Speaking at the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT)’s regular press briefing in Ha Noi on January 29, Tan said the ministry and Viet Nam’s negotiating team have worked closely with relevant ministries and agencies to submit a set of proposed options. The team has already shared detailed parameters and product lists with the US side in a bid to facilitate greater market access for US goods.

Viet Nam encourages US companies to scale up production and business in the country while simultaneously offering all possible support for US products to enter the Vietnamese market, he said.

According to him, Viet Nam will press forward with negotiations across partners, encourage Vietnamese enterprises and manufacturers to embed themselves more deeply in supply chains to ensure stability and sustainability. At the same time, Viet Nam will pursue market diversification and work to extract maximum value from existing free trade agreements (FTAs). This task, he said, requires more resolute, urgent, and effective action in the coming time.

The ministry previously reported that the fifth round of in-person talks on a Reciprocal Trade Agreement between Viet Nam and the US began in Washington, D.C. on November 12, 2025. Over three days, both sides made headway in many areas, including services, digital trade, agriculture, technical trade barriers (TBT), and sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS), while closing gaps on remaining points.

The US side praised Viet Nam’s goodwill, efforts, and creative approach, with particular praise for the results of a direct meeting between Minister Nguyen Hong Dien and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer just before the formal technical session. Drawing on Viet Nam’s proposals, the US offered initial encouraging responses, saying it would consider addressing remaining concerns based on the overall negotiation outcomes.

Regarding rice exports, Tran Thanh Hai, Deputy Director General of the MoIT’s Agency of Foreign Trade, said Viet Nam exported 8.06 million tonnes of rice, valued at 4.1 billion USD last year, a decline from the 2024 level. The Philippines remained the top destination, absorbing roughly 40% of total volume, while shipments to African markets rose and exports to China showed signs of rebound. Indonesia, however, proved challenging as the country ramped up domestic production and sharply curtailed imports, prompting Viet Nam to redirect volumes toward Bangladesh and additional African buyers.

The ministry plans to refine the regulatory framework governing rice exports and will closely monitor domestic production to ensure farmers can sell their full harvests, he said.

Looking ahead, Viet Nam intends to advance negotiations and finalise rice-specific agreements with key partners, while aggressively targeting growth in new markets and those unlocked, through active free trade pacts, including the EU and the UK, he added.