4 September 2026 | Vietnam – Europe – Asia
Welcome to the Euro Connections Daily Business Brief — a concise selection of key developments, business opportunities and market signals affecting trade, sourcing, investment and market entry between Vietnam, Europe and Asia.
Our focus is not only on what is happening, but also on what it means in practice for companies operating across these markets.
1. Vietnam’s Trade Turnover Reaches a Record US$770.14 Billion
Vietnam’s total import-export turnover reached a record US$770.14 billion in the first eight months of 2026, representing an increase of 28.7% year-on-year.
Exports increased by 22.4% to US$374.84 billion, while imports rose significantly faster — by 35.3% — to US$395.3 billion.
This resulted in a trade deficit of approximately US$20.46 billion.
Importantly, production inputs accounted for 94.1% of Vietnam’s imports, indicating that much of the import growth is connected to manufacturing, industrial activity and supply-chain expansion.
Business Implication
Vietnam’s rapidly expanding trade creates opportunities in both directions.
Vietnam → Europe: sourcing, agricultural products, processed food, industrial products and manufactured goods.
Europe → Vietnam: machinery, technology, production equipment, components, specialist materials and B2B solutions.
For European companies, Vietnam should therefore be viewed not only as a sourcing destination but also as an increasingly important sales and investment market.
Source:
2. Vietnam Attracts US$40.63 Billion in FDI — Larger Projects Signal Stronger Investor Commitment
Vietnam attracted US$40.63 billion in registered foreign direct investment during the first eight months of 2026, an increase of 55.4% year-on-year.
Newly licensed projects accounted for approximately US$21.72 billion.
One of the most important signals is the changing size of new investments.
The number of newly registered projects increased by only 9.4%, while their registered capital increased by 96.8%.
Disbursed FDI reached approximately US$17.25 billion, the highest eight-month level recorded in five years.
Manufacturing and processing accounted for approximately 82.6% of disbursed FDI.
Business Implication
Foreign investors are not simply testing Vietnam with small projects.
The increasing average project size indicates stronger long-term commitment and reinforces Vietnam’s role in global manufacturing and supply-chain strategies.
For companies considering Vietnam, the key question is increasingly moving from:
“Should we enter Vietnam?”
to:
“How should we enter Vietnam efficiently and with controlled risk?”
A structured approach can include:
Market Assessment → Location Analysis → Partner Search → Supplier Mapping → Local Representation → Investment → Local Execution
This creates opportunities for market-entry and business-development support before major capital is committed.
Source:
https://en.vietnamplus.vn/vietnam-attracts-4063-billion-usd-in-fdi-in-eight-months-post351170.vnp
3. Nearly 600 Global Buyers Are Now in Vietnam Searching for Suppliers
Vietnam International Sourcing 2026 is currently taking place in Ho Chi Minh City.
More than 580 international business delegations from 60 countries and territories are participating in the event.
Approximately 3,000 organised B2B meetings and around 13,000 direct networking opportunities are expected during the exhibition.
Major international purchasing and retail organisations participating include companies from the United States, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the UAE and other markets.
The sourcing programme covers four major groups:
Food & Beverages | Household Goods & Furniture | Lifestyle & Healthcare Products | Export Supply Chain
Business Implication
Vietnam is increasingly positioning itself as a global sourcing hub, not simply a low-cost manufacturing destination.
At the same time, international buyers are becoming more demanding.
Supplier selection increasingly depends on:
Quality | Production Capacity | Delivery Reliability | Traceability | Certification | Sustainability | Transparency | Competitive Pricing
For European companies, finding a supplier online is only the beginning.
The real sourcing process is:
Buyer Requirement → Supplier Search → Factory Verification → Commercial Comparison → Samples → Negotiation → Production Follow-Up → Shipment
This significantly increases the value of reliable local sourcing representation.
Sources:
https://www.vietnam.vn/en/viet-nam-don-gan-600-nha-mua-hang-toan-cau
https://vietnamsourcingexpo.vn/en/
4. Vietnam’s Agricultural Exports Continue to Grow — but Market Diversification Is Becoming Critical
Vietnam’s agro-forestry-aquatic exports increased by approximately 7% during the first eight months of 2026.
Asia remained the largest destination, accounting for approximately 45.5% of exports, while Europe represented around 13.4%.
One product demonstrates both the opportunity and the risk particularly clearly: durian.
Vietnam earned approximately US$1.95 billion from durian exports during the first eight months of 2026.
However, approximately US$1.85 billion — around 95% — came from exports to China.
Vietnam is targeting around US$4 billion in durian exports for the full year, while authorities are also seeking greater market diversification.
Business Implication
Strong dependence on a single export market creates significant commercial risk.
Changes involving:
Import regulations | SPS requirements | Customs controls | Consumer demand | Competition | Pricing
can immediately affect exporters.
This creates an opportunity for Vietnamese manufacturers and agricultural producers to develop Export Market Diversification strategies.
The same model can be applied beyond durian:
Coffee | Cashew | Pepper | Coconut | Dried Fruit | Processed Fruit | Spices | Seafood
A structured process can include:
Product Assessment → European Market Selection → Regulatory Check → Product Adaptation → Importer Search → Market Entry
Source:
5. Vietnam Wants to Move From Export Volume to Higher-Value Growth
Vietnam is reviewing its import-export strategy through 2030, with a longer-term vision extending to 2045.
A key direction is increasingly clear:
Vietnam cannot rely indefinitely on export growth based primarily on volume, low production costs and traditional competitive advantages.
Businesses are being encouraged to focus more strongly on:
Higher Value-Added Products | Technology | Market Diversification | Stronger Management | Branding | Productivity | International Competitiveness
This represents an important evolution of Vietnam’s export model.
Business Implication
For European markets, competing exclusively on price is becoming increasingly difficult.
Greater opportunities may exist in moving up the value chain:
Raw Material → Processed Product → Private Label → Specialised Product → Brand
This is particularly relevant for Vietnam’s food and agricultural sectors.
Instead of asking only:
“Where can we find a European buyer for this Vietnamese product?”
companies should increasingly ask:
“How can we increase the value of this product before bringing it to the European market?”
This creates opportunities not only for exporters but also for companies providing market-entry strategy, product adaptation, partner search and international business development.
Source:
EURO CONNECTIONS – BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY OF THE DAY
European SME Sourcing Office in Vietnam — Without Opening an Office
The current Vietnam International Sourcing 2026 event demonstrates a significant business opportunity.
Thousands of European SMEs would like to source products from Asia.
However, many do not have sufficient purchasing volume to justify:
Opening their own Vietnam office
Employing a permanent sourcing team
Sending employees to inspect every factory
Managing suppliers locally
Following production and documentation from Europe
This creates a potential service model:
EURO CONNECTIONS — VIETNAM SOURCING DESK
European Client
↓
Product Requirement
↓
Vietnam Supplier Research
↓
Supplier Shortlist
↓
Factory Verification
↓
Quotation Comparison
↓
Negotiation
↓
Sampling
↓
Production Follow-Up
↓
Shipment Coordination
The European client receives local sourcing representation in Vietnam without the fixed cost of maintaining its own office in Asia.
The value proposition therefore moves beyond:
“We can find suppliers in Vietnam.”
towards:
“We can act as your local sourcing and business-development partner in Vietnam.”
EURO CONNECTIONS PERSPECTIVE
Vietnam is scaling rapidly.
Trade turnover is expanding. Foreign investment is increasing. Global buyers are actively searching for Vietnamese suppliers. At the same time, Vietnam wants to move toward higher-value production and exports.
But professional international sourcing is becoming more demanding, not less.
More factories, databases, digital sourcing platforms and AI tools make supplier discovery easier.
They do not automatically answer the most important questions:
Is the supplier reliable?
Does the factory really have the declared production capacity?
Are certificates and documentation valid?
Can quality remain consistent?
Can the supplier meet European requirements?
Who will solve problems locally when something goes wrong?
This is why local execution remains important.
For companies doing business between Europe and Vietnam, competitive advantage increasingly comes from:
Market Knowledge + Verification + Local Relationships + Negotiation + Compliance + Follow-Up + Execution
ONE SENTENCE FOR TODAY
The competitive advantage is no longer finding a supplier in Vietnam — it is knowing which supplier can actually deliver.
Euro Connections | Connecting Europe with Vietnam and ASEAN
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