A Starlink user terminal attached to the roof of a building.
SpaceX
Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said on Saturday the government wanted to rapidly issue a licence for Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide satellite internet in the country under a pilot scheme.
Chinh, speaking with nearly 40 U.S. businesses in Hanoi, also said that Vietnam was taking measures to rebalance its trade surplus with the U.S., citing potential imports of aircraft, arms, liquefied natural gas, agriculture goods and pharmaceutical products.
Hanoi is trying to avoid U.S. duties on its ballooning exports, which contributed to a record trade surplus last year, making the Southeast Asian nation vulnerable to reciprocal tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump.
“The PM has directed the Ministry of Science and Technology to quickly issue a license to Starlink internet (services) on a trial basis,” the government said on its website, reporting on the discussions Chinh had with U.S. businesses.
In February the Vietnamese parliament approved a temporary scheme to allow satellite internet companies to provide services in Vietnam while retaining full control on their local subsidiary – a precondition set by Musk.
That represented a sudden shift in Vietnam’s stance about ownership of satellite internet providers, as the Communist-run country maintains strict limits on foreign control for multiple economic sectors it considers sensitive.
A U.S. official who attended Saturday’s meeting said the discussion “will hopefully solve some pending issues” for U.S. companies in Vietnam.
Chinh is planning separate meetings with other foreign businesses in the coming days, multiple investors told Reuters, as he tries to quell concerns caused by global trade tensions and the impact they could have on the export-reliant country.
Import deals?
Among the possible measures that could reduce Vietnam’s commercial surplus with the United States are massive purchases by Vietnamese airlines of Boeing planes, the government said.
It cited a deal flag carrier Vietnam Airlines struck with Boeing in 2023 during a visit to Hanoi of former U.S. president Joe Biden for the purchase of 50 737 Max jets.
Vietnam’s government reported on Saturday the deal was worth $11 billion, without clarifying whether it included engines and other parts usually bought separately. The White House had said in 2023 the value was $7.8 billion.
Vietnam Airlines did not immediately reply to a request for comment on Saturday.
The government said Vietnam was discussing possible lower prices for the planes with Boeing and also mentioned the deal Vietnamese low-cost airline VietJet has to buy 200 Boeing 737 MAX jets.