In Little Saigon, enmity for the Vietnamese government thrives among the older generation, many of whom arrived in the U.S. as refugees after the fall of Saigon. Some are even willing to pay higher prices if it means the Communist regime will suffer.

Vietnam is actively seeking to negotiate a reduction in the high tariff rate imposed by the Trump Administration.

The tariffs will hack at the root of Vietnam’s export-oriented economic model. In recent years its economy has benefited from manufacturers diversifying away from China, growing by an average of 7% a year over the past decade (excluding the pandemic).