Immediately following the conclusion of the 31st APEC Ministers Responsible for Trade Meeting (MRT 31) on May 16 in Jeju, South Korea, Vietnam and the United States held their first direct ministerial-level talks on the Vietnam-US Reciprocal Trade Agreement, as previously planned by both sides.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien, Head of the Vietnamese Government's Negotiating Delegation,  and US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer.led a direct negotiation session. 

This marked the first in-person ministerial-level negotiation between Vietnam and the US, following the online session on April 12, 2025, held under the guidance of high-level leaders from both nations.

The negotiation took place in a spirit of effectiveness, frankness, equality, mutual respect, and mutual benefit, flecting the strong commitment of both parties to building stable, balanced economic, trade, and investment relations that align with the Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.,

Discussions were guided by principles of sovereignty, autonomy, political institution respect, harmonization of interests, and adherence to customary international law, while considering each country’s development level.

Building on this foundation, the two sides reached broad consensus on principles, negotiation approaches, content orientation, and future plans, laying a groundwork for subsequent negotiation sessions to achieve effective and mutually beneficial outcomes.