Retail sales in Vietnam rose 14.9% year-on-year in August 2026, up from 14.5% in July and marking the fastest pace since January 2023. Retail sales of goods, which made up roughly three-quarters of total activity, expanded 12.8% year-on-year in the first eight months of the year. Over the same period, accommodation and catering revenue increased 16.4%, while travel services advanced 17.1%.
Among major retail categories, sales of gems, precious metals, and related products recorded the strongest growth, surging 28.1% year-on-year. Sales of other goods as well as wood and construction materials also posted solid increases. By contrast, automobile sales were a clear weak spot, declining on both a monthly and an annual basis in August.
On a month-on-month basis, total retail sales of goods and consumer services rose 1.6%. Overall, total retail sales reached VND 5,235.5 trillion in the first eight months, up 13.3% from a year earlier, with real growth (excluding price effects) estimated at 7.6%.
