A total of 19,081 units were sold in May, compared to 11,761 units in April, according to the latest report by the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association (VAMA).

However, sales in May was still 30 percent lower than the same period last year, VAMA said.

Local manufacturer Truong Hai (Thaco) remained the market leader, accounting for 31.4 percent of sales, followed by Toyota, with 22.4 percent, Honda with 14.6 percent and Ford with 10 percent.

Major car makers like Toyota, Ford and Honda closed their factories and dealerships for two weeks in April in compliance with a government order to combat the pandemic.

Last year car sales had risen 11.7 percent year-on-year to 322,322 units.