Archive
All of our previous posts
trade policy
+15
Sep 15, 2026
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13 min read
Issue #9: The Lists Vietnam Isn't On
Two trade blocs set Vietnam's treatment by list membership this fortnight. Vietnam has just met the written condition for the one in Washington. The one in the Eurasian Economic Union closed five years ago.
trade policy
+13
Aug 26, 2026
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2 min read
Vietnam's FTA Index 2025: Why the Falling Score Is Misleading
MOIT's second FTA Index, published August 18, shows the national score falling -- but a mid-2025 provincial merger means this year's map bears little resemblance to last year's, and the government's own index site says the two scores can't be compared.
trade policy
+13
Aug 18, 2026
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13 min read
Issue #8: Vietnam Scraps Pre-Approval for Durian Exports, Three Days After Four Arrests
Four officials are in detention over the paperwork that lets Vietnamese durian into China. Three days after the arrests, the government moved to change how that paperwork gets issued.
trade policy
+16
Aug 12, 2026
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2 min read
Vietnam's seafood sales to the US just went flat
VASEP's own July data shows US-bound seafood exports nearly flat over seven months -- before the Section 301 tariff has had time to fully register. The association says to wait for August.
trade policy
+13
Aug 4, 2026
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16 min read
Issue #7: What Cambodia Signed
Two Southeast Asian economies signed trade agreements with the United States last October. One of those agreements has still not been ratified, and its signatory pays less than Vietnam.
trade policy
+12
Jul 29, 2026
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3 min read
Vietnam Banned Forced Labor on July 22. USTR Set the Rate on July 23.
The new Section 301 forced-labor tariff sorts 60 economies into 10% and 12.5% tiers by whether they ban forced-labor imports. Vietnam drew 12.5%; its own ban takes effect six weeks after USTR set the rate.
trade policy
+13
Jul 21, 2026
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12 min read
Issue #6: What Washington Wants That Isn't a Tariff
The asks are non-tariff barriers, intellectual property, and economic security cooperation. Washington means export controls, and Vietnam has started paying on one of the three.
