Catenaa, Monday, November 02, 2026- Tech companies, including Tesla and Samsung, are not in favour of new tariffs that would be proposed on Vietnam.
Washington is expected to complete its investigation into Vietnam’s intellectual property practices by November 29. The inquiry, initiated in May, could result in additional trade measures against Vietnamese products, Reuters reported.
Reuters reported that the US placed Vietnam in its highest-risk category for Intellectual Property concerns, the first time in 13 years a trading partner has been added to the most serious US watchlist category.
According to Reuters, the US has accused Vietnam of “a persistent failure to resolve long-standing concerns about IP protection and enforcement.” A separate probe into alleged excessive capacity is also underway. Vietnam has urged Washington to conduct its investigations objectively.
Vietnamese imports already face a 12.5% general US tariff introduced in July following a separate investigation into the country’s measures to prevent products made using forced labour from reaching American markets.
Vietnam initially faced 20% tariffs after US President Donald Trump unveiled reciprocal tariffs last year, but the US Supreme Court deemed them illegal, prompting economists to expect Washington could seek alternative ways to restore similar trade restrictions, according to Reuters.
According to Reuters, Tesla urged the US Trade Representative to “take into account the supply chain needs of American manufacturers”.
Some advanced components and precision manufacturing equipment cannot be sourced domestically despite major investments in US production, Tesla said in comments sent to Reuters on July 2.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that Samsung’s business unit in the US raised concerns about new tariffs on Vietnam, as the electronics maker relies heavily on the components imported to the US from Vietnam.
Samsung is Vietnam’s largest foreign investor, having invested about $25 billion there, Reuters reported.
Reuters report also said that retail groups and trade associations representing industries with extensive manufacturing operations in Vietnam, including footwear, apparel and makers of consumer goods such as bikes or video game consoles, also opposed additional tariffs.
US Imports from Vietnam surged 42% through the end of August 2026, compared with the same period in 2025, making Vietnam the US trading partner with the largest goods surplus, ahead of China and Mexico.
