Vietnam Records World’s Largest Trade Surplus with U.S.

Vietnam recorded the largest trade surplus with the United States in January, overtaking both Mexico and China, according to newly released U.S. government data reported by Reuters.

Vietnam’s trade surplus with the U.S. has exceeded China’s since the second quarter of 2025. (Photo: Petar Milošević, Wikimedia Commons) 

Vietnam’s trade surplus with the United States reached $19 billion in January, the highest among U.S. trading partners, followed by Taiwan, Mexico and China.

Exports from Hanoi to the U.S. jumped 53% to more than $20 billion compared with a year earlier, while U.S. imports from China fell by 46% during the same period.

Vietnam’s trade surplus with the U.S. has exceeded China’s since the second quarter of 2025 and trailed only Mexico’s during the previous three quarters. For all of 2025, Vietnam’s surplus reached $178 billion.

The surge comes as Hanoi continues negotiations with Washington over a trade agreement, though talks have stalled over the size of the trade imbalance and proposed tariff levels on Vietnamese goods.