Vietnam Exported $73B in Phones and Networking Gear in 2025 — Here's Who's Buying

Key Takeaways

Vietnam's Telephone Equipment (HS Code 8517) exports in 2025 grew steadily, powered by an integrated smartphone supply chain that now serves as a critical node in global electronics manufacturing.

• Smartphones (HS 851713) dominated Vietnam Telephone Equipment Export value at $32.16B (44.1%), followed by parts (HS 851779, $19.80B) and networking gear (HS 851762, $19.45B).
• The U.S. accounted for 27.3% of HS Code 8517 trade data, while re-imports to Vietnam (15.9%) highlighted the scale of bonded-zone logistics within the country's electronics clusters.
• 91% of export value relied on repeat bulk buyers, with Samsung Electronics, Cloud Network Technology (Foxconn), and Luxshare Precision among key accounts.
• Export value grew 6.05% year-over-year, with shipment frequency up 6.57%, signaling stable demand even as tariff uncertainty reshaped global sourcing strategies.

This overview covers the period January–December 2025 and is based on verified customs data from the yTrade database.

Vietnam Telephone Equipment Exports in 2025: Value and Shipment Growth

Vietnam Telephone Equipment Export data for 2025 shows a total value of $72.97 billion across 1.31 million shipments. This represents a 6.05% increase in value and a slightly faster 6.57% rise in shipment frequency from 2024, indicating both market expansion and stable operational cadence. The consistent growth in both metrics suggests healthy demand without significant margin pressure from the volume increase.

These numbers sit within a broader electronics boom:

• Computers & components: $107.75 billion in 2025, up 48.4% YoY
• Phones & components: $56.7 billion
• Combined: Over $164.4 billion in export revenue, the highest ever recorded
• Global ranking: Vietnam is now among the world's top 10 electronics exporters

Telephone equipment (HS 8517) accounts for a substantial share of that position.

The policy environment adds complexity. While smartphones were exempted from U.S. reciprocal tariffs in April 2025, the broader trade framework remained volatile:

• April 2025: U.S. announced 46% reciprocal tariff on Vietnamese goods, then paused for 90 days at 10%
• April 2025: Smartphones, computers, and semiconductors exempted from reciprocal tariffs
• July 2025: U.S.–Vietnam trade deal reached — 20% tariff on confirmed Vietnamese-origin goods, 40% on transshipped goods
• February 2026: Supreme Court ruled IEEPA tariffs unconstitutional; replaced with 10% Section 122 tariff through July 2026

For HS 8517 traders, the smartphone exemption provides breathing room, but networking equipment and parts face variable exposure depending on classification.

Table: Vietnam Telephone Equipment Export Value and Frequency (Source: yTrade)

Metric	2025	2024	YoY Change
Total Value	72.97B USD	68.81B USD	+6.05%
Frequency	1.31M	1.23M	+6.57%

What Products Drive Vietnam's HS 8517 Exports?

Vietnam's primary telephone equipment export is smartphones (HS 851713), valued at $32.16B and accounting for 44.1% of the category's total export value. The top three sub-codes and what they reveal:

• HS 851713 — Smartphones (44.1%, $32.16B): Nearly half of all HS 8517 exports, reflecting Vietnam's role as a final-assembly powerhouse. Samsung produces 45–50% of all Galaxy phones at its Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen factories.
• HS 851779 — Communication apparatus parts (27.1%, $19.80B): Points to a deep component ecosystem where sub-assemblies — phone frames, ultra-thin glass, connectors, chargers — circulate within Vietnam's industrial zones before being integrated into finished goods or shipped to regional assembly partners in South Korea, China, and India.
• HS 851762 — Switching and routing apparatus (26.7%, $19.45B): Reflects Vietnam's growing importance beyond handsets. Foxconn's Cloud Network Technology subsidiary manufactures routers, switches, and data center equipment from its Bac Ninh facilities, serving enterprise and cloud infrastructure buyers worldwide.
• HS 851761 + 851769 — Base stations and other apparatus (1.5%, $1.08B combined): Niche categories with low frequency, primarily serving telecom infrastructure buildouts.

Table: Vietnam Telephone Equipment HS Code Breakdown (Source: yTrade)

HS Code	Product Description	Value	Quantity	Frequency	Value Ratio
851713	Smartphones for cellular or wireless networks	32.16B	121.82M	308.77K	44.07%
851779	Communication apparatus parts (excl. aerials)	19.80B	4.55B	526.92K	27.14%
851762	Switching and routing apparatus	19.45B	297.80M	426.42K	26.66%
851761	Base stations	567.92M	422.22K	2.87K	0.78%
851769	Other communication apparatus, n.e.c.	512.47M	10.24M	9.08K	0.70%

One detail worth noting: the frequency column reveals where operational complexity concentrates. Parts shipments (HS 851779) generated 526,920 individual shipments — the highest frequency of any sub-code — despite being third by value. This reflects the high-cadence, just-in-time supply chain that keeps Vietnam's electronics clusters running.

Where Do Vietnam's Telephone Equipment Exports Go?

Vietnam's Telephone Equipment exports in 2025 were led by the United States (27.3% of total value), Vietnam itself (15.9%), and South Korea (5.4%). The U.S. is the dominant end-market, but the buyer concentration is not extreme — no single country accounts for more than a third of total value, which limits geographic risk.

Smartphones (HS 851713): Consumer Markets Lead

For smartphones, the top five destinations and what drives each:

• United States ($9.11B, 31.74M units) — Primary retail endpoint for Samsung Galaxy devices assembled in Vietnam. The largest single-country market by a wide margin.
• United Arab Emirates ($2.95B, 13.53M units) — Functions as a re-export hub for Middle Eastern and African markets. Dubai's Jebel Ali Free Zone is a well-established redistribution center for consumer electronics.
• Austria ($1.75B, 6.36M units) — Likely reflects a Samsung or carrier-branded European distribution center rather than domestic consumption alone.
• Japan ($1.56B, 5.44M units) — A high-value, brand-conscious consumer market where Samsung and other Vietnamese-assembled brands compete alongside domestic players.
• United Kingdom ($1.34B, 3.72M units) — Established consumer electronics market with strong smartphone penetration.

Parts (HS 851779): Intra-Company and Regional Flows

For communication parts, the picture is entirely different — these flows reveal the internal circuitry of Vietnam's manufacturing ecosystem:

• Vietnam ($10.40B, 3.34B units) — Over half of parts exports are re-imported. This reflects bonded-zone transfers, testing returns, and components cycling between factories within Vietnam's industrial parks.
• South Korea ($2.52B, 226.91M units) — Components flowing back to Samsung's home base for integration into Korean-assembled products or further R&D.
• China Mainland ($1.25B, 211.33M units) — Reflects the tightly integrated regional production network where Chinese suppliers provide inputs and receive sub-assemblies.
• India ($1.21B, 518.05M units) — A growing assembly destination. Vietnamese-origin components feed into India's expanding smartphone manufacturing ecosystem, especially for Samsung and Foxconn plants.
• China HongKong ($1.03B, 57.14M units) — Transshipment and trading hub for redistributing components across the region.

Networking Equipment (HS 851762): Enterprise and Infrastructure

For switching and routing apparatus, enterprise and cloud infrastructure demand shapes the destination mix:

• United States ($9.60B, 107.70M units) — Dominant endpoint reflecting enterprise demand for routers, smart home devices, and data center equipment.
• China HongKong ($2.09B, 6.91M units) — Critical transshipment hub where goods are sorted and forwarded to final destinations across Asia.
• Netherlands ($1.20B, 11.03M units) — Rotterdam serves as a global logistics pivot point for European redistribution.
• China Mainland ($805.51M, 54.17M units) — May involve components for further manufacturing or domestic supply chain integration.
• United Kingdom ($597.41M, 8.33M units) — Established enterprise IT market with consistent demand for networking infrastructure.

Table: Vietnam Telephone Equipment Top Destination Countries (Source: yTrade)

HS Code	Country	Value	Quantity	Frequency
851713	UNITED STATES	9.11B	31.74M	90.30K
	UNITED ARAB EMIRATES	2.95B	13.53M	20.93K
	AUSTRIA	1.75B	6.36M	18.93K
	JAPAN	1.56B	5.44M	4.78K
	UNITED KINGDOM	1.34B	3.72M	7.11K
851779	VIETNAM	10.40B	3.34B	133.30K
	SOUTH KOREA	2.52B	226.91M	76.49K
	CHINA MAINLAND	1.25B	211.33M	19.99K
	INDIA	1.21B	518.05M	47.06K
	CHINA HONGKONG	1.03B	57.14M	22.29K
851762	UNITED STATES	9.60B	107.70M	138.12K
	CHINA HONGKONG	2.09B	6.91M	38.87K
	NETHERLANDS	1.20B	11.03M	27.21K
	CHINA MAINLAND	805.51M	54.17M	11.31K
	UNITED KINGDOM	597.41M	8.33M	9.92K

Who Are Vietnam's Telephone Equipment Top Buyers?

Vietnam's telephone equipment (HS 8517) exports in 2025 are heavily concentrated among repeat, large-volume buyers, who account for 91% of export value. This is one of the highest buyer-concentration ratios in global trade data for any major product category. It reflects a structural reality: Vietnam's HS 8517 exports are driven by a handful of multinationals with deep, vertically integrated operations in the country.

Table: Vietnam Telephone Equipment Top Buyers (Source: yTrade)

Buyer	Import Value	Total Shipments
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD	24.20B	253.35K
CLOUD NETWORK TECHNOLOGY SINGAPORE PTE .LTD	8.14B	193.34K
LUXSHARE PRECISION LIMITED	4.39B	89.02K

Samsung Electronics: Vietnam's Anchor Exporter

Samsung's $24.20B in imports from Vietnam's HS 8517 category across 253,350 shipments makes it the single largest entity in this trade lane — and it's not close.

• Total investment: Over $23.2 billion, with 6 factories, 1 R&D center, and 1 sales entity
• Production milestone: Factories in Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen crossed 2 billion cumulative mobile phones in mid-2025
• Export scale: 2024 exports reached approximately $54.4 billion — roughly 15% of Vietnam's total export value
• Global share: Over 50% of Samsung's global smartphone production, shipped to 128 countries and territories
• Workforce: Approximately 87,000 employees in Vietnam
• Diversification trend: Vietnam's share has declined from ~60% to 45–50% of global Galaxy output as Samsung expands in India and Indonesia, but Vietnam remains the center of gravity for flagship manufacturing including the Galaxy Z Fold 7

For anyone tracking this buyer in trade data: Samsung's shipment patterns show a seasonal cycle, with particularly strong first-half exports. In H1 2025, Samsung Vietnam generated $31.6 billion in revenue, including $28 billion from exports.

Cloud Network Technology (Foxconn): The Networking Backbone

Cloud Network Technology Singapore Pte. Ltd., a subsidiary of Foxconn (Hon Hai Technology Group), is the second-largest buyer at $8.14B across 193,340 shipments. This entity primarily handles networking products manufactured at Foxconn's Bac Ninh facilities.

• Total Vietnam investment: Over $3.2 billion
• Core products: Routers, switches, servers, and data center equipment
• Expansion: Subsidiary Fushan Technology is scaling mobile phone capacity by 30M units to 140 million annually, plus up to 4.8M Xbox gaming consoles per year and 3M smart wearable devices
• Trade pattern: High shipment frequency (193K) relative to value ($8.14B) indicates a high-volume, mid-value pattern consistent with enterprise networking equipment — smaller order sizes but relentless shipping cadence

Luxshare Precision: From Connector Maker to Global EMS Giant

Luxshare Precision Limited's $4.39B across 89,020 shipments positions it as the third-largest buyer. Luxshare's transformation from a connector manufacturer to a full-scale electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider for Apple and other tier-one brands is reflected in these Vietnam trade flows.

• Strategic importance: Vietnam is Luxshare-ICT's most important overseas manufacturing hub among 29 countries where it operates
• Factory network: Multiple plants across Bac Giang (now Bac Ninh province) and Nghe An, producing electronic components, cables, chargers, connectors, and integrated modules
• Workforce: ~30,000 workers in Bac Ninh; Nghe An facility expanding from 12,000 to 60,000–80,000 employees
• Growth pipeline: New investment projects expected to generate annual revenue exceeding $10 billion each
• Product scope beyond phones: Also producing gaming consoles (up to 4.5M units/year), headphones, VR headsets, smartwatches, and smart locator devices

To explore Vietnam's telephone equipment buyers, supplier networks, and shipment patterns in detail, search HS code 8517 on yTrade's buyer discovery tool. You can filter by sub-code, destination country, and time range to identify active buyers and their purchasing cadence.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much Telephone Equipment did Vietnam export in 2025 (HS Code 8517)?

According to the yTrade customs database, Vietnam Telephone Equipment exports under HS Code 8517 totaled $72.97 billion across 1.31 million shipments in 2025. This represented a 6.05% increase in value year-over-year, with shipment frequency rising 6.57%.

What is the HS Code 8517 breakdown for Vietnam Telephone Equipment exports?

Smartphones (HS 851713) dominated with a 44.1% share ($32.16B), followed by communication apparatus parts (HS 851779) at 27.1% ($19.80B), and switching/routing apparatus (HS 851762) at 26.7% ($19.45B). Base stations and other apparatus accounted for the remaining 1.5%.

Who are the top buyers of Vietnam's HS 8517 exports?

Samsung Electronics leads with $24.20B in import value (253K shipments), followed by Cloud Network Technology Singapore (Foxconn subsidiary) at $8.14B (193K shipments), and Luxshare Precision at $4.39B (89K shipments). Together with other repeat buyers, these accounts represent 91% of total export value.

Are Vietnam's telephone equipment exports affected by U.S. tariffs?

Smartphones were exempted from U.S. reciprocal tariffs in April 2025. However, networking equipment and parts may face the 20% tariff under the U.S.–Vietnam trade deal reached in July 2025, or the 10% Section 122 tariff imposed in February 2026 after the Supreme Court struck down IEEPA-based tariffs. Classification-level exposure varies by sub-code.

Why does Vietnam re-import $10.4B in telephone equipment parts?

The large re-import flow (HS 851779) reflects bonded-zone logistics within Vietnam's electronics industrial parks. Components cycle between factories for sub-assembly, testing, quality control, and re-integration into finished products before final export. This is standard practice in vertically integrated manufacturing ecosystems like Bac Ninh and Thai Nguyen.

How can I verify a telephone equipment exporter in Vietnam?

Check shipment frequency and consistency over 12+ months using customs data. Verify whether the exporter ships to diversified destinations and maintains relationships with known buyers. Samsung, Foxconn (Cloud Network Technology), and Luxshare are anchor entities — legitimate suppliers in this space typically appear in their upstream supply chains.