Nguyen Huu Phuc, who runs a small textile marketing company in Ho Chi Minh City, recalls how “very upset” he was when Donald Trump pulled the US out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement in 2017. But two years later Mr Phuc is thanking the US president.
His group’s garment-making division plans to double its staff to more than 1,000 by the end of this year because of surging demand for its shirts, trousers, sleepwear and other products.
He says he has Mr Trump to thank for it — the US-China trade war is benefiting Vietnam more than any other country in Asia as more manufacturers, buyers and investors shift their supply chains away from China.