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Trump meets Vietnam leader, vows to remove Hanoi from restricted lists

AL-Monitor
Feb 20, 2026
FILE PHOTO: Vietnam's Communist Party chief To Lam meets with U.S. President Joe Biden (not pictured) on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United National General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, U.S., September 25, 2024. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Vietnam's Communist Party chief To Lam meets with U.S. President Joe Biden (not pictured) on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United National General Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, U.S., September 25, 2024. REUTERS/Elizabeth Frantz/File Photo — Elizabeth Frantz

WASHINGTON/HANOI, Feb 20 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump met Vietnamese leader To Lam on Friday and said he would work to remove Hanoi from lists of countries restricted in accessing U.S. advanced technology, according to a summary of the talks posted on the news website of the Vietnamese government.

The first formal in-person meeting between the two took place at the White House after the head of Vietnam's ruling Communist Party attended the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington.

The meeting followed the announcement of deals worth over $30 billion, under which Vietnamese airlines would buy 90 aircraft from U.S. planemaker Boeing.

Trump on Friday announced an immediate new 10% tariff on most imports from all countries after the Supreme Court struck down some of his earlier sweeping tariffs.

(Reporting by Gram Slattery and Trevor Hunnicutt; additional reporting by Khanh Vu and Francesco Guarascio in Hanoi; Editing by David Ljunggren and Kim Coghill)