Vietnam Urges United States to Delay Imposing Tariffs On It

The main leader of Vietnam, in Lam, asked President Trump to delay the imposition of rates for at least 45 days so that the two parts can avoid a move that devastates the Vietnamese economy and increase prices for American consumers.

The 46 percent tariff rate that the United States has said that it will impose on Vietnam is among the highest in all countries. The prospect of such a steep rate left Vietnam with a sense of whip and deep apprehension. It also presents a clear contrast with the recent hug of Hanoi of Washington as an important bulwark against China and a manufacturing destination for many American clothing brands.

President Lam’s proposal to President Trump was presented in a letter dated on Saturday, according to a copy obtained by the New York Times. In the letter, Mr. Lam invited Mr. Trump to appoint an American representative to guide the negotiations with Ho Duc Phoc, a vice Prime Minister Vietnamese, “with the aim of reaching an agreement as soon as possible”.

Mr. Lam had been one of the first world leaders to reach Mr. Trump after the Rates have been announced. In a phone call, he offered to reduce the rates on US imports to Zero and urged Mr. Trump to do the same, according to the Vietnamese government. Vietnam said that its rates on US goods are on average 9.4 percent.

Trump later described the call as “very productive”.

In his letter, Mr. Lam asked Mr. Trump to meet him in person in Washington at the end of May “to jointly reach an agreement on this important question, for the benefit of both our peoples and to contribute to peace, stability and development in the region and worldwide”.

The Vietnam Foreign Ministry did not respond to a commentary request.

Vietnam, which faces punitive rates high together with China, Cambodia and Laos, would be the toughest economy in Asia if the rates were imposed as expected on Wednesday, according to economists. The United States are the largest Vietnam export market, representing about 30 percent of the country’s total exports. A 46 % tariff rate will at risk 5.5 percent of the gross domestic product of Vietnam, According to Ing, a financial service company based.

It would also hurt American consumers, because Vietnam is crucial in the global manufacturing supply chain. For decades, the country has built its economy around attracting foreign investments with low -cost labor and a young workforce. It is now one of the main producers of brands such as Adidas and Lululemon. Nike makes about 50 percent of his footwear in Vietnam.

After Mr. Trump imposed rates on China during his first term, Vietnam benefited from the companies that moved their production there.

Within Hanoi, the recent moves of the Trump administration have questioned the reliability of the United States, which in recent years has courted Vietnam. In 2023, the two former enemies cemented a new strategic relationship, a move seen as a milestone in the United States foreign policy. Although Vietnam fought a brutal, ten -year war against the United States, the polls have shown that many Vietnamese welcomed the political and strategic influence of the United States.

The Biden administration saw Vietnam – one of the few nations of the South -East Asia which publicly rejected against China’s assertiveness in the southern Chinese Sea – as fundamental for the effort of the United States to counter the growing ambitions of China in the region.

“The position of Vietnam in the Pacific, his opinion on China, his will to work with America, was his strongest card,” said Huong Le Thu Thu, deputy director of the Asia program for the international crisis group. “Trump does not see him in this way. He does not see allies or strategic values. He only sees numbers and rates, so Vietnam needs to try more hard.”

Analysts say that Vietnam had a large part of Mr. Trump mostly positive during his first administration, seeing him as a pragmatic businessman who would not have moralized with them on human rights.

While explains the rates, Trump said: “Vietnam: great negotiators, fantastic people, I like them. I like them.” He said that “the problem” was that the country charges the United States “90 percent”, a figure apparently achieved Based on it on the current commercial surplus of Vietnam with the United States, for a value of $ 123.5 billion. (Vietnam contested that calculation.)

The rates arrive at a precarious moment for Mr. Lam, who has been appointed as General secretary of the Communist Party in the power of Vietnam last year after the death of the previous head of the party, Nguyen phu trong. Mr. Lam needs to guarantee a strong economic performance while heading to the congress of the party next year, where the best leaders in the country will be selected.

Even before the tariff announcement of Mr. Trump, Vietnam was working to win the favor with the new administration. He signed provisional agreements to import US liquefied natural gas, cut some rates on American imports and allowed Spacex to open a company to launch its Starlink satellite internet service in Vietnam. The Trump organization is developing a $ 1.5 billion golf course and a hotel project in the province of Yen Hung Yen of Vietnam, in the province of Lam’s house.

Alexandra Stevenson Contributed relationships.