The United States ran a US$123.5 billion trade deficit with Vietnam in 2024, according to the Office of the USTR. The gap is drawing attention to the country as Trump's America First agenda relies on tariffs as part of a strategy to rectify what it sees as unfair trade policies.

Vietnam's top trade official Nguyen Hong Dien, looking to protect the country from possible Trump tariffs, told US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer his country is developing measures to ensure "sustainable" economic relations between the two countries.

Vietnam’s top trade official is heading to the US in a bid to persuade President Donald Trump’s team that Hanoi is serious about resetting trade ties, to avert tariffs that could rattle its export-driven economy.