According to a recent statement from Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), Vietnam and the United States have reached a bilateral agreement to resolve a longstanding trade dispute over antidumping duties on Vietnamese pangasius exports, ending a case that has been under review at the World Trade Organization (WTO) since 2018.
The deal, signed in the U.S. capital of Washington, D.C. on 17 January by representatives of MoIT and the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), ensures that Vietnam’s leading pangasius exporting firm, Vinh Hoan, will be exempt from antidumping duties when exporting pangasius fillets to the U.S.
The agreement effectively resolves a case Vietnam filed with the WTO in January 2018, alleging that the U.S. antidumping tariffs on its pangasius exports violated WTO trade rules.
In 2020, the U.S. proposed postponing the WTO final panel report on the matter to allow for bilateral negotiations – a move that eventually led to the recently inked deal.
The deal also comes after Vietnam and the U.S. strengthened their diplomatic ties by agreeing on a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in September 2023, signaling deeper economic cooperation.
The MoIT welcomed the pangasius deal as part of that deeper economic cooperation, praising it as an example of the goodwill and constructive efforts from both governments in reaching mutually beneficial outcomes.
"The U.S. implementation of the WTO ruling contributes to strengthening the multifaceted relationship between the two countries," the ministry said, adding, though, that Vietnam still remains committed to using international trade forums, including WTO dispute settlement mechanisms, to protect its economic interests.
The U.S. was the second largest buyer of pangasius from Vietnam in terms of sales value in 2024, purchasing USD 345 million (EUR 333 million) of the fish last year, which was up 27 percent from 2023, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) reported.
The new agreement marks the second WTO-related trade dispute that Vietnam and the U.S. have resolved through negotiation, following a 2016 deal to lift antidumping duties on Vietnamese shrimp exports. That year, the two countries signed a bilateral agreement to eliminate antidumping tariffs on warmwater shrimp exported to the U.S. by Vietnamese shrimp exporter Minh Phu.
