On May 18, 2026, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc signed Decision No. 883/QD-TTg officially establishing the Government Negotiation Team on International Economic and Trade Matters. This is a specialized agency assisting the Prime Minister in directing Ministries, agencies, and localities in negotiating, signing, and implementing international economic and trade treaties and agreements at the bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels.

The main task of the Negotiation Team is to develop strategies, policies, and overall negotiation plans, while proposing objectives and a negotiation roadmap consistent with national interests. The Team is responsible for coordinating with Ministries and agencies to implement negotiation activities, recommending solutions to arising obstacles, and participating in upgrading agreements to which Viet Nam is already a member, such as the WTO, ASEAN, APEC, or existing FTAs, to expand the scope for development. Specifically, the delegation will consult with the business community to ensure that the negotiation options best protect the country's economic interests.

In terms of structure, the Minister of Industry and Trade is entrusted with the responsibility of leading the negotiating delegation. The Deputy Heads of the delegation include:
- The Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade: Permanent Deputy Head, coordinating overall and overseeing economic negotiations.
- The Deputy Minister of Finance: Responsible for market opening areas such as taxation, customs, investment, financial services, and government procurement.
- The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs: Responsible for foreign affairs, diplomatic lobbying, and bilateral and multilateral relations in the negotiations.

Members of the delegation also include the Deputy Ministers of the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment, Science and Technology, Justice, Public Security, Health, Interior, Culture, Sports and Tourism, along with the leadership of the State Bank of Vietnam. Depending on the requirements of each agreement, technical-level negotiating groups will be established with the participation of experts and highly specialized personnel. This decision officially repeals the previous Decision No. 182/2007/QD-TTg, marking an important step in consolidating Vietnam's position to move further into the era of global economic integration./.

Source: Compiled by the Multilateral Trade Policy Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade of Viet Nam