Vietnam's auto market in August 2026 recorded clear differentiation when purchasing power of internal combustion engine cars decreased sharply, while the electric vehicle group continued to maintain its growth momentum, showing that the trend of electrification is increasingly clearly impacting the market.
According to data from the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA), total market sales in August reached 25,395 vehicles, down 25% compared to July and down 2% compared to the same period in 2025.
The passenger car segment is significantly affected when sales decreased by 34% compared to the previous month, down to 16,738 vehicles. Specialized vehicles also decreased by 37%, reaching 399 vehicles. Meanwhile, commercial vehicles are the rare group to record growth, with 8,258 vehicles, an increase of 5% compared to July.
By origin, domestically assembled cars (CKD) were sold 9,960 units, down 28% compared to the previous month. Completely built-up imported cars (CBU) were sold 15,435 units, down 22%. In general, in the first 8 months of the year, CBU car sales were 138,554 units, up 20% compared to the same period last year, while CKD cars were sold 108,081 units, only up 2%.
Accumulated for 8 months, total market sales increased by 12% compared to the same period in 2025. VAMA members alone sold 193,898 vehicles, an increase of 8%. Notably, hybrid vehicles continued to maintain high growth rates. Although sales in August decreased by 15%, to 1,388 vehicles, in 8 months, 13,889 vehicles were sold, an increase of 65% compared to the same period last year.
Contrary to the developments of the traditional car group, the electric car market continues to record positive results. VinFast said it handed over 20,161 electric cars in August, raising the total number of cars handed over in the first 8 months to 154,703.
The presence of electric vehicles is also clearly shown in the best-selling car chart. In the Top 10 in August, VinFast had 6 models participating and occupying 4 leading positions.
VinFast VF 3 topped with 6,453 vehicles, followed by VF 5 with 4,265 vehicles and Limo Green with 4,203 vehicles. VF 6 ranked fourth with 1,256 vehicles. The remaining positions respectively belonged to Mitsubishi Triton with 1,145 vehicles, Mazda CX-5 with 1,092 vehicles, VinFast VF 8 with 834 vehicles, Toyota Raize with 741 vehicles, Ford Ranger with 729 vehicles and VinFast Minio Green with 698 vehicles.
The developments in August show seasonal factors, especially the psychology of limiting shopping in the 7th lunar month, still strongly impacting the internal combustion engine car market. However, the electric car group maintained significant purchasing power, showing that consumer behavior is changing.
In the last months of the year, when the market enters the peak shopping period, competition is forecast to continue to be fierce. Besides the race between brands, the trend of electrification will be one of the important factors shaping the Vietnamese auto market in the coming time.
