Vietnam leader says US deal close, denies re-routing China goods — SkimNews
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- To Lam told Bloomberg TV on Sept. 21 that Vietnam is "very close" to a reciprocal tariff deal with the US and pledged to import more American aircraft, nuclear power, and road and rail infrastructure to narrow the bilateral trade gap.
- Vietnam currently faces a 12.5% levy under a US forced-labor probe covering roughly 60 nations, plus three simultaneous Section 301 investigations into its trade practices.
- Lam rejected transshipment allegations, insisting trade must be "genuine, with products actually manufactured in Vietnam," while US customs inspectors have been running spot checks on China-linked factories inside the country.
- Hanoi has enacted a new law banning goods produced with forced labor, tightened customs procedures, and launched crackdowns on online piracy in an effort to address Washington's sticking points.
- Lam was non-committal about a potential meeting with Trump during his New York trip and heads next to Canada to meet Prime Minister Mark Carney amid a separate protracted tariff dispute.
- Vietnam's 10% economic growth target has become harder after the war in Iran pushed up energy prices, though Lam said institutional reforms keep the goal on track.
Why it matters: Vietnam runs one of the US's largest bilateral trade surpluses, giving Washington direct leverage over Hanoi as Trump's Sept. 24 summit with Xi approaches. With Section 301 preliminary results progressing and US customs already inspecting Chinese-linked Vietnamese factories, a deal would test whether Trump rewards Hanoi's compliance or preserves pressure for the China talks.
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