GeoeconomicGeopoliticalAt a glance (the answer)30 Sep 2026
Is exposure to Vietnam a demand exposure?
“No. The more concentrated side is supply: China supplied 40.9 per cent of Vietnam's 2025 imports, against a 32.2 per cent US share of exports, for as long as assembly runs on imported components.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Viet Nam Affected China, United States of America
GeoeconomicGeopolitical01. The largest customer and the largest supplier are different great powers30 Sep 2026
Are Vietnam's largest customer and largest supplier the same power?
“The United States took 32.2% of what Vietnam sold and supplied 4.2% of what it bought. China supplied 40.9% of what it bought and took 14.8% of what it sold.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Viet Nam Affected United States of America, China
Geoeconomic02. One tariff chapter was the largest line on both sides of the 2023 account30 Sep 2026
Which tariff chapter did Vietnam's 2023 trade account rest on?
“In 2023, HS chapter 85 (electrical machinery and equipment) was the largest chapter on both sides of the account, and no other chapter behaved that way.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Viet Nam
Geoeconomic03. The supply side is the more concentrated side on every measure taken30 Sep 2026
Which side of Vietnam's trade is more concentrated?
“Counterparty concentration, measured as a Herfindahl index over countries, was higher on imports than on exports in 2023, and highest of all inside chapter 85's imports.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Viet Nam Affected China, Republic of Korea
Geoeconomic04. Trade was 190% of GDP in 2025, the most open of five economies compared30 Sep 2026
How open is Vietnam's economy to external shocks?
“Trade in goods and services was 190.3% of Vietnam's GDP in 2025, against 68.5% for the world aggregate, and exports of goods and services alone were 98.2% of GDP (World Bank, re-checked 30 Sep 2026).”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Viet Nam
Geoeconomic06. Four domains pass the significance test, and component supply rates highest30 Sep 2026
Which domains carry Vietnam's exposure?
“Four domains pass: two are core (market access at the outbound end, component supply at the inbound end) and two pass (value retained at home, capital inflows).”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Viet Nam
GeoeconomicGeopolitical06. Domain: market access at the outbound end30 Sep 2026
Does access to Vietnam's largest buyer market hold at its 2025 weight?
“A change in the buyer market's trade rules acts on revenue. The United States took US$153.2bn of Vietnam's 2025 goods exports (NSO, preliminary).”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Viet Nam Affected United States of America
GeoeconomicGeotechnology06. Domain: component supply at the inbound end30 Sep 2026
Does Vietnam's inbound supply of components stay concentrated?
“An interruption in supply acts on the ability to produce, not only on revenue: where the outbound leg consists of assembling the inbound one, a supply shock stops output rather than scaling it.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Viet Nam Affected China, Republic of Korea
GeoeconomicGeotechnology08. The share of export value that stays in Vietnam is the lowest of six30 Sep 2026
How much of Vietnam's export value is produced in Vietnam?
“On the OECD's modelled estimate, 51.5% of the value in Vietnam's gross exports was produced in Vietnam in 2022, the smallest share of the six economies compared.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Viet Nam
Geoeconomic09. The capital account did not turn in fourteen years of data30 Sep 2026
Has direct investment into Vietnam turned?
“Net foreign direct investment inflows were US$20.2bn in 2024, the largest of the fourteen years drawn, through a pandemic, a tariff dispute and a global rate cycle (World Bank, re-checked 30 Sep 2026; no 2025 value yet).”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Viet Nam
GeoeconomicGeopolitical10. The first hinge, the inbound share, moved further toward one supplier30 Sep 2026
Has Vietnam's reliance on one supplier grown?
“China supplied 40.9% of Vietnam's imports in the NSO's 2025 tables and 41.0% in January to August 2026.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Viet Nam Affected China
Geoeconomic11. The second hinge, the thin difference, turned negative in 202630 Sep 2026
What happened to Vietnam's trade balance after the research date?
“The NSO's report of 3 September 2026 records a goods deficit of US$20.46bn for January to August 2026, against a surplus of US$14.02bn a year earlier; imports rose 35.3% and exports 22.4%.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Viet Nam
Geoeconomic12. Measurement is a third hinge: the two ends of the US corridor disagree30 Sep 2026
How far apart are the two ends of the Vietnam-US trade corridor?
“For 2025, Vietnam reports US$153.2bn of exports to the United States; the US Census Bureau reports US$193.9bn of imports from Vietnam.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Viet Nam Affected United States of America
GeoeconomicGeopolitical18. Five tests, each checkable against a free public source, would show the call wrong30 Sep 2026
What would show the call on Vietnam wrong?
“The call would be wrong if, in Vietnam's own partner tables, the import side became the less concentrated side of the account, or if China's share of imports fell below the United States' share of exports.”
The brief’s reading of the evidence; not a registered forecast.Primary Viet Nam Affected China, United States of America