[Text/Observer Network Chen Sijia] According to a May 19 Reuters report, a Vietnamese government document shows that it is expected that Eric Trump, the second son of U.S. President Donald Trump, will visit Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam this week to discuss plans for building a Trump Tower in the city. The Ho Chi Minh City municipal government website has confirmed that a meeting with the Trump Organization will be held, but did not provide detailed information about the meeting content and the identities of the participants.

According to a document signed by the head of the city's foreign affairs department, officials of the city have been invited to attend a dinner at a hotel in the city center on the evening of May 22 to meet with Eric Trump, Executive Vice President of the Trump Organization. Representatives of the Trump Organization will visit a high-end area in central Ho Chi Minh City to discuss the "proposed location" of the Trump Tower and hope to hold working meetings with city government officials regarding the project.

The document also shows that later on the evening of May 19 local time, representatives of the Trump Organization and its Vietnamese partner, real estate developer Kinhbac City, will hold another meeting with officials from Ho Chi Minh City.

The report states that the public schedule on the Ho Chi Minh City municipal government website confirms these two meetings, but the website does not provide detailed information about the specific content or the identities of the participants. The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Trump Organization, and Kinhbac City have not yet responded.

Ho Chi Minh City is one of Vietnam's five centrally administered municipalities, as well as the largest city and economic center of Vietnam. The Vietnam One Tower, which stands at 81 stories, is located in this city. In 2024, Ho Chi Minh City's GDP was approximately $69.738 billion, growing by 7.17%, accounting for about 14.6% of Vietnam's total national GDP; its import and export volume was approximately $104.6 billion, accounting for 13.3% of Vietnam's total national import and export volume.

Photo: Eric Trump, Visual China

In light of Eric Trump's impending visit to Vietnam, the Vietnamese government approved a plan last week for the Trump Organization and its partners to invest $1.5 billion in real estate projects in Vietnam. It is expected that the project will cover an area of 990 hectares and will include a complex featuring a golf course, resorts, hotels, and modern residential areas.

The Youth Newspaper of Vietnam disclosed that this investment will begin this quarter and continue until the second quarter of 2029.

After Trump returned to the White House, the U.S. government threatened to impose a 46% "reciprocal tariff" on Vietnam, and Vietnam is seeking trade negotiations with the United States. On May 16, after the closing of the 31st APEC Trade Ministers' Meeting, Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Thang and U.S. Trade Representative Greer held their first offline ministerial-level consultations on a "reciprocal trade agreement" in Jeju, South Korea.

This is the first offline meeting between negotiators from both countries since the trade negotiations were launched on April 23. The Vietnamese government stated in a statement that Greer "expressed affirmation and appreciation for Vietnam's goodwill and initiative in actively preparing for the negotiations, and basically agreed with Vietnam's current stance and proposals."

Faced with concerns over economic issues, Vietnam has shown active responses in dealing with the tariff war initiated by the United States. Before Trump announced his tariff policies, Vietnam had already signed a trial contract for "Starlink" with Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX, one of Trump's allies. In March, Vietnam unilaterally announced reductions in tariffs on American cars, energy, and agricultural products.

On May 7, the Ministry of Industry and Trade convened a meeting with major groups, corporations, and key enterprises in Vietnam to assess future import demands for high-tech, high-value-added goods from the U.S., urging them to sign more procurement contracts before June to achieve "trade balance" with the U.S.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade also instructed companies with large exports to the U.S. on May 8 to write letters to U.S. officials complaining about "unreasonable" tariffs and mobilize support from the U.S. public and politicians to maintain the "normal" circulation of Vietnamese goods in the U.S. market.

According to data released by the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, in 2024, Vietnam's total merchandise imports and exports amounted to $786.29 billion, including $405.53 billion in exports, equivalent to 85% of the country's GDP last year. The U.S. is Vietnam's second-largest trading partner and largest export market. Last year, Vietnam's goods exports to the U.S. reached $119.6 billion, accounting for nearly 30% of Vietnam's total annual exports.

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