Vietnam Says Trade Deal With US ‘Very Close,’ To Buy More US Tech

Vietnam is positioning itself as a complementary supplier rather than a competitor to US industry, and offering high-tech purchases as the sweetener. That framing matters because it is the same argument other Asian exporters use to defuse tariff pressure, and Washington's response here will signal how receptive it is to negotiated rather than imposed outcomes. The open question is whether the pledged purchases are concrete enough to move talks, or remain a diplomatic gesture until a tariff arrangement is actually signed.