Trade wars give US LNG a beachhead in Vietnam
Gas-to-power deals offer Hanoi a quick route towards reducing its trade surplus with the US and avoiding President Trump’s attention
US pressure on Vietnam to reduce its trade deficit is creating a rare opportunity for US LNG producers to access a fast-growing Southeast Asian economy, fortuitously at a time when trade tensions are dampening their hopes for exports to China. In the latter half of 2019—while Trump administration officials stepped up threats to impose tariffs over the $39.5bn trade deficit—deals for LNG imports and LNG-related power generation worth over $5bn have been signed between US firms and the Vietnamese government. In the largest deal, the Vietnamese government chose Arlington-based power company AES on 2 October to develop an LNG-to-power 2.2GW combined cycle gas turbine power plant in the south-cen
Also in this section
24 December 2025
As activity in the US Gulf has stagnated at a lower level, the government is taking steps to encourage fresh exploration and bolster field development work
23 December 2025
The new government has brought stability and security to the country, with the door now open to international investment
23 December 2025
A third wave of LNG supply is coming, and with it a likely oversupply of the fuel by 2028
22 December 2025
Weakening climate resolve in the developed world and rapidly growing demand in developing countries means peak oil is still a long way away
