Vietnam says its trade deal negotiations with US are largely completed

[HANOI] Vietnam’s government said its negotiations with the United States on a reciprocal trade agreement have largely been completed after seven rounds of talks since April 2025.

The two sides have “basically completed almost all negotiating contents” and are now working through a handful of remaining technical issues, Ngo Chung Khanh, a trade ministry official, was cited as saying in a statement issued late on Wednesday (Oct 7).

Close coordination with US agencies was expected, particularly the Office of the US Trade Representative, to finalise remaining issues and pave the way for the deal’s signing and implementation, it said.

Vietnam’s trade surplus with the US reached US$122.62 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 23.8 per cent from a year earlier, according to Vietnam’s National Statistics Office.

Vietnamese leader To Lam last month said negotiations on a trade agreement between the two countries had been positive and a deal could be signed soon. REUTERS