Vietnam’s trade minister meets US giants amid tariff negotiations
Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien, who is leading Vietnam’s delegation in tariff negotiations in the U.S., met on Tuesday with executives from SpaceX, Excelerate Energy, Lockheed Martin, and Google to promote business cooperation.
These meetings took place as the delegation engaged in trade and tariff negotiations with American counterparts led by U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer.
Negotiators from both sides have worked together following the announcement of a 46-percent reciprocal tariff on Vietnamese imports.
Originally scheduled to take effect on April 9, the tariff implementation has been postponed by 90 days to allow time for the negotiations.
During a meeting with Minister Dien, Tim Hughes, senior vice-president for global business and government affairs at SpaceX, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to investing in Vietnam’s telecommunications infrastructure through its Starlink satellite Internet service.
SpaceX, a leading American aerospace company, plans to invest approximately US$1.5 billion in providing nationwide broadband connectivity, focusing on remote, border, and island regions.
The initial phase includes constructing 10-15 ground stations across the country, Hughes stated.
Considering Vietnam a strategic market in Starlink’s global expansion, the company aims to offer modern, stable, and affordable telecommunications services, enhancing connectivity for millions of Vietnamese, especially in areas underserved by traditional networks.
Minister Dien expressed readiness to facilitate the project and proposed expanding cooperation into information technology, clean energy, and technology transfer, particularly in training high-tech human resources.
LNG infrastructure development
During the meeting with representatives from Excelerate Energy, a leading liquefied natural gas (LNG) company, Minister Dien affirmed Vietnam’s encouragement for the energy giant to participate in developing infrastructure and the liquefied natural gas market in Vietnam.
Peter Haas, vice-president of Excelerate Energy, proposed investing in and developing LNG infrastructure, ensuring a stable LNG supply, and establishing a joint venture with Vietnamese partners to expand the market.
Minister Dien highly appreciated Excelerate’s proposal and acknowledged the company’s signing of a memorandum of understanding with Petrovietnam Gas Joint Stock Corporation (PV GAS) for long-term LNG supply and the operation of floating storage regasification unit (FSRU) infrastructure.
Lockheed Martin to expand aerospace collaboration
At the meeting with officials from Lockheed Martin—a global security, defense, and aerospace contractor—Minister Dien valued the long-standing, reliable, and effective cooperation between the group and Vietnam’s telecommunications sector, exemplified by successful projects such as the VINASAT-1 (2008) and VINASAT-2 (2012) satellites
The minister emphasized that Vietnam is preparing plans to launch a new-generation satellite by the end of 2026.
Vietnam seeks to expand cooperation in aerospace, develop digital infrastructure, enhance space sovereignty and national telecommunications capacity, and participate in Lockheed Martin’s manufacturing supply chain, Dien stated.
Nancy Ziuzin, vice-president of international government affairs at Lockheed Martin, highly valued Vietnam’s strategic market potential and reaffirmed the company’s commitment to accompany Vietnam’s development in key areas such as aerospace and defense technology.
Both sides agreed to strengthen the establishment of regular cooperation mechanisms, share information, and promote technology transfer projects.
During a meeting with Minister Dien, Karan Bhatia, Google’s vice-president of government affairs and public policy, emphasized Vietnam’s pivotal role in the company’s global supply chain restructuring strategy.
Minister Dien described this as an opportunity to develop a sustainable, balanced, and secure regional supply chain. He encouraged Google, a multinational technology company specializing in Internet-related services and products, to collaborate with domestic partners to localize input materials and diversify supply sources within the region.
Dien also affirmed his ministry’s commitment to supporting Google by facilitating connections with domestic enterprises, providing necessary information, and considering supportive policies related to infrastructure, logistics, and taxation if Google decides to expand its investment or enhance its supply chain capacity in Vietnam.
Bhatia expressed gratitude for Vietnam’s support and reaffirmed Google’s commitment to working alongside the country in ongoing trade and tariff negotiations with the United States.
By Vinh Tho & Ngoc An – Tuoi Tre News – May 21, 2025