On the afternoon of April 5, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting of the Government’s Standing Committee with relevant ministries and sectors to assess the situation following the United States' announcement of retaliatory tariffs on Vietnamese exports.

This marked the second such meeting chaired by the Prime Minister since the U.S. declared a 46% retaliatory tariff on Vietnamese goods entering the country.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that Vietnam’s recent concrete and constructive actions demonstrate a high level of goodwill in building a balanced and sustainable economic and trade partnership with the U.S.

He instructed relevant agencies to continue engaging in dialogue with U.S. counterparts at all levels and through all channels, promoting mutually beneficial cooperation. This includes direct interaction with American businesses to understand existing challenges, remove barriers, and support U.S. investment projects in Vietnam.

The Prime Minister also directed a review of import items to expand the volume of U.S. goods imported into Vietnam, aiming to rebalance trade between the two nations. Additionally, authorities are to consider appropriate adjustments to import tax rates on select U.S. products.

The Prime Minister stressed the importance of closely monitoring the situation and adopting solutions that are both short- and long-term, direct and indirect, strategic and tactical, focused and comprehensive. These measures may include tariff and non-tariff policies and should be deployed across diplomatic, political, economic, and trade channels while aligning with Vietnam’s overall external economic policy and ensuring no negative impact on other markets.

He instructed Deputy Prime Minister Ho Duc Phoc to coordinate with U.S. counterparts during his upcoming visit to implement the outcomes of the April 4 phone call between General Secretary To Lam and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, who leads the Special Rapid Response Task Force, was also assigned to continue spearheading efforts and propose further initiatives to ensure balanced and sustainable Vietnam–U.S. economic and trade relations.

Starting at 12:00 a.m. U.S. time on April 5, American customs authorities began collecting a 10% import tariff on goods from all trading partners, in line with a new trade policy announced by President Donald Trump.

If no changes are made, from April 9, the U.S. is expected to apply higher retaliatory tariffs on its largest trading partners, with Vietnam facing a 46% tariff rate.

During a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on the evening of April 4, Vietnamese General Secretary To Lam reaffirmed Vietnam’s readiness to negotiate and lower its import tariffs on American goods to 0%.

The Vinh