USTR’s Vietnam designation mistakes transition for failure
The US Trade Representative has designated Vietnam as a Priority Foreign Country for intellectual property, marking the first such designation in 13 years. This classification is based on ongoing issues such as online piracy and inadequate enforcement measures. Despite legislative reforms, operational enforcement has reportedly declined due to significant administrative restructuring.
- ▪Vietnam was designated as a Priority Foreign Country for intellectual property by the USTR on April 30.
- ▪The designation is based on issues including online piracy, counterfeiting, and inadequate border enforcement.
- ▪Vietnam's government has made legislative reforms, but operational enforcement has declined due to administrative restructuring.
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On April 30, the US Trade Representative designated Vietnam as a Priority Foreign Country for intellectual property, the most severe classification in the annual Special 301 Report and the first time in 13 years any country has been tagged with the label. The designation rests on five grounds: online piracy, counterfeiting, inadequate border enforcement, unlicensed software use and the absence of criminal penalties for cable and satellite signal theft. Within 30 days, the USTR must decide whether to open a Section 301 investigation. The report frames the designation around a “persistent failure to resolve long-standing concerns” dating back to 2020. But parts of it sit uneasily with that framing. In the 2025 report, Vietnam was on the Watch List, the lowest tier.
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