Commentary: Vietnam’s Trump Card in Trade Negotiations with the US

Commentary: Vietnam’s Trump card in trade negotiations with the US

Vietnam’s fast-tracking of a Trump-branded project is a diplomatic gambit to ameliorate the extent of US tariffs, say these researchers from ISEAS - Yusof Ishak Institute.

Vietnam’s Trump Card: Navigating Growth, Politics, and US Relations

In May 2025, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Eric Trump — son of the US president – attended the groundbreaking of a US$1.5 billion urban development-eco-tourism-golf complex, a joint venture between the Trump Organisation and Vietnam’s Kinh Bac City. The Trump Organisation is also eyeing a prime site in Ho Chi Minh City —the country’s economic-financial hub — for a potential Trump Tower. These events coincided with ongoing Vietnam…