At a bilateral meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State Jacob Helberg, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien expressed Vietnam's deep concerns over the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)’s refusal to recognize the equivalency of 12 major Vietnamese fisheries.

According to the Department of Multilateral Trade Policy (Ministry of Industry and Trade), the meeting took place on October 26 on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where Minister Nguyen Hong Dien was accompanying the Prime Minister.

During the discussion, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien and Deputy Secretary Jacob Helberg addressed various areas of economic and trade cooperation between Vietnam and the United States, highlighting sectors with strong growth potential.

Both sides agreed that despite ongoing challenges, the Vietnam–U.S. Comprehensive Strategic Partnership continues to grow positively. The year 2025 marks 30 years since the normalization of diplomatic relations (1995–2025) and two years since the establishment of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership framework (2023–2025) - a testament to the rapid evolution of bilateral ties and a foundation for deeper and more effective collaboration moving forward.

Strengthening cooperation in AI, supply chains, and clean energy

Deputy Secretary Helberg expressed interest in expanding cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI), enhancing supply chain resilience, and developing new energy sources.

Minister Nguyen Hong Dien affirmed that AI is not just a technology but a driving force for productivity and national competitiveness. Vietnam welcomes practical cooperation in this field, including training, standard-setting, and technology transfer.

He emphasized that Vietnam is fostering innovation through priority policies and hopes to learn from developed partners like the U.S. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is also willing to explore potential collaboration in AI.

On supply chains, the Minister stressed that Vietnam is actively implementing policies to diversify input sources across production sectors.

In the energy sector, Minister Dien presented Vietnam’s current energy development policies and called on the U.S. to support large-scale renewable and new energy projects in Vietnam, especially through green financing mechanisms and technology transfer.

Major concern: U.S. rejection of Vietnamese fishery equivalency

Minister Dien raised a key concern over the NOAA’s decision not to grant equivalency recognition for 12 important Vietnamese fisheries. This decision, he warned, threatens the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese workers and significantly damages the global standing of Vietnam’s seafood industry.

He further noted that the move could reduce options and supply for U.S. consumers, calling on the U.S. to reconsider this position.

The Minister also urged the U.S. to respond to Vietnam’s long-standing request to be recognized as a market economy and to remove Vietnam from the D1 and D3 lists, which currently limit its exports of high-tech products.

In response, the U.S. side acknowledged Vietnam's concerns and promised to review them thoroughly.

Tam An