On August 28, 1945, the Ministry of Economy was established. On May 14, 1951, the President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam issued Decree No. 21-SL renaming the Ministry of Economy to the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Decision No. 1418/QD-TTg dated October 20, 2008 taking May 14 every year as the "Traditional Day of Vietnam's Industry and Trade".

Below are the founding times of Sector organizations in the country's history since the August Revolution in 1945:

- Decree No. 29 - B/SL dated March 16, 1947, placed in the Ministry of Economy a central agency to control foreign trade called "Foreign Trade Department". The Foreign Trade Department has a Board of Directors consisting of four official delegates and four alternates from the four ministries of Economy, Finance, Defense, and Home Affairs.

- Decree No. 53 - SL dated June 1, 1947 reforming the Foreign Trade Department.

- Decree No. 54 – SL dated June 11, 1947 abolished the Board of Foreign Trade and placed the Department of Foreign Affairs under the direct control of the Ministry of Economy. Put in Foreign Trade Department one: "Foreign Trade Advisory Council" consisting of representatives of the Ministry of Defense, Finance, Agriculture, if necessary, representatives of other Ministries; The representatives of the ministries will be nominated by the Ministers of the agencies.

- Decree No. 168 - SL dated November 17, 1950 establishing the Department of Internal Trade.

- Decree No. 21 - SL dated May 14, 1951, renamed the Ministry of Economy to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

- Decree No. 22 - SL dated May 14, 1951, establishing within the Ministry of Industry and Trade a business agency named Department of Trade; abolish the Department of Foreign Trade and Department of Internal Trade.

- Order of the President of the State No. 18 - LCT dated July 26, 1960 on the list of ministries and ministerial-level agencies, including: Ministry of Irrigation and Electricity, Ministry of Heavy Industry, Ministry of Light Industry, Ministry of Interior Trade, Ministry of Foreign Trade. Agencies directly under the Government Council, including: General Department of Geology, General Department of Materials.

- Resolution No. 786/NQ/TVQHK6 dated August 11, 1969 of the National Assembly Standing Committee, dividing the Ministry of Heavy Industry into two ministries and one General Department under the Government Council: the Ministry of Electricity and Coal, the Ministry of Mechanical Engineering and the Ministry of Engineering and Technology. Metallurgy, General Department of Chemicals; Establishing the Ministry of Food and Food on the basis of merging the General Department of Food with the Food Processing Industry separated from the Ministry of Light Industry; Establishment of the Ministry of Materials on the basis of the apparatus of the General Department of Materials.

- Decree No. 170/CP dated September 3, 1975 establishing the General Department of Oil and Gas of Vietnam.

- Resolution No. 1236NQ/TVQHK6 dated November 22, 1981 of the National Assembly Standing Committee, dividing the Ministry of Electricity and Coal into two ministries: the Ministry of Electricity, the Ministry of Mines and Coal; Divide the Ministry of Food and Food into two ministries: Ministry of Food Industry, Ministry of Food.

- Decree No. 62 - HDBT dated June 21, 1983 establishing the Government's Department of Mechanical Engineering; Decree No. 105 - HDBT dated September 26, 1983 establishing the Government's Department of Energy.

- Decision No. 481-NQ/HDNN7 dated December 16, 1983 of the State Council approving the establishment of the General Department of Electronics and Informatics Technology.

- Decision No. 782NQ/HDNN7 dated December 16, 1987 of the State Council: Establishing the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry on the basis of merging three ministries: the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Food Industry and the Ministry of Food. ; Establishing the Ministry of Energy on the basis of merging two ministries: the Ministry of Electricity, the Ministry of Mines and Coal; Rename the General Department of Geology to the General Department of Mines and Geology.

- Resolution of the National Assembly dated June 28, 1988 establishing the Ministry of External Economic Relations on the basis of merging the Ministry of Foreign Trade and the Committee for External Economic Relations; Merged the General Department of Electronics and Information Technology into the Ministry of Mechanical Engineering and Metallurgy.

- Resolution of the National Assembly of June 30, 1990, establishing the Ministry of Trade on the basis of the Ministry of External Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Internal Trade, and the Ministry of Materials to unify the state management of commercial activities and services; Rename the Ministry of Mechanical Engineering and Metallurgy to the Ministry of Heavy Industry to unify the State management over the mechanical and metallurgical industries, electronics, mines, geology, petroleum and chemicals. Approving the dissolution of the General Department of Mines and Geology, the General Department of Chemicals and the General Department of Petroleum.

- Resolution of the National Assembly on August 12, 1991, changing the name of the Ministry of Commerce to the Ministry of Trade and Tourism.

- Resolution of the National Assembly of September 30, 1992, on the list of ministries and ministerial-level agencies, including: Ministry of Trade; Ministry of Heavy Industry; Ministry of Light Industry; Ministry of Energy; Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry.

- Resolution of the National Assembly on October 21, 1995, establishing the Ministry of Industry on the basis of merging three ministries: Heavy Industry, Energy, and Light Industry.

- Resolution of the National Assembly of September 29, 1997, on the list of ministries and ministerial-level agencies, including: Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Industry.

- Resolution No. 01/2007/NQ-QH12 of the First Session of the 12th National Assembly, dated July 31, 2007 merging the Ministry of Industry with the Ministry of Trade into the Ministry of Industry and Trade.