, towards meeting GlobalGAP standards to reduce carbon emissions. In addition to closely linking with farmers, businesses also focus on investing in modern factory systems, recycling factory by-products into organic fertilizers... This approach helps form a sustainable green cycle, enhancing the value of agricultural products in the Mekong Delta region. Phong Linh
