HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam and the US on Sunday issued a joint statement outlining a framework for an agreement on reciprocal, fair and balanced trade.

The statement was released on the occasion of US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính attending the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The agreement on reciprocal, fair and balanced trade will build upon the longstanding economic relationship between the two countries, including the US-Việt Nam Bilateral Trade Agreement signed in 2000, which entered into force in 2001.

According to the joint statement, Việt Nam will provide preferential market access for substantially all US industrial and agricultural exports to Việt Nam.

The US will maintain at 20 per cent the reciprocal tariffs, as outlined in Executive Order 14257 of April 2, 2025, as amended, on originating goods of Việt 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 US and Việt Nam will work constructively to address both countries’ interests in non-tariff barriers affecting bilateral trade in priority areas.

Việt Nam has agreed to address many such barriers, including accepting vehicles built to US motor vehicle safety and emissions standards, addressing import licences for US medical devices, streamlining regulatory requirements and approvals for US pharmaceutical products, fully implementing Việt Nam’s obligations under certain international intellectual property treaties to which it is a party, and addressing US concerns with conformity assessment procedures.

The US and Việt Nam have also committed to address and prevent barriers to US agricultural products in the Vietnamese market, including with regard to US regulatory oversight and acceptance of currently agreed certificates issued by US regulatory authorities.

Under the agreement, Vietnam Airlines has agreed to purchase 50 aircraft from Boeing, worth more than US$8 billion.

Vietnamese companies have signed 20 memorandums of understanding with US companies to purchase US agricultural commodities, with a total estimated value of over US$2.9 billion.

In the coming weeks, the US and Việt Nam will work to finalise the agreement, prepare it for signature and undertake domestic formalities in advance of it entering into force. — VNS