For the first five months of the ongoing year, exports of the textile and garments from Vietnam witnessed just a marginal increase of 0.6% year on year to reach US $17.81.
However, foreign shipments of apparels between January and May 2026, the biggest product group from the sector, slipped 1.5 percent to $13.72 billion over the same period in the previous year.
Other product groups like fibre exports reached $1.9 billion, up 9.6%; fabrics shipments touched $1.22 billion, growing by 6.9%: garment accessories exports totaled $633 million, climbing 9% and nonwoven fabric exports reached $339 million, up 4% all rising over the comparable months of 2025.
According to the main clothing trade body VITAS, the results show that the industry has maintained its growth momentum but has not yet achieved the necessary progress.
With a 2026 export target of $48-49 billion, the textile and clothing industry will need to achieve an additional $30.19-31.19 billion in the last seven months of the year, equivalent to an average of $4.31-4.46 billion per month.
This is a tough requirement, as textile and apparel export revenue in May 2026 reached only $3.64 billion as consumer demand in many key markets has yet to recover significantly.
Image courtesy: Hyosung
