According to the latest data released by the General Department of Customs, during the first seven months of 2025, total bilateral import–export turnover between Viet Nam and Laos reached USD 2 billion, representing a sharp increase of 79% year-on-year. This figure marks the highest level of bilateral trade between the two countries over the past ten years (2016–2025).

Regarding exports, in the first seven months of the year, Viet Nam earned USD 755.2 million from exports to Laos, up 112% compared to the same period in 2024. Among exported items, chemical products recorded the largest export value, reaching USD 344 million—an increase of 14 times compared to the same period last year (USD 24.9 million).

In addition to chemicals, several other major Vietnamese export items to Laos also posted strong growth during the first seven months of 2025. Specifically, iron and steel products reached USD 44.1 million, up 58.8% year-on-year; animal feed and raw materials increased by 68.9% to USD 24.7 million; fertilizers reached USD 17.7 million, up 12.4%; and transport vehicles and spare parts totaled USD 25.4 million, up 9%.

Meanwhile, Viet Nam also earned USD 106 million from exports of other goods to Laos, up 6.5% year-on-year. However, specific product categories were not disclosed by the General Department of Customs.

On the import side, during the first seven months of the year, Viet Nam spent USD 1.25 billion on imports from Laos, corresponding to a 63% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

Notably, rubber was the largest imported commodity, with a turnover of USD 126.4 million, up 6% year-on-year. Coal ranked second, with imports valued at USD 120 million, representing a 44.6% increase compared to the same period last year.

In addition, Viet Nam imported fertilizers from Laos worth USD 71.5 million (up 30.2%); wood and wood products totaling USD 45.5 million (down 23%); and other ores and minerals amounting to USD 30.9 million (down 33%).

According to the General Department of Customs, Viet Nam also spent as much as USD 834 million importing various other goods from Laos, an increase of 120% year-on-year.

Maize is also among the commodities that Viet Nam purchases in large quantities from Laos for use as animal feed.

According to the latest data released by the Lao Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC) on August 12, Laos’s total import–export turnover during the first seven months of this year reached USD 11.2 billion, up 4.7% compared to the same period last year. Notably, during this period, Laos’s exports amounted to USD 5.8 billion, remaining nearly unchanged year-on-year, while imports reached USD 5.4 billion, up 10.2% compared to the same period in 2024.

According to MOIC, Laos’s main export commodities during this period continued to include minerals, machinery, and agricultural products such as bananas and cassava. Conversely, Laos spent several billion US dollars importing commodities such as diesel fuel, chemicals, fertilizers, motor vehicles, jewelry, and precious stones.

MOIC statistics indicate that during the first seven months of this year, Laos’s largest trading partners were Thailand, China, Viet Nam, and the United States. Among these, Thailand and Viet Nam were Laos’s two largest trading partners within ASEAN. Both countries serve as major export markets and key import sources for Lao products.

Previously, in 2024, economic and trade cooperation between Viet Nam and Laos recorded highly impressive results, with bilateral trade surpassing USD 2 billion and reaching more than USD 2.2 billion, representing a nearly 34% increase compared to 2023. This outcome significantly exceeded the targets set by the Governments of both countries.

However, according to economic experts, recent Vietnam–Laos trade cooperation has yet to fully match the strong potential and the special relationship between the two countries. Based on calculations by relevant authorities of both sides, under the current scale, bilateral merchandise trade between Viet Nam and Laos accounts for only about 10% of Laos’s total foreign trade and approximately 0.2% of Viet Nam’s total foreign trade.

In 2025, Viet Nam and Laos aim to boost bilateral trade turnover by 10–15% compared to 2024 and to move toward an early achievement of USD 5 billion in bilateral trade.