Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)’s Trade Promotion Agency Bui Quang Hung emphasised that logistics has evolved from a technical function into a core capability for Vietnamese exporters to maintain their competitive advantage in the US market.

Following the US’s plan to impose reciprocal import tariffs of up to 46% on Vietnamese exports, many textile and garment enterprises in the northern province of Hung Yen have been closely monitoring negotiations between the Vietnamese and US governments, towards developing appropriate strategies for their production and business.

This year, the footwear industry continues to target exports to Africa, Asia, Japan, Europe and the US, while also taking initial steps to engage with major e-commerce platforms like Alibaba and Amazon to open new sales channels.

The latest round of talks for an FTA is scheduled to kick off in Kuala Lumpur for a three-day run, involving some 70 trade officials from the two countries.

The coming state visit to Belarus by Party General Secretary To Lam is expected to create new impetus to consolidate and strengthen the bilateral relations, and open up opportunities for businesses of the two countries in trade and investment cooperation.

According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), aquatic product export turnover in April reached 850.5 million USD, up 10% year-on-year. This brought the cumulative export value in the first four months of the year to 3.3 billion USD, a 21% increase compared to the same period in 2024.

Exports were valued at 102.8 billion USD in Q1, while imports increased 17% to 99.68 billion USD, signalling rising demand for production inputs.

As the US market accounts for 30% of Vietnam's total export turnover, the imposition of a reciprocal tariff of up to 46% will heavily impact many industries in Vietnam.

Hien explained that rules of origin are a set of criteria used to determine the country where a product is manufactured (i.e. country of origin). These rules are especially important for goods produced using inputs from multiple countries, and require clearly defined methods and standards to identify the origin accurately.

The two sides plan to focus on making negotiation progress across 10 sectors, including goods, services, investment, and economic cooperation.

Vietnam views international economic integration, particularly through free trade agreements (FTAs), as a key gateway to connect the country with the world, and bring its economy closer to global standards, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said at the announcing ceremony of the 2024 FTA Index on April 8.

In 2024, trade between Thailand and Bhutan reached over 460 million THB (13.3 million USD), with Thailand exporting goods worth 457 million THB to Bhutan and importing goods worth 3.47 million THB from this market..

Former Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu lauded Vietnam as an exception in opening up its economy and achieving rapid development.

Thailand is accelerating free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with Gulf nations to boost trade, tourism, and investment.

Switzerland attaches great importance to its relationship with Vietnam, considering it a key partner in Southeast Asia, especially in economic cooperation, said Heinrich Schellenberg, head of the Asia-Pacific Division at the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

Businesses should fully tap the benefits brought by free trade agreements (FTAs) to which Vietnam is a signatory to promote export value and expand new markets, aiming to reduce overreliance on a single country, said insiders.

The latest round of talks will take place in Kuala Lumpur from February 17 to 20, with discussions covering 11 key sectors, including goods, services, investment, and economic cooperation.

A confluence of factors, including its significance in the global tech supply chain, friendly FDI policies, existing industry clusters, a skilled labour force and extensive free trade agreements (FTAs), makes Malaysia an outperformer in the region

The new tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on certain countries are expected to significantly impact imports into the US.

Vietnam’s agro-forestry-fishery export turnover in 2025 is expected to reach 60-62 billion USD, reinforcing its role as a key pillar of the economy. This growth will be driven by the effective utilization of free trade agreements (FTAs), market expansion, and increased added values through deep processing and the application of modern technology.