Vietnam shows limits of Trump's 'Buy American' rhetoric

Bid to reshore jobs hits wall as companies seek diverse supply chains

20201028 mask factory in vietnam

Workers turn out face masks in Hai Duong, Vietnam. Some U.S. policies benefit Vietnamese exports, such as a program that connects local businesses to global companies. © EPA/Jiji

LIEN HOANG and MARRIAN ZHOU, Nikkei staff writers

HO CHI MINH CITY/NEW YORK -- As Vietnam enjoys an export boom due to more and more companies leaving China, Hanoi can in part thank a helping hand from an unlikely place: Washington.

Examples of this are abundant. This year two Vietnamese companies supplied machine parts to a Canadian manufacturer, while a slew of textile companies exported personal protective equipment to the U.S., Spain, Ghana and Japan. What they have in common is that all of the companies received backing -- in one form or another -- from the U.S. government.

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