The figure was up 4% year-on-year and propelled the Southeast Asian country ahead of Italy in the rankings, according to data from the World Steel Association.
For the first four months of 2026, Vietnam produced 8.5 million tonnes of crude steel, an 8.4% increase from a year ago.
The association said the country’s steel sector has expanded rapidly in both scale and product range. In the early 2000s, domestic manufacturers largely depended on imported billets to produce construction steel.
Since 2010, the industry has made major strides toward self-sufficiency and is now capable of producing a full range of steel products serving the mechanical engineering, shipbuilding, energy and defense industries.
A man works at a steel mill in Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Phuong Dong |
Large-scale and modern steel complexes have also been put into operation, notably the Hoa Phat Dung Quat Iron and Steel Integrated Complex operated by Hoa Phat Group, which leads in producing high-quality and specialized steel products, including engineering steel, tire cord steel, welding wire, spring steel, crane steel, prestressed steel and rail steel for high-speed railways.
Vietnam’s crude steel output rose from 20 million tonnes in 2023 to 24.6 million tonnes last year, when the country ranked first in Southeast Asia and 11th globally.
Hoa Phat accounted for 44.7% of production, or 11 million tonnes. Its annual production is expected to jump 30% year-on-year to surpass 14 million tonnes this year.
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