Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer have agreed on the need to accelerate negotiation progress, with both sides committing to focus their efforts on achieving the best possible outcomes at the upcoming third technical round of talks.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade announced that the ministerial-level negotiation session, part of the bilateral reciprocal trade agreement between Vietnam and the United States, took place on June 4 in Paris, France.

The session was held between Minister Nguyen Hong Dien, head of the Vietnamese government negotiation delegation, and Mr. Jamieson Greer, U.S. Trade Representative and head of the U.S. negotiating delegation.

The two ministers reviewed the implementation of previously agreed-upon points from the second technical round and discussed directions for the upcoming round.

Representing Vietnam, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien highlighted the key points from Vietnam's written responses to the additional issues raised by the U.S. side. He reaffirmed Vietnam's determination and goodwill in seeking common ground and coordinated actions with the United States.

Building on this foundation, Minister Dien requested Mr. Jamieson Greer to share his views on matters of particular concern to Vietnam.

Mr. Greer acknowledged Vietnam’s constructive approach and expressed appreciation for the way Vietnamese negotiators have addressed U.S. proposals. He commended the Vietnamese delegation’s effort and cooperative spirit. As a comprehensive strategic partner, he noted, reaching an agreement on reciprocal trade tariffs at this time holds significant importance for both countries.

He responded positively to Vietnam's concerns and proposed several solutions for handling complex negotiation issues.

Both ministers agreed on the urgency of advancing the negotiation timeline, especially emphasizing the importance of fully investing their efforts in the third technical round.

They also consented to assigning technical teams to intensify virtual working sessions by topic group, aiming to resolve remaining technical issues and pave the way for a successful third technical round, scheduled for the first half of June.

In addition, the ministers committed to maintaining close coordination and remaining open to further ministerial-level exchanges to drive negotiations toward a mutually acceptable result.

Tam An