Vietnam's To Lam to lead trade delegation for talks with US President

Bloomberg cited sources close to the matter, revealing that Vietnam’s top leader intends to meet Trump directly in an effort to finalise a trade agreement between the two nations. 

However, it remains unclear when the visit will take place in the coming weeks, and no further details have been disclosed.

It is expected that Lam will be accompanied by officials and business representatives from Vietnam. The country aims to secure an agreement to purchase more US goods in order to ease pressure related to its trade surplus.

However, Pham Thu Hang, spokesperson for Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stated that no information had been received regarding the planned visit. The White House also declined to comment on the matter.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that the trade delegation was nearing an agreement that would see Vietnam push for a reduction in tariffs from 46% to between 20% and 25%, which the US had imposed on the country.

The US has called for Vietnam to enforce stricter regulations on the transport of Chinese goods and to eliminate non-tariff trade barriers (NTBs).

The report did not specify whether the proposed tariff reduction would include the current 10% basic tax that is already in place.

Following the third round of talks in the US, the US and Vietnamese trade delegations held an online meeting on Thursday (June 19). 

The US delegation was led by US Secretary of Commerce, Howard Lutnick, and US Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, while Vietnam's delegation was headed by Nguyen Hong Dien, Vietnam’s Minister of Industry and Trade.

A statement from Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade mentioned that, during the talks, Vietnam urged the US to reconsider reciprocal tariffs and market access for Vietnam's key export products.

Nguyen Hong Dien stated that Vietnam is working to "develop regulations that are practical and aligned" with the US in order to address "export fraud." He also expressed support for Lutnick and Greer's proposals to push the negotiation process forward.