Representatives of the Trump Organisation met with the Hung Yen People’s Committee Monday to discuss constructing a resort and golf course in the northern Vietnam province, The Investor has reported. It doesn’t, however, actually look like any definitive decisions were made.
Of note, historically Trump has been a popular figure in Vietnam. A Pew Research Centre survey in 2017, not long after Trump was elected president of the United States, found that Vietnam was just one of a handful of countries of the 37 surveyed where the majority of respondents had confidence in the real estate developer and reality TV star.
This was largely on the back of the robust approach Trump had taken toward China. The bluster with which he had threatened and cajoled Vietnam’s northern neighbour seemed to have struck a chord with many Vietnamese.
That said, it’s not clear that Trump’s presidency was necessarily a good thing for Vietnam, nor that a second Trump presidency necessarily will be either.
See also: The US Election and Vietnam: Unpacked