Vietnam Surprised by Trump Tariff Announcement, Seeks Lower Rate
越南对特朗普关税声明感到意外 寻求降低税率

Vietnam’s leadership was caught off guard by US President Donald Trump’s announcement last week that it agreed to a 20% tariff, and the Southeast Asian nation is still seeking to lower the rate, according to people familiar with the matter.
知情人士透露，越南领导层对美国总统特朗普上周宣布同意征收 20%关税感到措手不及，这个东南亚国家仍在寻求降低税率。

Straight after last Wednesday’s call with Trump, Vietnam’s party chief To Lam told his negotiating team to keep working to bring the tariff rate down, the people said, asking not to be identified as the talks are confidential. The 20% came as a surprise as Vietnam believed it had secured a more favorable tariff range, the people said.
知情人士称，上周三与特朗普通话后，越南共产党总书记苏林立即指示谈判团队继续努力降低关税税率。由于谈判保密，这些人士要求匿名。20%的税率令越南感到意外，因为越方原以为已争取到更优惠的关税区间。

Before the call, Vietnam had been pushing for a tariff in the 10%-15% range.
在此次通话前，越南一直推动将关税控制在 10%-15%区间。

There’s been little mention of the 20% tariff in Vietnam’s state media. In a government memo seen by Bloomberg News, which was sent to local press, it gives instructions not to post content that is unclear or speculative in nature and without consensus between Vietnam and the US.
越南官方媒体对 20%关税一事鲜有提及。彭博新闻社看到的一份发给当地媒体的政府备忘录指示，不要发布性质不明确或具有猜测性、且越美双方未达成共识的内容。

Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
越南外交部未立即回应置评请求。

The Southeast Asian nation, an export powerhouse that last year had the world’s third-biggest trade surplus with the US, was only the second country after the UK that Trump has announced a trade agreement with. Trump has been issuing tariff letters to dozens of trading partners since then, slapping duties as high as 50%, ahead of an Aug. 1 deadline.
这个东南亚出口大国去年对美贸易顺差位居全球第三，是继英国之后特朗普宣布达成贸易协议的第二个国家。自那以来，特朗普已向数十个贸易伙伴发出关税信函，在 8 月 1 日最后期限前征收最高达 50%的关税。

The day after Trump’s Truth Social post on Vietnam, in which he called Lam “an absolute pleasure” to deal with, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said trade negotiators were still coordinating with their US counterparts to finalize the details of the agreement.
在特朗普于 Truth Social 发文称赞越南领导人阮富仲"绝对令人愉悦"的次日，越南外交部表示贸易谈判代表仍在与美国同行协调以敲定协议细节。

Since then, Vietnam’s leaders have skirted the issue in official comments. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh instead focused on Vietnam’s efforts to diversify export markets and supply chains to adapt to the new tariff policy and his comments were echoed a few days later by a deputy trade minister.
此后越南领导人在官方表态中避谈此事。总理范明政转而强调越南正努力实现出口市场和供应链多元化以适应新关税政策，数日后一位贸易部副部长也发表了类似观点。

Trump’s announced rate of 20% would replace the current 10% baseline, but still add on to some other pre-existing levies such as ‘Most Favored Nation’ tariffs, according to a US official who requested anonymity to discuss the matter. That would push the typical total average effective rate above 20%. US sectoral tariffs, such as on automobiles and steel, are separate from the 20% rate but not cumulative — importers pay one or the other.
据一位要求匿名的美国官员透露，特朗普宣布的 20%税率将取代现行 10%基准税率，但仍需叠加其他既有税项如"最惠国待遇"关税。这将使典型综合平均有效税率超过 20%。美国针对汽车、钢铁等行业的特别关税与 20%税率相互独立但不叠加——进口商只需缴纳其中一种。

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside of normal business hours.
白宫未能在非工作时间立即回应置评请求。

Vietnam is trying to navigate Washington’s demands while keeping good relations with China, its biggest trading partner. Throughout the negotiations, the US demanded more action from Hanoi to prevent Chinese goods being rerouted and repackaged through Vietnam to skirt higher tariffs. Beijing said it was examining the trade agreement and would retaliate if its interests were hurt.
越南正试图在满足华盛顿要求的同时，与其最大贸易伙伴中国保持良好关系。在整个谈判过程中，美国要求河内采取更多行动，防止中国商品通过越南改道和重新包装以规避高额关税。北京方面表示正在审查该贸易协议，若利益受损将采取报复措施。

In parallel with the push for a lower rate, Vietnam’s trade ministry is holding meetings with customs and trade industry groups on regulatory steps to further tighten the rules around origin-of-goods fraud and prevent illegal transshipments, the people said.
知情人士称，在争取降低税率的同时，越南工贸部正与海关及贸易行业团体举行会议，商讨通过监管措施进一步收紧原产地欺诈规则，防止非法转运。

More than a week after it was first revealed by Trump, neither side has published any kind of detailed outline, providing little clarity on how the 20% rate or the 40% levy on goods deemed to be transshipped through the country will be enacted or enforced.
自特朗普首次透露该消息已过去一周多，双方均未公布任何详细框架，对于 20%的税率或被认定经越南转运商品征收 40%关税的具体实施和执行方式仍不明确。

On Thursday, Trump told NBC News he’s eyeing blanket tariffs of 15% to 20% on most trading partners who haven’t been informed yet of their rates. The current global baseline minimum levy for nearly all US trading partners is 10%.
周四特朗普向美国全国广播公司表示，他正考虑对多数尚未获知具体税率的贸易伙伴全面征收 15%至 20%关税。目前美国几乎所有贸易伙伴的全球基准最低关税税率为 10%。

The confusion has not deterred investors. Stocks rallied to a three-year high and the 20% tariff was interpreted by foreign investors as “a good deal for Vietnam,” said one leading fund manager at an investment summit in Hanoi Wednesday.
投资者的热情并未因此消退。周三在河内举行的投资峰会上，一位顶级基金经理表示，股市飙升至三年高位，20%的关税被外国投资者视为"对越南有利的交易"。

While in Brazil for the BRICS summit, Chinh and China’s Premier Li Qiang agreed to boost economic, trade and investment ties between the two countries during a meeting on the sidelines. They also agreed to prioritize the construction of a railway link connecting the two countries, one of many signs of closer cooperation between the two neighbors underscoring Vietnam’s need to keep Beijing on side.
在巴西参加金砖国家峰会期间，越南总理范明政与中国国务院总理李强在会晤中同意加强两国经贸投资联系。双方还优先考虑建设连接两国的铁路线，这是彰显两国密切合作的众多迹象之一，也凸显了越南需要与北京保持友好关系。