Structural Characteristics of Vietnam-United States Trade Relations (2021-2025)

Abstract

This article examines the structural characteristics of Vietnam–United States trade relations from 2021 to 2025 within the context of global supply chain restructuring and intensifying U.S.–China strategic competition. Drawing on complex interdependence and structural power approaches in international political economy, the study identifies three core features: (i) increasing asymmetric dependence driven by Vietnam’s persistent trade surplus; (ii) value chain upgrading toward high-tech sectors; and (iii) the growing use of trade policy instruments and standards as mechanisms of economic statecraft. The article argues that the 2023 Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has expanded institutional cooperation while deepening the strategic nature of bilateral trade, thereby reshaping Vietnam’s position within the Indo-Pacific economic architecture.