Vietnam and the United States have agreed to accelerate trade negotiations.

This was announced by Hanoi, which also announced deals worth $600 million for the purchase of US agricultural products, AFP reported.

Vietnam has the third-largest trade surplus with the US after China and Mexico and is seeking to overcome the imbalance to avert the threat of 46% tariffs from President Donald Trump as part of his global tariff policy.

At a meeting in Paris on June 4, Vietnamese and US officials agreed to “focus maximum efforts to achieve the best results in the third round of technical negotiations” scheduled for the first half of June, according to a statement from the country's Ministry of Trade.

Trade Minister Nguyen Hong Dien confirmed Vietnam's “determination and goodwill” to reach an agreement with the US, while his US counterpart James Grier said the agreement would be important for both Washington and Hanoi.

Meanwhile, a delegation from Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture visiting the US signed memorandums of understanding (MOUs) to purchase $600 million worth of animal feed from Ohio, the ministry said in a separate statement on its website.

This comes after Vietnam announced five memoranda of understanding to purchase about $800 million worth of products from Ohio over a three-year period, including soybean meal, corn, wheat, dried soybeans, and dried distillers grains.

The Southeast Asian country is expected to sign agreements with the US to purchase agricultural products worth more than $2 billion, the statement added.

Vietnam has sought help in resolving the tariff issue from several US technology and industrial giants, including Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, and Google.

It has also signed an agreement with US company Westinghouse Electric to develop nuclear energy.

Last month, President Trump's real estate group broke ground on a $1.5 billion luxury resort and golf course in Vietnam, 40 km southeast of the capital Hanoi.

The event was attended by his son Eric Trump, executive vice president of The Trump Organization, and his wife Lara, as well as local partner Kinhbac City Development Corporation (KBC).

Eric Trump is also exploring sites for a potential tower project in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's southern business hub. | BGNES