Strong growth, but unbalanced
According to the Vietnam Trade Office in Malaysia (as reported by Hanoi Moi), two-way trade between the two countries in the first nine months of 2026 reached USD 17.397 billion, up 44.2% year on year. However, Vietnam ran a trade deficit of USD 6.045 billion. The two sides aim to lift bilateral trade to USD 20 billion soon, and then to USD 25 billion. According to the Vietnam News Agency, when receiving the Malaysian Ambassador on 6 August 2026, Prime Minister Le Minh Hung called for the USD 20 billion mark to be reached soon in a more balanced way.
📌 KEY POINTS
First nine months of 2026: bilateral trade of USD 17.4 billion (+44.2%), with Vietnam running a deficit of about USD 6 billion.
Target: reach USD 20 billion soon, in a more balanced way.
Bottleneck: according to the Trade Office, Halal barriers are one reason exports to Malaysia are growing slowly.
JAKIM certification: demanding, but there is now a “door” at home
According to BNEWS, Vietnam’s Trade Counsellor in Malaysia Phung Van Thanh said JAKIM’s certification process is very demanding: businesses must complete their dossiers and undergo on-site inspections of their production facilities and supply chains. The good news is that Vietnam now has five Halal certification bodies recognised by JAKIM (as of 21 August 2026), so businesses can get certified at home.
Malaysia also values Vietnam’s role: according to VietnamPlus, Malaysia sees Vietnam as a “strategic launch pad” for the Halal industry. On 13 October 2026, STAMEQ met the Malaysian Embassy to discuss cooperation on certification and mutual recognition of conformity assessment results.
🇻🇳 WHAT IT MEANS FOR VIETNAMESE BUSINESSES
Malaysia is currently the “easiest” Halal market for Vietnamese goods to enter, but only for businesses that have standardised their operations. With a large trade deficit and a policy of rebalancing trade, Halal-certified Vietnamese goods (especially processed food, farm produce and seafood) have room to grow their exports, while using Malaysia as a gateway to other Muslim markets.
Glossary
- JAKIM (Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia): Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, which issues and recognises Halal certification in Malaysia.
- Trade deficit: when the value of imports exceeds the value of exports.
- STAMEQ: Vietnam’s National Committee for Standards, Metrology and Quality.
- Mutual recognition of conformity assessment results: an agreement under which one country accepts the testing and certification results of the other.
References
Legal texts and official sources
- Vietnam Trade Office in Malaysia – trade figures for the first nine months of 2026 (as reported by Hanoi Moi) (Vietnamese)
- Ministry of Science and Technology – STAMEQ and Malaysia promote cooperation on certification and Halal supply chain development (Vietnamese)
Press and industry analysis (secondary sources, cited as published)
- Bao Tin tuc (VNA) – Vietnam – Malaysia trade heads for the USD 20 billion mark (Vietnamese)
- BNEWS – Removing bottlenecks for Vietnamese Halal goods (Vietnamese)
- Cong Thuong – Halal – the “door” for Vietnamese goods to expand in Malaysia (Vietnamese)
- VietnamPlus – Malaysia sees Vietnam as a strategic launch pad for the Halal industry (Vietnamese)
- Vietnam News (VNA) – Việt Nam has five Halal certification bodies recognised by Malaysia
Photos: Unsplash (Unsplash licence). Graphics: HalalHub.vn.
HalalHub.vn · Published 20 October 2026 · Legal information checked as of 20 October 2026; regulations may change, so please check official sources before making decisions.
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