Proactive measures taken for trade defence during integration

International integration and merchandise trade with global markets have contributed significantly to the growth of Vietnam’s production sector. In parallel, the economy is increasingly facing cases of trade defence measures imposed by other countries.

Improving product quality and learning, adapting to the market are solutions that businesses proactively use in trade defence. In the photo: Businesses participate in a furniture exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City in August 2025. Photo: illustration

Proactively adapting, improving business capacity, and upgrading new development strategies are the "keys" for Vietnamese businesses, especially the private sector, to both maintain domestic stability and accelerate integration, gradually affirming their positions in the global value chain.

Adapting for sustainable growth

As Vietnam’s export scale expands, trade defense measures imposed by other countries on Vietnamese goods will increasingly rise. Enterprises need to closely monitor fluctuations in each export sector and maintain complete records and data to respond proactively.

According to Chu Thang Trung, Deputy Director General of the Trade Remedies Authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, this is inevitable for an economy with a strong foreign trade sector like Vietnam. Successfully handling international legal disputes has strengthened the responsive capacity of Vietnamese enterprises, thereby enhancing the position of Vietnamese exports in foreign markets. These products are increasingly recognised for quality and competitiveness, and have the ability to create pressure on imported goods in host countries.

Trade defence is also a measure widely applied by countries worldwide to safeguard their core industries. For instance, U.S. President Donald Trump has recently adopted tariff measures targeting imported goods from other countries to protect domestic producers.

Statistics from the Trade Remedies Authority show that revenues collected from trade remedy taxes amount to around VND 1.6 trillion annually. Enterprises involved in trade remedy cases generate nearly VND 600 trillion in annual revenue, employing over 56,000 workers directly.

In Vietnam’s steel sector alone, Le Viet, Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Steel Association, reported that from 2004 to August 2025, the industry had faced 86 trade remedy cases from foreign countries, accounting for more than 30 percent of the total trade defence cases against Vietnamese exports.

For businesses, it is crucial to proactively improve their own capacity to adapt to and respond to trade remedy measures and tariff barriers from partners.

Duong Duy Hung, Director of the General Economic Affairs Department, Central Economic Commission, highlighted that Vietnamese businesses must shift from processing to creating higher-value-added products. Only by investing in research and development, enhancing labor skills, and building brands can enterprises, and their respective industries secure their foothold in the face of global barriers and competition. Many enterprises have expanded their markets to the Middle East, South America, and Eastern Europe, reflecting their dynamism in seeking new markets. This is considered a necessary strategy to reduce dependence on traditional markets while enhancing resilience against fluctuations in global trade.

Private enterprises play an important role in proactive trade defense

Alongside proactive adaptation to global standards, the implementation of trade defence instruments in the domestic market is also a solution to safeguard enterprises and production. According to the Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam, since its establishment, the authority has conducted 48 new investigations and 35 reviews on existing trade defence measures. On that basis, it has recommended that the Ministry of Industry and Trade apply 36 trade defence measures on imported goods.

Among the trade defence measures, anti-dumping investigations account for the largest proportion. Notably, most of the affected sectors belong to Vietnam’s fundamental industries, such as steel and chemicals, which serve as pillars in the production structure of many countries. In particular, private enterprises play an important role in proactively engaging in trade defence. To date, 82 out of 130 enterprises participating in trade remedy cases are private firms.

Nguyen Huu Truong Hung, Head of the Injury and Safeguard Investigation Division at the Trade Remedies Authority, emphasized that the private sector is not only a key driver of economic growth but also a vital force in initiating and engaging in trade remedy measures. This reflects the growing awareness among private enterprises of trade remedies as an effective instrument to safeguard the domestic market before making deeper global integration.

Similarly, Nguyen Duy Hung, Vice Chairman of the Dong Nai Import-Export Association, noted that Dong Nai ranks among the leading localities in import and export performances nationwide. During the production, import, and export processes, enterprises often encounter legal and trade defence barriers imposed on Vietnamese goods. Accordingly, enterprises’ ability to respond flexibly to foreign trade defence measures, as well as proactively initiate and participate in domestic trade defense activities, will contribute to protecting Vietnamese products and creating a competitive environment for domestic goods.”

By Vuong The – Translated by My Le, Thu Ha