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| MM Mega Market An Phu supermarket in Ho Chi Minh City is brightly decorated for the National Day holiday. (Photo: VNA) |
Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s domestic consumption continued to expand strongly in the first eight months of 2026, while tourism maintained its robust recovery momentum, according to the National Statistics Office under the Ministry of Finance.
The total retail sales of goods and consumer service revenues in August were estimated at 679.8 trillion VND (26 billion USD), up 1.6% from the previous month and 14.9% year-on-year. In the January-August period, the figure reached 5.24 quadrillion VND, representing a 13.3% increase year-on-year.
Most major groups of goods recorded solid growth in August. Sales of other fuels, excluding petrol and diesel, rose 2.2% month-on-month and 25.9% year-on-year, while wood and construction materials increased 1.8% and 24.8%, respectively. Sales of gems, precious metals and related products rose 0.7% from the previous month and 19.2% year-on-year.
Food and foodstuffs posted increases of 2% month-on-month and 12.9% year-on-year. Revenues from motor vehicle and motorcycle repair services rose 2.7% and 12.3%, respectively, while apparel sales expanded 2.4% month-on-month and 11.9% year-on-year.
In contrast, automobile sales fell 2.7% month-on-month and 1.8% year-on-year.
In the first eight months, retail sales of goods were estimated at 3.95 quadrillion VND, accounting for 75.4% of the total and up 12.8% year-on-year.
Several localities recorded notable growth in retail sales, including Da Nang at 14.2%, Quang Ninh at 13.9%, Can Tho and Hai Phong at 13.1% each, Hanoi at 12.8% and Ho Chi Minh City at 12.2%.
Consumer services, particularly accommodation, food services and travel, also recorded strong growth. Revenue from accommodation and catering services reached 670.3 trillion VND in the January-August period, accounting for 12.8% of the total and up 16.4% year-on-year.
Da Nang led with a 21.4% increase, followed by Khanh Hoa at 20.4%, Hue at 20.2%, Lam Dong at 19.5%, and Thanh Hoa at 17.5%.
A key driver of the service sector’s growth has been the strong recovery of tourism. Travel service revenues in the first eight months were estimated at 68.7 trillion VND, accounting for 1.3% of the total and up 17.1% year-on-year. Quang Ninh posted the highest growth at 26.5%, followed by An Giang at 21.8%, Ho Chi Minh City at 16%, Da Nang at 15.9% and Hanoi at 14.1%.
Vietnam welcomed approximately 1.99 million international visitors in August, up 19.7% from the previous month and 18.4% year-on-year. The figure reached 15.9 million in the first eight months, up 14.4% year-on-year and marking a record for the eight-month period in recent years.
The National Statistics Office attributed the tourism surge to coordinated policies, stable security and social order, increasingly favourable visa policies, stronger tourism promotion and a diverse range of tourism products, alongside Vietnam’s attractive landscapes, rich cuisine and competitive costs.
Nguyen Thu Oanh, Director of the office’s Service and Price Statistics Department, said the domestic retail and consumer service market is expected to continue contributing to economic growth in 2026.
She stressed the need for flexible and coordinated measures to achieve the double-digit growth target, including digital promotion campaigns to sustain growth in apparel and household goods, as well as flexible tax policies to support individual business households and domestic enterprises.
She also called for close monitoring of petrol and essential goods prices, measures to maintain stable consumer purchasing power, and efforts to expand the presence of Vietnamese products in domestic retail systems./.
