Overview
- Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son told a Hanoi business summit that Vietnam expects to sign a reciprocal trade agreement with the United States soon.
- A Vietnamese delegation led by Trade Minister Nguyen Hong Dien is in Washington for talks scheduled Nov. 12–14 to finalize the deal.
- An October understanding kept U.S. tariffs on Vietnamese imports at 20% while carving out exemptions for certain products not yet specified.
- Discussions are expected to zero in on which Vietnamese goods could be exempted, such as coffee, and on preferential access for U.S. products like cars and farm goods, according to a person briefed on the talks.
- U.S. officials say the pact should help reduce the American trade deficit with Vietnam, which recorded a roughly $111 billion surplus with the U.S. in the first 10 months; Vietnamese officials are also seeking market-economy recognition, looser high‑tech export controls, and hope to pair a signing with a meeting between President Donald Trump and To Lam, with timing potentially affected by a pending Supreme Court ruling on the tariffs.