Việt Nam's wood exports reach record $17 billion in value

Việt Nam's wood exports reach record $17 billion in value

Despite unprecedented challenges from global markets and the growing impacts of climate change, 2025 marked a historic milestone for Việt Nam’s wood industry, as export turnover of timber and wood products surpassed US$17 billion for the first time.

Việt Nam's export value of timber and wood products reached $17.2 billion in 2025. —VNA/VNS Photo

According to data from Việt Nam Customs, exports of timber and wood products reached nearly $1.7 billion in December 2025 alone, bringing total export value for the year to $17.2 billion - an increase of nearly 6 per cent compared with 2024.

In 2025, exports of timber and wood products to the US totalled $9.46 billion, up 4.4 per cent year on year and accounting for approximately 55 per cent of the industry’s total export turnover. Việt Nam continued to maintain its position as the largest supplier of wooden furniture to the US market.

Meanwhile, imports from China declined sharply to $1.4 billion, down 36 per cent compared with the previous year.

Việt Nam’s market share of wooden furniture in the US increased significantly, rising from 40.5 per cent in the first eight months of 2024 to 45.3 per cent in the same period of 2025. In contrast, China’s share fell from 15.7 per cent to 10.4 per cent.

This widening gap underscores Việt Nam’s strengthening position as the leading supplier to the US market.

Meanwhile exports to Japan recorded robust growth of over 23 per cent in 2025, reaching more than $2.1 billion. This marked the first time exports to Japan exceeded $2 billion, allowing Japan to surpass China and become the second-largest market for Việt Nam’s wood industry.

Although exports to China slipped to third place, they still grew modestly, reaching nearly $2.1 billion. This was the second consecutive year exports to China exceeded $2 billion.

Collectively, the three billion-dollar markets – the US, Japan and China – accounted for nearly 80 per cent of Việt Nam’s total wood and wood product exports in 2025.

Other markets were considerably smaller in scale, including South Korea with $709 million, Canada with $288 million and the UK with $244 million.

In terms of product structure, wooden furniture remained the backbone of the industry’s exports. According to the Import-Export Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, exports of wooden furniture reached $9.4 billion in the first 11 months of 2025, accounting for nearly 61 per cent of total export value.

Several other product categories also recorded export values of over $1 billion, including wood chips at $2.2 billion; timber, boards and flooring at $2.1 billion; and wood pellets at $1.1 billion.

Phùng Quốc Mẫn, chairman of the HCM City Handicraft and Wood Industry Association, noted that 2025 presented unprecedented challenges for the industry.

These included reciprocal tax policies, anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations from the US and mounting pressure from the European Union’s upcoming Regulation on Deforestation-Free Products, as well as frequent natural disasters and floods at home that disrupted raw material supply chains and production.

Nevertheless, the industry managed to sustain export growth despite these strong headwinds, demonstrating the increasing adaptability and resilience of Vietnamese wood enterprises amid global market volatility.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, exports of wood and forestry products reached $18.5 billion in 2025, up approximately 6.6 per cent from 2024, generating a trade surplus of nearly $14.9 billion. The growth rate of forestry production value reached up to 5.8 per cent, fulfilling around 103 per cent of the annual target.

Forest coverage remained stable at 42 per cent, while violations of forestry regulations declined by 13.8 per cent. Areas affected by forest fires and other damage both fell by more than 10 per cent year on year, reflecting tangible improvements in forest management, protection and development.

Looking ahead to 2026, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Environment Nguyễn Quốc Trị said that the forestry sector aimed to maintain forest coverage at around 42 per cent and achieve forestry export turnover of about $18.5 billion.

Key priorities would include expanding large-timber forests, promoting the application of science and technology, advancing digital transformation and strengthening trade promotion.

Future efforts would focus on diversifying export markets to reduce dependence on key destinations, building the 'Vietnam Wood' brand and developing forest environmental services and carbon markets.

Building on the strong foundation established in 2025, Việt Nam’s forestry and wood industries were expected to further enhance added value in international markets, move toward sustainable development, improve forest-based economic efficiency and make an increasingly significant contribution to the country’s green growth target. 

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