Overview
- Vietnam’s deputy prime minister said a reciprocal trade agreement with the United States is expected soon as a scheduled negotiating round gets underway in Washington.
- A Vietnamese delegation led by Industry and Trade Minister Nguyen Hong Dien is meeting U.S. counterparts from Nov. 12 to 14 to work toward a final pact.
- Officials previously outlined a framework that would retain a 20% U.S. tariff on Vietnamese goods while carving out exemptions for selected products.
- A person briefed on the talks said discussions include potential exemptions for items such as coffee and the scope of preferential access for U.S. exports like cars and farm goods.
- At a Hanoi business summit, Vietnam urged U.S. companies to back a visit by leader To Lam, press for market‑economy recognition, and support easing of high‑tech export curbs, as a U.S. official called for narrowing the trade imbalance that has left Vietnam with a $111 billion surplus over 10 months.