Companies are split on the issue of Washington potentially introducing new tariffs on Vietnamese products this month, with Tesla and Samsung opposing the idea, while others advocate for penalties, according to submissions to the US government.
The Trump administration has established a November 29 deadline to finalize a trade investigation initiated in May regarding the Southeast Asian country's purported intellectual property infringements. It classified Vietnam as a top foreign country, marking the first addition to the most severe US watchlist category in 13 years.
The US has charged Vietnam with an ongoing inability to address enduring issues regarding IP protection and enforcement. An independent investigation into suspected overcapacity is currently in progress. Vietnam has called on Washington to carry out its investigations impartially. It is uncertain whether any tariffs related to IP infringements would be broad or specific to certain sectors.
The US currently enforces a universal 12.5 percent tariff on Vietnamese products, which was implemented in July following an inquiry into supposed inadequacies in stopping imports of items produced with forced labor.
Vietnam, often labeled as a transit center for Chinese products, encountered 20 percent tariffs following Trump's Liberation Day, which were overturned by the Supreme Court. Numerous economists have suggested that the aim of the Trump administration is to reinstate at least the same level of tariffs that were eliminated by the Supreme Court.
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Tesla, the electric vehicle manufacturer, called on the US Trade Representative to consider the supply chain requirements of US producers. It stated in comments sent on July 2 that certain advanced components and precision manufacturing tools cannot be procured domestically, even with significant investments in US production.
Samsung's division in the US presented a comparable point, emphasizing that Vietnam accounts for a large portion of Samsung's smartphones and network equipment destined for the US market. The largest foreign investor in Vietnam is the South Korean company, which has invested roughly $25 billion in the country.
Retail associations and trade groups representing sectors with significant manufacturing activities in Vietnam, such as footwear, clothing, and producers of consumer goods like bicycles or video game consoles, also resisted further tariffs.
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Vietnam's exports to the US increased by 42 percent in the first eight months of this year compared to the same timeframe in 2025, positioning it as the US trading partner with the highest goods surplus, outpacing China and Mexico. That contrasts with its status as the fourth-largest by the conclusion of 2025.
Industry organizations representing American manufacturers of steel, seafood, plywood, solar panels, and wood goods alleged that Vietnam engaged in unfair practices and demanded new tariffs. Copyright owners, including groups from the software, film, and music industries, urged Washington to obtain solid assurances from Vietnam to address rampant piracy.
The Business Software Alliance, with members like Microsoft, Oracle, and IBM, reported that around 75 percent of software on personal computers in Vietnam was unlicensed, referencing a survey from 2017. It condemned what it referred to as insufficient enforcement, even after Vietnam's numerous promises to tackle the problem.
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The Motion Picture Association stated that Vietnam is a significant center for online piracy, featuring websites that share stolen film and TV content, which garnered more than 12.5 billion visits globally last year.