Vietnam on Saturday (local time) said that the US President Donald Trump recently told To Lam, the Communist Party chief, that Washington will take the country off its list of restrictions on advanced technologies, Bloomberg reported.
Trump further welcomed the efforts being made by Hanoi to reduce the trade imbalance between the two nations. The development came after Lam, who was in Washington to attend the inaugural Board of Peace meeting, met with Trump on Friday (local time), making it the first formal in-person meeting between the two leaders.
However, the Vietnamese government did not share any further details in connection with the restrictions that have been removed.
The report added that the US President backed deeper economic, science, and technology cooperation between Washington and Hanoi, while the Communist Party’s chief called for talks to end the outstanding trade issues between the two countries. Trump also accepted an invitation from Lam to visit Vietnam.
Trump meets Lam
According to a Vietnamese website, Lam, during his visit to Washington, congratulated Trump on the successful launch of the Gaza Board of Peace, and added that Vietnam was among the first few countries that agreed to participate and expressed its support to work with the US and other members on the Board of Peace to implement the Gaza peace plan adopted by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).
During his meeting with Trump, the Vietnamese leader proposed boosting delegation exchanges and high-level contacts, a Vietnam-based portal reported. Further, he highlighted economic and trade cooperation as a key pillar of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two sides. The statement also emphasized the need for substantive dialogue on previously unresolved issues, based on balanced and harmonized interests, in line with each side’s legitimate conditions and interests, and for the benefit of businesses and people of both countries.
Vietnam announces deal with Boeing to woo Trump
Lam met with Trump following the announcement of deals worth more than $39 billion, under which Vietnamese airlines would purchase 90 aircraft from Boeing, the US planemaker. Among the carriers that invested in Boeing was Sun PhuQuoc Airways, which launched its operations in November 2025 and has now ordered 40 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners in a deal valued at $22.5 billion.
Meanwhile, Vietnam Airlines, which is the country’s national flag carrier, announced that it has completed an $8.1 billion agreement, which was first announced in 2023, to acquire 50 Boeing 737-8 Max jets. It further said that they are in discussions to purchase an additional 30 widebody aircraft worth $12 billion.
In a bid to bring down the country’s trade imbalance with the US, Hanoi has repeatedly vowed to buy more big-ticket American items, including high-tech machinery and equipment. Budget airline VietJet Air said it has signed a $5.4 billion agreement with Pratt & Whitney covering engines and maintenance services. The carrier also announced a financing arrangement worth about $965 million with Griffin Global Asset Management to support the acquisition of six Boeing 737-8 aircraft.
US-Vietnam trade
Vietnam posted a record trade surplus with the US in 2025, marking a 28% increase compared to the previous year, Bloomberg reported, citing a statistics agency. Behind China and Mexico, Vietnam has the third-largest trade gap with the US.
According to a December 2025 reuters report, the trade surplus in the first 11 months touched the $121.6 billion mark. Exports surged despite the US tariffs, which were imposed in August 2025.
