Vietnam Says Trade Deal Negotiations with the US Are Largely Completed
Vietnam's government said on October 8 that negotiations with the United States on a reciprocal trade agreement have largely been completed. After seven rounds of talks since April 2025, the two sides have 'basically completed almost all negotiating contents' and are working through a handful of remaining technical issues, trade ministry official Ngo Chung Khanh was cited as saying in a statement issued late on October 7, according to Reuters.
The statement said Vietnam would coordinate closely with US agencies, particularly the Office of the US Trade Representative, to finalise the remaining issues and pave the way for the deal's signing and implementation. Party leader To Lam said last month that negotiations had been positive and a deal could be signed soon.
The data behind the talks: Vietnam's trade surplus with the United States reached $122.62 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 23.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the National Statistics Office. The US is Vietnam's largest export market, with electronics, garments and footwear driving the surplus.
For Chinese manufacturers with plants in Vietnam, the final text will directly affect tariff rates and rules of origin — how the Chinese content of a product is counted is the question factory owners have asked most in recent months. No signing date has been announced.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 港口集装箱码头实景，摄影：Phó Nháy，Public domain，来源：Wikimedia Commons（File:Chùa Vẽ Terminal, Port of Hải Phòng.JPG）
