As the threat of a global trade war looms, insiders held that Việt Nam needs to take proactive steps to develop tailored responses that will insulate its production, business, and export activities from the effects of market volatility.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has drafted scenarios in response to a possible global trade war following the Prime Minister’s recent warnings.

China filed a World Trade Organization (WTO) complaint on Wednesday against US President Donald Trump's new 10% tariff on Chinese imports, and his cancellation of a duty-free exemption for low-value packages, arguing the actions are "protectionist" and break WTO rules.

While China shows little sign of vulnerability to a price shock for now, the same can’t be said for the rest of the world if some spiral of tariffs unfolds. Multiple economies face latent inflation pressures, either domestic or external.

The U.S. threatening to impose new tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico, and China has raised concerns about global trade tensions, as any country with a significant trade deficit with Washington could become a target, including Vietnam.

U.S. President Donald Trump has suspended tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico but continues to impose them on China, raising concerns about similar measures against other trade-surplus countries, such as Vietnam.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) has issued a final ruling on its review of the normal value and export price for oil country tubular goods (OCTG) from several countries, including Vietnam, according to the Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam (TRAV).

Despite ongoing global trade tensions and tariff disputes, China reaffirmed its position as Cambodia’s leading Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by channelling nearly $550 million into the Kingdom’s industrial sector in January.

According to data from the General Department of Vietnam Customs, Vietnam exported US$410 million worth of seafood in the first half of January 2025, a 29 percent increase compared to the same period last year. This is also the highest figure for the period from 2013 to 2025.

Singapore is not expected to be hit by trade tariffs from the United States, but still stands to be indirectly impacted as it is a small and open economy, said Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.