Bangkok.- Vietnam and the United States have held a new meeting within their negotiations for a new trade agreement after the parties reported
“a high level of agreement”, Hanoi reported this Friday, which faces tariffs of 46% from Washington.
Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien held an online conversation this Thursday with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, according to official media of the Asian nation.
In the session, the parties “debated solutions and orientations to address the main problems of the negotiations” – without details being known about the obstacles – a discussion that took place in “an open, constructive and goodwill environment”.
Hong Dien reiterated his request that the U.S. consider
“reciprocal tax policies and market access for some key Vietnamese exporting groups,” a nation threatened by Washington with an additional 46% tariff, frozen until July.
During the meeting, Vietnam showed openness to developing harmonious rules of origin and “practices that align with the characteristics of the global supply chain, ensuring non-discrimination and creating favorable conditions for companies in both countries.”
For his part, Greer stated, according to Hanoi, that the U.S. “will soon complete and send to Vietnam the necessary documents so that both parties can focus on the conversations to obtain results that align with” bilateral interests.
On May 16th, the Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade met with Greer in South Korea, and they reached “a high level of agreement on principles, approaches, content orientations, and negotiation plans” for the establishment of a new trade policy.
The U.S. trade deficit with Vietnam was $123.5 billion in 2024, an 18.1% year-on-year increase, according to White House data.
The United States is Vietnam’s main export market, a country whose dynamic economy is highly focused on selling products to third parties.
During Donald Trump’s first term, between 2017 and 2021, Chinese factories moved to Vietnam, taking advantage of outsourcing to avoid the tariffs that Washington imposed on Beijing at the time.
