Viet Nam-U.S. technical-level round of negotiations held in Washington, D.C
VGP - Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan met with Deputy U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Rick Switzer on November 12 (local time) in Washington, D.C, the U.S. to launch the technical-level round of negotiations on a balanced and fair reciprocal trade agreement between the two countries.
The technical-level round of negotiations on a balanced and fair reciprocal trade agreement between Viet Nam and the U.S., November 12, 2025
Nguyen who is the Deputy Head of the Vietnamese Government’s negotiating team discussed a number of issues arising from the ministerial-level session and agreed on several areas of focus to ensure the technical teams of both sides work towards achieving the best possible results.
Switzer welcomed Viet Nam's positive progress in trade policy, institutional reform and international integration commitments, as well as the outcomes of the recent negotiation rounds. He affirmed that close cooperation between the two sides would facilitate the negotiating process.
Both sides agreed to maintain close coordination and intensify exchanges among their technical groups to advance negotiations in line with the guidance of senior leaders and the two ministers, with the aim of soon concluding a new framework for bilateral trade cooperation that further deepens the Viet Nam-U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
During the eighth ministerial-level negotiation on a reciprocal trade agreement between the two countries, held in Washington D.C, on Monday (local time), both Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer agreed that the ministerial session was a key milestone in dealing with the pending issues so as to soon finalize an agreement on reciprocal trade that would deliver tangible benefits for both countries.
In late October, the two countries reached a Framework for an Agreement on Reciprocal, Fair, and Balanced Trade on the occasion of U.S. President Donald Trump's and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's attendance at the 47th ASEAN Summit and related summits in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
According to the joint statement, Viet Nam will provide preferential market access for substantially all U.S. industrial and agricultural exports to Viet Nam. The U.S. will maintain at 20 percent the reciprocal tariffs, as outlined in Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025, as amended, on originating goods of Viet Nam, and will also identify products from the list set out in Annex III to Executive Order 14346 of September 5, 2025, Potential Tariff Adjustments for Aligned Partners, to receive a zero per cent reciprocal tariff rate.
The U.S. and Viet Nam also committed to address and prevent barriers to U.S. agricultural products in the Vietnamese market, including with regard to US regulatory oversight and acceptance of currently agreed certificates issued by U.S. regulatory authorities./.
