Staff assemble electrical vehicles at a Vinfast manufacturing unit in Hai Phong, Vietnam, on Sept. 29, 2023.
Hau Dinh/AP
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Hau Dinh/AP
Vietnam has requested america to delay the April 9 implementation of sky-high tariffs introduced final week in a take a look at of how a lot President Trump is keen to haggle over his protectionist commerce agenda.
Vietnamese Communist Occasion chief To Lam was one of many first world leaders to talk with Trump final week after the U.S. president introduced a flurry of tariffs on virtually each nation that exports to america. Vietnam was hit with a 46% tariff charge, among the many highest.
Vietnam’s economic system has boomed lately on the again of hovering manufacturing and exports. The nation has benefited as corporations have diversified provide chains in response to rising rigidity between Beijing and Washington lately.
The USA is Vietnam’s greatest export market.
On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son met U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper in Hanoi, in line with a government dispatch. Son requested that Trump delay the enforcement of the tariffs whereas the 2 sides negotiate.
Vietnamese Overseas Minister Bui Thanh Son at a joint information convention with Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, April 2, 2025. On Sunday, Son, who can be Deputy Prime Minister, met U.S. Ambassador Marc Knapper in Hanoi.
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Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool AP
That echoed the contents of a letter circulating on-line, from Lam to Trump dated April 5, through which the Vietnamese chief asks Trump to postpone the implementation of the reciprocal tariffs for not less than 45 days. The New York Occasions first reported on the letter and mentioned it had obtained a duplicate. NPR has not independently confirmed the authenticity of the letter.
One other deputy prime minister, Ho Duc Phoc, who was appointed particular envoy to the U.S., informed corporations on Friday that Vietnam was looking for a one to a few month delay, in line with the federal government. It mentioned Phoc will go to america and Cuba from April 6-16, and whereas within the U.S. he would participate in a high-level coverage dialogue.
Son informed the U.S. ambassador that in Phoc’s journey, he can be asking the U.S. facet to prioritize the difficulty in order that an settlement could possibly be reached quickly “for the good thing about the individuals and companies of the 2 international locations.”
“The [U.S.] choice to impose reciprocal tariffs is inconsistent with the fact of bilateral financial and commerce cooperation and doesn’t mirror the spirit of the Vietnam-United States complete strategic partnership,” Son was quoted as saying.
The U.S. embassy in Hanoi didn’t reply instantly to emailed requests for a remark.
Flowers are on displayed on the market on Valentine’s Day, Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Hanoi, Vietnam. (AP Photograph/Hau Dinh)
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Negotiations with Vietnam could possibly be an early take a look at of the Trump administration’s willingness to decrease the tariffs which were a centerpiece of his financial plans. After he introduced them, inventory markets around the globe plummeted, and companies have expressed mounting concern.
Son proposed that the 2 sides proceed to coordinate and cooperate in all areas of the partnership, and he “emphasised that cooperation to beat the results of struggle is a vital basis within the relations between the 2 international locations”.
Many different international locations have indicated a willingness to barter tariff charges with Trump, and a few, together with China, have retaliated with tariffs of their very own.
