Vietnam's trade deficit widened to $5.21bn in May, the General Statistics Office said on Wednesday, versus a median forecast of $3.98bn and April's $3.28bn. The widening was driven by an import surge after global raw-material and oil costs rose amid the prolonged US–Iran conflict. The government said achieving this year's 10% growth target will be "challenging." Vietnam also faces fresh tariff risks after the US opened a third trade probe last week. The US remains Vietnam's largest export market

Vietnam's trade deficit widened to $5.21bn in May, the General Statistics Office said on Wednesday, versus a median forecast of $3.98bn and April's $3.28bn. The widening was driven by an import surge after global raw-material and oil costs rose amid the prolonged US–Iran conflict. The government said achieving this year's 10% growth target will be "challenging." Vietnam also faces fresh tariff risks after the US opened a third trade probe last week. The US remains Vietnam's largest export market: Jan–May trade surplus with the US rose 21.1% YoY to $60.4bn.