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Vietnam's roll-out of E10 biofuel blend is expected to drive ethanol consumption to nearly 11 billion liters this year, creating significant export opportunities for the United States, which is already the Southeast Asian country’s largest ethanol supplier, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The USDA said in a recent report that Vietnam is emerging as a promising market for U.S. agricultural products, including ethanol.

According to the report, the United States was Vietnam's largest ethanol supplier in 2025, with exports worth US$4.3 million, accounting for 58 percent of the Southeast Asian country’s ethanol imports by value.

Citing projections from the International Energy Agency, the USDA said Vietnam's ethanol demand is expected to reach around 2.9 billion gallons, equivalent to nearly 11 billion liters, this year and continue growing in the coming years.

The increase is primarily driven by Vietnam's nationwide roll-out of E10 biofuel blend.

From June 1, 2026, all RON95 gasoline sold in the country must contain 10 percent ethanol, replacing conventional RON95 gasoline, while E5 RON92 continues to be available.

E10 consists of approximately 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent conventional gasoline.

Ethanol can be produced from corn, cassava, sugarcane, or wheat.

Before the policy took effect, Vietnam reduced its most-favored-nation import tariff on ethanol from 10 percent to five percent, facilitating ethanol imports.

Besides ethanol, the USDA identified Vietnam as an increasingly important market for distillers dried grains with solubles, a livestock feed ingredient and a by-product of ethanol production.

U.S. exports of distillers dried grains with solubles to Vietnam reached $272 million in 2025, up four percent from the previous year.

According to calculations by Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade, the country currently requires between 92,000 and 100,000 cubic meters of fuel ethanol each month to blend E10 gasoline.

Domestic fuel ethanol production, however, stands at only about 25,000 cubic meters per month, enough to meet just 25-30 percent of demand.

The remaining supply will need to be imported.

The lending consortium includes Vietcombank as the lead arranger, alongside VietinBank, BIDV, Agribank, TPBank, and VPBank.

​The Saigon - My Thuan Expressway BOT Co., Ltd (the project enterprise) and a consortium of six banks have officially signed a syndicated credit agreement to fund the Ho Chi Minh City – Trung Luong – My Thuan Expressway expansion project.

The credit facility, totaling VND27.094 trillion (approx. $1.03 billion), secures the necessary capital to ensure the project stays on schedule.

The lending consortium includes Vietcombank as the lead arranger, alongside VietinBank, BIDV, Agribank, TPBank, and VPBank. According to the participating parties, this represents the largest credit financing ever granted to a transport project under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model in Vietnam.

Speaking at the signing ceremony on July 16, Deputy Minister of Construction Bui Xuan Dung emphasized that the completion of the credit agreement is a major milestone, providing the financial foundation to move the project forward according to the planned timeline.

The Deputy Minister noted that expanding the HCMC – Trung Luong – My Thuan Expressway is an urgent requirement to alleviate severe congestion on the route. The expansion aims to enhance traffic safety, reduce logistics costs, improve regional competitiveness, and create more development opportunities for the Mekong Delta.

Since Phase 1 of the Trung Luong – My Thuan section was put into operation, traffic volume has peaked at over 60,000 vehicles per day. This significantly exceeds the original design capacity, making the expansion an immediate priority.

The HCMC – Trung Luong – My Thuan Expressway expansion project has a total investment of VND36.125 trillion (nearly $1.4 billion). It is being implemented via the PPP model and notably involves no state budget funding.

VOV.VN - Vietnam's exports to Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Latvia posted strong year-on-year growth in the first half of 2026, supported by the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

According to Nguyen Thi Hoang Thuy, Head of the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden, which also covers Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Latvia, trade and investment ties between Vietnam and the Nordic markets continued to obtained positive results during the six-month period of the year.

Vietnam Customs data showed that exports to all four markets increased from a year earlier, led by Norway with growth of 47.2%, followed by Latvia at 36.9%, Denmark at 29.9% and Sweden at 19.6%. Imports from Denmark and Latvia also rose, while imports from Sweden and Norway declined.

EVFTA has continued to deliver practical benefits by reducing tariffs and trade barriers, improving market access and providing a more stable framework for economic cooperation between Vietnam and the European Union (EU).

The agreement enables a wide range of Vietnamese products, including garments, footwear, wood products, seafood, coffee, electronics, machinery and processed industrial goods, to benefit from preferential tariffs when they meet rules of origin. It has also helped strengthen importers' confidence, support long-term business relationships, diversify supply sources and deepen Vietnamese companies' participation in supply chains.

To meet the stringent standards of the Nordic market, many Vietnamese companies have accelerated their green transition.

Cao Huu Hieu, Director General of the Vietnam National Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex), said the group is investing in textile and dyeing production, green and circular manufacturing, and digital technologies to meet environmental, traceability and sustainability requirements. These efforts are expected to become one of Vinatex's new growth drivers for 2026-2030 while helping the group remain competitive in demanding markets, including the Nordic region, he added.

In investment, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Latvia had a combined 359 valid foreign direct investment projects in Vietnam with total registered capital of about US$4.44 billion as of the end of the first half of 2026, according to the Vietnam Trade Office in Sweden.

Denmark and Sweden remained the two largest investors among the five countries, while Norway, Iceland and Latvia also maintained investment projects in Vietnam.

Alongside these positive developments, a series of new EU regulations taking effect from 2026, including the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), the General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) and the Digital Product Passport, will require exporters to meet higher standards.

Experts said EVFTA is entering a new phase of competition as the EU expands trade ties with other partners. In the coming years, Vietnam's ability to maintain and expand its market share in the EU, including the Nordic region, will depend increasingly on supply chain management, data transparency, compliance with sustainability standards and strict control of product origin.

The results recorded in the first half of 2026 provide a solid foundation for Vietnam and its Nordic partners to enhance business links, pursue new business opportunities and expand commercial cooperation.