Chinese cars gain ground in local auto import market
English.vov.vn, 18 Sep '26
Chinese car imports into Vietnam have risen sharply in recent years, with imports in the first eight months of 2026 already approaching the total recorded for the whole of last year.
According to the latest data from the Customs Department, Vietnam imported 168,033 completely built-up (CBU) cars worth more than US$ 3.9 billion in the first eight months of 2026, up 22% in volume and 29.5% in value year on year.
Indonesia, Thailand and China were the three largest suppliers, together accounting for 159,112 vehicles, or 94.7% of total CBU car imports.
Indonesia ranked first with 70,366 vehicles worth US$ 1.011 billion, followed by Thailand with 44,411 vehicles worth nearly US$ 923 million. China supplied 44,335 vehicles worth US$ 1.567 billion, putting it almost on a par with Thailand in terms of volume but significantly higher in value.
The value of Chinese imports was about US$ 644 million higher than that of vehicles from Thailand. On average, a vehicle imported from China was valued at around US$ 35,300, compared with approximately US$20,800 for those from Thailand and US$ 14,400 from Indonesia.
China accounted for about 26.4% of Vietnam's CBU car imports by volume, but roughly 40% by value during the eight-month period. The difference reflects the higher average value of vehicles sourced from China.
The rise has been particularly pronounced over the past three years. Vietnam imported 11,002 CBU cars from China in 2023, before the figure increased to 31,112 in 2024 and 47,895 in 2025.
In the first eight months of 2026, imports had already reached 44,335 vehicles, equivalent to more than 92% of the full-year 2025 figure. Their value stood at US$ 1.567 billion, also close to the US$ 1.597 billion recorded for the whole of 2025.
Overall, the number of CBU cars imported from China more than quadrupled between 2023 and 2025, with the upward trend continuing this year.
Customs data through June 2026 also show that imports from China cover a range of vehicle categories rather than being concentrated in a single segment. In June alone, Vietnam imported 5,699 vehicles from China, including 884 passenger cars with up to nine seats, 2,025 transport vehicles and 2,785 vehicles in other categories.
