Vietnam-US trade talks near final outcome

As part of his working trip to attend the high-level general debate of the 81^st session of the United Nations General Assembly and conduct bilateral activities in the United States, Party General Secretary and State President To Lam met with Ambassador Jamieson Greer, United States Trade Representative, in New York on September 21.

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam meets with Ambassador Jamieson Greer, United States Trade Representative. Image courtesy of VNA

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam noted that economic, trade and investment cooperation is one of the most important pillars of the relationship between the two countries, directly benefiting businesses and individuals while contributing to the development of each country.

In recent times, Vietnam has made efforts to substantively encourage cooperation activities and increase purchases of goods from the US to help move bilateral trade towards greater balance, while generating additional orders, jobs and direct benefits for businesses and workers in both countries.

Ambassador and US Trade Representative Greer highly appreciated Party General Secretary and State President Lam's attention and Vietnam's efforts to balance trade between the two countries.

He said the two negotiating teams had made significant efforts and worked hard, achieving substantial progress and coming very close to a final outcome.

Vietnam and the US have gone through multiple rounds of negotiations under the reciprocal trade agreement, with the two sides reaching a high degree of consensus and holding relatively close positions.

In October 2025, the two countries agreed to issue a joint statement on a framework for reciprocal, fair, and balanced trade. The statement outlined the key elements of the agreement, under which Vietnam and the US will work constructively to address both sides' concerns regarding non-tariff barriers, finalise commitments related to digital trade, services and investment, and discuss intellectual property, as well as strengthen cooperation to enhance supply chain resilience.

Last year witnessed remarkable growth in Vietnam-US trade. According to Vietnam Customs, two-way trade reached approximately $172.5 billion, with Vietnam's exports to the US exceeding $153 billion and imports from the US reaching $19.3 billion.

In the first eight months of 2026, bilateral trade continued its upward trajectory, reaching new milestones. Two-way trade hit a record $137.4 billion, with Vietnam exporting $122 billion worth of goods, up 23.2 per cent, while imports from the US exceeded $15.4 billion, up 26.8 per cent on-year.

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