Vietnamese consumers preferred imported vehicles over domestically assembled ones. 

According to a report released July 10 by VAMA, total sales by VAMA members in June 2025 reached 31,977 vehicles, including 22,934 passenger cars, 8,782 commercial vehicles, and 261 specialized vehicles.

Compared to May, sales by VAMA member companies rose by 9.5 percent in June. Passenger car sales increased by 14.6 percent, commercial vehicle sales decreased by 2 percent, and specialized vehicle sales rose by 23 percent compared to the previous month.

Total sales by VAMA members up to the end of June reached 163,021 vehicles, a strong 21 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024. Of these, passenger car sales grew by 18 percent, commercial vehicles by 28 percent, and specialized vehicles by 28 percent compared to the same period last year.

Regarding the origin of vehicles, sales of domestically assembled cars in June 2025 reached 14,355 units, up 4 percent from the previous month, while sales of CBU (complete built unit) imported vehicles totaled 17,622 units, a significant 14 percent increase from the prior month. This marked the fourth consecutive month that VAMA members have sold more imported vehicles than domestically produced ones.

In the first half of 2025, sales of domestically assembled vehicles reached 77,119 units, up 12.9 percent compared to the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, imported vehicle sales reached 85,902 units, a substantial 29 percent increase from the same period last year. These figures indicate that Vietnamese customers are increasingly opting for imported vehicles over those produced and assembled domestically.

However, VAMA's data does not represent the entire Vietnamese car market. In addition to VAMA members, VinFast and Hyundai are two brands with significant sales volumes, reported separately.

Regarding market supply, according to a newly released report by the General Statistics Office (Ministry of Finance), an estimated 62,868 new vehicles, including both domestically produced and imported cars, were added to the Vietnamese market in June. This figure represented a strong 11.9 percent increase compared to the previous month.

Of these, domestic production and assembly in June reached an estimated 43,200 vehicles, up 14.9 percent from May (37,600 vehicles) and a remarkable 70.2 percent increase compared to June 2024.

So, in the first six months of 2025, domestic car manufacturers produced an estimated total of 226,500 vehicles, a 70.2 percent increase compared to the same period in 2024. This high output reflects significant efforts by domestic car manufacturers in the first half of 2025.

For imported vehicles, an estimated 19,668 CBU cars were imported into Vietnam in June 2025, with an estimated value of $407 million. This represented a 3.3 percent increase in volume but a 4.5 percent decrease in value compared to the previous month. Compared to June 2024, imported vehicles increased by 25.2 percent in volume and 32.2 percent in value.

Cumulatively, in the first half of 2025, an estimated 103,713 vehicles were imported into Vietnam, with a total value of $2.233 billion, marking a 39.5 percent increase in volume and a 44.5 percent increase in value compared to the same period in 2024.

Despite economic challenges, with car demand showing signs of slowing and market prices continually adjusted downward, it is notable that both domestic assembly output and imported vehicle volumes have surged, leading to an increasingly abundant market supply.

In the current context of supply exceeding demand, experts predict that the trend of price reductions will continue for at least the next 2–3 months, as manufacturers and dealers are forced to compete on price to stimulate demand and clear inventory.

The General Department of Customs in June released a report showing that the number of CBU import arrivals in May was 19,042, up 1.8 percent over April, and 59.1 percent over May 2024

In the first five months of 2025, Vietnam imported 84,045 completely built-up cars of all kinds, a sharp increase of 43.3% over the same period last year, equivalent to an increase of 25,385 units.

Of which, the number of cars with 9 seats or less imported to Vietnam reached 64,336 units, accounting for 76% of the total number of completely built-up cars of all kinds imported to Vietnam and an increase of 35.8% (equivalent to an increase of 16,967 units) over the same period in 2025.

Most of the imports were from Indonesia, Thailand and China. These 3 countries alone accounted for 94.7 percent of the number of imported cars.

Hoang Hiep