Publication

This report discusses trade issues between the US and Vietnam, discussing their main elements and exploring the implications for the 111th Congress. It examines Vietnam's desire to be accepted to the US General System of Preferences (GSP) program, participate in negotiations of a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) with the US, and its interest in the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership Agreement (TPP). The author discusses the sources of trade friction in US-Vietnamese relations such as US efforts to curtail Vietnamese exports of clothing and catfish and allegations that Vietnam's labor conditions and intellectual property rights (IPR) protections are inadequate. He concludes by an analysis of key trends in bilateral trade to discern any potential sources of trade friction in the future.