Trump: "Vietnam expresses intention for 'duty-free to the US'... Full-scale negotiations begin"

U.S. President Donald Trump directly revealed on the 4th (local time) that Vietnam had expressed its intention to apply zero tariffs on American goods. Japan is also preparing for a phone call between Prime Minister Ishiba and President Trump soon, as countries around the world are entering full-scale negotiations over the U.S.'s ultra-high reciprocal tariffs.

On the same day, President Trump posted on his social media (SNS), "I also had a productive call with General Secretary L??ng of the Communist Party of Vietnam," stating that General Secretary L??ng said during the call, "If we can reach an agreement with the U.S., we want to reduce Vietnam's tariffs to zero." President Trump added, "I expressed gratitude on behalf of the United States" and "I look forward to meeting in the near future."

Earlier, the U.S. announced that it would impose a 46% reciprocal tariff on Vietnam starting from the 9th. However, the Vietnamese government reportedly requested the U.S. to postpone the tariff imposition by 1 to 3 months, keeping negotiations in mind.

The Vietnamese government also issued a statement on the same day, saying that General Secretary L??ng promised President Trump to reduce tariffs on U.S. imports, and the U.S. side proposed applying similar rates to Vietnamese imports. Furthermore, it was announced that President Trump accepted Vietnam's invitation.

Japan, which faces a 24% tariff rate, is also engaging in negotiations with the U.S. According to local media, Prime Minister Ishiba appeared on a program that day and said, "I want to discuss how to create jobs in the U.S. and benefit Japan," and reportedly expressed his desire to have a phone consultation with President Trump next week. Regarding the possibility of retaliatory measures like China, he said, "I have no intention of responding to verbal abuse with verbal abuse," effectively denying such actions.

Meanwhile, Cambodia, which faces a 49% reciprocal tariff, also saw Prime Minister Hun Manet send a letter to President Trump proposing swift negotiations and requesting a delay in tariff application.