Trump Organization mulls building tower in Vietnam

The Trump Organization is considering building a tower in Vietnam’s commercial hub, with Eric Trump set to visit Ho Chi Minh City later this week for meetings with local officials, as the nation negotiates with Washington to avoid punishingly high tariffs.

A working group from the company and its local partners will go to the Thu Thiem area to survey the prospective location for the skyscraper’s construction, Markettimes news website reported, citing a document from the city’s foreign affairs department.

The purported trip by Donald Trump’s son comes after Vietnam’s government gave its initial approval for the Trump Organization’s proposed $1.5 billion complex of hotels, golf courses and homes in the northern Hung Yen province, where construction on the project is expected to begin soon.

Vietnam and the US have been engaged in intense trade diplomacy over the Trump administration’s threatened 46% tariff on goods from the nation, which was later wound back to 10% for 90 days to allow time for talks. 

Vietnam’s Foreign Affairs Ministry and the US Embassy in Hanoi didn’t immediately respond to emailed requests for comment. 

Vietnam has repeatedly vowed to purchase more American goods, while offering to remove all tariffs on US imports. It also promised to take steps to target origin of goods fraud, as one of the Trump team’s key concerns is the issue of Chinese goods being shipped via Vietnam to sidestep tariffs.