Responding to the reciprocal tax policy from the Donald Trump administration by reducing import taxes on many goods from the US, a series of imported goods from the US have had their taxes reduced to low levels, even to 0%, including agricultural products.

Although the tax-reduced US agricultural products have not yet been imported to Vietnam, purchasing power for these products has begun to increase as many supermarket chains have proactively promoted and reduced prices. And it is forecasted that imports of US agricultural products into Vietnam will increase sharply in the coming time.

Prices have decreased

On April 8, Tuoi Tre's observations at Emart Phan Van Tri supermarket (Go Vap district, Ho Chi Minh City), Big C, Go!, Co.opmart... chains showed that many products originating from the US are occupying a large area at imported food counters. Here, American goods are prioritized for display in central locations, accompanied by deep promotional programs.

At Emart, the fresh American fruit area is arranged separately, with wooden shelves displayed in tiers, products packaged in trays, clear and eye-catching labels. American apple varieties such as Fuji, Gala, green apples, Cosmic Crisp apples... are sold in abundance, dominating other imported fruits.

Many products are being heavily discounted, typically American Fuji apples are only 68,000 VND/kg, Gala apples are reduced from 125,000 VND/kg to 88,000 VND/kg, American yellow oranges (Navel variety) are also discounted from 140,000 VND/kg to 98,000 VND/kg - a price that directly competes with many domestic and Korean, Australian, New Zealand fruits such as Hoa Loc mango, durian, Australian grapes...

"I especially like American apples, especially the Envy variety - big fruit, shiny skin, crunchy and sweet. Before, I had to wait for promotions to dare to buy, now that the price is cheaper, I take advantage of buying more to store for later consumption. It's just that I don't have money, but if I had money, I would buy Envy apples every week," said Ms. Lam.

Not only fruits, packaged foods from the US such as walnuts, chestnuts, chocolate candies, cookies... are also prominently displayed in supermarkets, divided into product clusters according to convenient groups.

Some frozen items such as beef brisket, US beef brisket, frozen chicken drumsticks... priced at 50,000 - 150,000 VND also recorded stable purchasing power at frozen counters.

Previously, the Government issued a decision to reduce taxes on imported goods from the US, including many agricultural products from the US with import tax rates of only 0%, effective from March 31.

For example, frozen chicken thighs from 20% to 15%, pistachios from 15% to 5%, almonds from 10% to 5%, fresh apples from 8% to 5%, cherries from 10% to 5%, raisins from 12% to 5%.

Other agricultural raw materials also have strong tax reductions such as corn kernels from 2% to 0%, soybean oil meal from 1%, 2% to 0%.

There is still a lot of room

According to Mr. Cao Anh Tuan - an agricultural exporter, businesses are adapting to the view of reducing exports to the US and purchasing more goods from the US.

"We are looking to export some processed fruit products to the US market, but from now on we will have a strategy to consider the use of goods and cooperate more with US businesses," said Mr. Tuan.

Previously, after the US imposed reciprocal tariffs on countries, including Vietnam, Mr. Tuan worked with US partners via email, the partners expressed that import tax barriers made US goods less competitive than markets that have free trade agreements (FTAs) with Vietnam such as: European Union, Canada, Australia... These countries are enjoying a 0% tax rate.

If the tax is reduced, Vietnamese consumers will have the opportunity to use more American agricultural products and American goods will increase their exports to Vietnam, to serve consumption, or to be brought into processing factories and then exported back to the US...

"For example, businesses will import wheat, walnuts, almonds, pistachios... from the US to be processed, greatly increasing their value. Or there will be more types of American fruits available in Vietnam, such as tangerines and lemons; in addition to the eight licensed types (apples, grapes, pears, cherries, oranges, blueberries, nectarines, grapefruits). Therefore, there is still a large opportunity to import American goods," Mr. Tuan analyzed.

In addition to fruits, Vietnam also spends billions of dollars each year to import raw materials for food and animal feed, such as wheat, soybeans, corn, soybean meal, etc. While these are raw materials that the US has an advantage in, Vietnamese businesses have rarely imported these raw materials from the US, mainly buying from Brazil, Australia, Russia, etc. with a 0% tax rate.

Mr. Nguyen Van Huan, chief accountant of an animal feed factory with a factory in Tien Giang province, said that if the import tax on raw materials from the US market is reduced, businesses will change direction and increase imports of goods from the US compared to before.

Because this source of agricultural products is very abundant, Vietnamese businesses are opening the door to accelerate production and business. "Many US companies come to Vietnam to sell soybeans, potatoes, etc. for the first time, but aim to export 200 - 300 containers of soybeans to Vietnam in 2025, even though this is the first time they come to offer products," said Mr. Huan.

According to the US Department of Agriculture, US agricultural products are consumed in many areas in Vietnam, from retail to hotels and restaurants and food processing. Vietnam imports large quantities of US agricultural products, so this is a potential market for fresh US fruit.

American goods appear densely on online platforms

In addition to fruits, Vietnam also spends billions of dollars each year to import raw materials for food and animal feed, such as wheat, soybeans, corn, soybean meal, etc. While these are raw materials that the US has an advantage in, Vietnamese businesses have rarely imported these raw materials from the US, mainly buying from Brazil, Australia, Russia, etc. with a 0% tax rate.Mr. Nguyen Van Huan, chief accountant of an animal feed factory with a factory in Tien Giang province, said that if the import tax on raw materials from the US market is reduced, businesses will change direction and increase imports of goods from the US compared to before.Because this source of agricultural products is very abundant, Vietnamese businesses are opening the door to accelerate production and business. "Many US companies come to Vietnam to sell soybeans, potatoes, etc. for the first time, but aim to export 200 - 300 containers of soybeans to Vietnam in 2025, even though this is the first time they come to offer products," said Mr. Huan.According to the US Department of Agriculture, US agricultural products are consumed in many areas in Vietnam, from retail to hotels and restaurants and food processing. Vietnam imports large quantities of US agricultural products, so this is a potential market for fresh US fruit.

US agricultural imports will increase sharply

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, the total import value of fruits and vegetables in the first three months of 2025 reached 595.6 million USD, an increase of 21% over the same period in 2024. Of which, fruit and vegetable products imported from the US accounted for 27%, second only to China.Compared to the same period last year, the import value of fruits and vegetables in the first three months of 2025 from the US market increased by 53.1%. In the context of responding to the reciprocal tax policy from the Donald Trump administration by reducing import taxes on many products from the US, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment forecasts that imports of US agricultural products into Vietnam will increase sharply in the second quarter and the coming time.

Many US delegations come to Vietnam to buy agricultural and seafood products.

Chefs introduce dishes made from apples and American beef at a supermarket - Photo: N.BÌNHA number of large supermarkets and distributors in Ho Chi Minh City said they have welcomed many trade promotion delegations at the state, city and US Government levels to Vietnam to seek sales opportunities.According to a representative of MM Mega Market Vietnam, in early April 2025, the system welcomed a delegation of 10 US companies led by the Food Export USA Association and the Ohio Department of Agriculture to visit and learn about the Vietnamese market. The products that US businesses want to introduce are beef, agricultural products, and various types of avocados.In 2024, the system also welcomed a trade delegation from the US Department of Agriculture leading 58 businesses in fields such as: dairy products, dried nuts, fruits, meat, poultry, popcorn, processed foods, wine, etc. to promote trade in the Vietnamese market."These promotions have provided an overview of the retail industry and Vietnamese consumers' preferences, helping US businesses better understand the tastes and spending power of Vietnamese people," said a representative of MM Mega Market.Mr. Francis Lee, representative of the American Agricultural Products Industry Association in Vietnam, said that up to now, many fresh fruits imported from the US are favored by Vietnamese consumers and have high growth, such as blueberries, apples, grapes... With the tax rate trending down like cherry from 10% to 5%, the growth of this fruit will be very positive in the coming time, especially when this item is about to enter season.Particularly for beef, many products are gradually becoming familiar with Vietnamese meals, appearing in restaurant chains and supermarkets. However, more promotional activities are still needed to reach Vietnamese consumers while waiting for the tariff level to gradually decrease.

Source: Tin Tuc Newspaper