Europe prepares charm offensive in Vietnam amid US trade risks

HANOI - European leaders are planning visits to Vietnam in the coming months to strengthen ties with the South-east Asian nation, officials said, amid tensions with Washington that could impact their exports to the US.

Former US president Joe Biden pushed hard to boost American influence in the former foe, considering the country a key partner in his strategy to contain China.

But bilateral relations may weaken if his successor Donald Trump imposes duties on Hanoi, which is a potential target of his threatened reciprocal tariffs due to its large trade surplus.

Amid this growing uncertainty, European countries are intensifying their contacts with Vietnam.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and France’s President Emmanuel Macron are both planning visits in the coming months, European officials and diplomats said, noting that the trips have long been planned and are not yet finalised.

“The tide of tariffs and export controls is rising... We want to create new opportunities to trade and invest with trusted partners,” Dr von der Leyen told top officials from South-east Asian bloc Asean in a video message when they were gathered last week in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi.

A senior European Union official said Mr Macron could travel to Vietnam in late May, with the aim of further boosting ties with the former colony after Paris formally elevated diplomatic relations in 2024, while Dr von der Leyen could visit earlier with the goal of formally upgrading ties. The official added that EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic may precede them in April.

Mr Macron’s office declined to comment. A spokesman for the European Commission could not confirm any official visit at this stage. Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry did not reply to requests for comment.

From railways to aid

The EU imported US$52 billion (S$70 billion) worth of goods from Vietnam