Vietnam's apparel exports to the US are massive in scale, yet the origin of the cotton in finished garments is difficult to trace. According to TexPro data, between November 2024 and June 2026, Vietnam's exports of HS Chapters 61–62 apparel to the US amounted to $28 billion, broadly in line with the industry's earlier estimate of about $28 billion. Over the same period, Vietnam imported billions of dollars of raw cotton from the US, while also importing large quantities of cotton yarn and cotton woven fabrics from China. The US Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) can trace upstream inputs across borders, but proving fiber origin within finished garments is far more difficult.

Key Points

  • TexPro records $28 billion in Vietnam's HS61–62 apparel exports to the US from November 2024 to June 2026, close to the roughly $28 billion estimate
  • Over the same period, Vietnam imported billions of dollars of raw cotton from the US and billions of dollars of cotton yarn and cotton woven fabrics from China
  • UFLPA can trace upstream inputs across borders, but proving fiber origin within finished garments remains a challenge

The scale of Vietnam's apparel export chain to the US is already considerable. TexPro statistics show that from November 2024 to June 2026, Vietnam's exports of HS Chapters 61–62 apparel to the US totaled approximately $28 billion, a figure broadly consistent with wider industry estimates.

On the fiber raw material side, over the same period Vietnam imported billions of dollars of raw cotton from the US as well as billions of dollars of cotton yarn and cotton woven fabrics from China. This means that a finished garment exported from Vietnam to the US may contain cotton originating from the US and yarn from China, with its supply chain spanning multiple countries.

This complex supply chain structure poses a real challenge to US customs traceability enforcement. Regulations such as UFLPA have the capacity to track upstream inputs across borders, checking raw cotton, cotton yarn and other stages level by level along import records. The problem, however, is that once cotton has been spun into yarn, woven into fabric and made into garments, directly proving the specific origin of a given batch of fiber in the final product becomes more difficult both technically and operationally.

For the second-hand clothing and textile apparel trade industry, this situation means that exporters facing the US market need to manage supply chain traceability information more systematically. Complete records from raw material sourcing locations to processing stages may become a key bargaining chip in future customs clearance and compliance.

Source: $28 bn in apparel, $2.6 mn detained: Can US customs track the cotton? - Textile Fashion News Fibre2Fashion · Originally published 2026-09-28