Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son receives US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc Knapper in Hanoi on April 6
Son, who is head of the Government’s task force tasked with enhancing cooperation and proactively responding to adjustments in US economic and trade policies, voiced Vietnam’s readiness to increase the purchase of US products where the US has strengths and Vietnam has demand, and create more favourable conditions for American enterprises to do business and invest in Vietnam.
Recalling the outcome of the recent phone call between Party General Secretary To Lam and US President Donald Trump, he also proposed that President Trump postpone the imposition of reciprocal tariff on Vietnamese goods during the ongoing tariff negotiations between the two countries.
Son informed Knapper that the Party leader had appointed Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc a special envoy to visit the US to further detail these matters. He requested the US side to prioritise arranging meetings between the special envoy and relevant US counterparts to reach an agreement soon, in the interest of the two countries’ business communities and people.
He acknowledged the US concern about balancing the trade deficit but expressed regret over the US decision to impose excessively high reciprocal tariff on Vietnamese exports, which negatively impact businesses in both countries and millions of Vietnamese citizens.
The Deputy PM argued that such tariffs are inconsistent with the actual state of bilateral economic and trade cooperation and do not reflect the spirit of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Vietnam and the United States. The decision, he said, undermines the positive momentum in bilateral economic and trade relations.
On this occasion, the Deputy PM proposed that both sides coordinate comprehensively to implement cooperation across all areas within the framework of the 2023 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. He emphasized that war legacy cooperation holds significant foundational value in bilateral relations and commended the Ambassador for recently accompanying leaders from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on a field trip to Quang Tri province to visit sites for bomb and mine clearance and the search for remains of missing American soldiers from the war in Vietnam.
He urged Knapper to continue advocating for the US to maintain and expand humanitarian aid and war legacy remediation projects in Vietnam, especially in 2025, which marks the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Knapper, for his part, agreed with Son’s assessments and affirmed that Vietnam is a strategically important partner for the United States. He praised Vietnam’s swift and positive responses to US concerns, particularly highlighting the April 4 phone call between To Lam and Donald Trump as a demonstration of the mutual respect and commitment of both leaders to bilateral relations.
Knapper also valued the ongoing, substantive exchanges and cooperation between the two sides over the past several months, which helped lay the groundwork for the productive high-level call. He pledged to fully support preparations for the visit of the Vietnamese Special Envoy, and appreciated Vietnam’s constructive and understanding approach toward US concerns. He viewed the upcoming discussions as a valuable opportunity for both sides to explore solutions and steer bilateral trade relations onto a stable and mutually beneficial path.
The Ambassador emphasised that 2025 is a pivotal year in US–Vietnam relations, marking the 30th anniversary of diplomatic ties and the 50th anniversary of the end of the war in Vietnam. He affirmed that the US Embassy in Hanoi would work closely with relevant Vietnamese agencies to implement a meaningful agenda to deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
