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Trade: Vietnam pushes domestic firms to pressure US policy makers on tariffs

Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, in a conference last week, urged businesses to send letters of protest to US agencies with respect to the “reciprocal tariffs” announced last month to help put pressure on the Trump administration. This is part of a series of broader moves to see those tariffs reduced to a more manageable level.

Other key directives to businesses at the conference include:

  • Rules of Origin: Exporters must provide detailed information and documentation proving that Vietnamese goods comply with US regulations, including product origin and standards.

  • Protest US tariff measures: Companies and associations are urged to send formal letters of protest to relevant US government agencies, challenging what Vietnam sees as unreasonable reciprocal tariffs.

  • Mobilise support in the US: Engage with US-based business partners and investors to raise awareness and lobby US consumers and policymakers in favour of maintaining normal trade flows.

Also of note, the Ministry is calling on the US to open its market further to high-tech Vietnamese goods and to begin a road-map for recognising Vietnam as a market economy.

See also: What’s Next for Vietnam if Trump’s 46 Percent Tariff is Here To Stay?

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