Ground was broken on May 21 for a $1.5 billion luxury golf resort in northern Vietnam owned by US President Donald Trump's family business.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, presided over the ceremony.

Days later, Eric Trump traveled to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's economic powerhouse, to finalize an agreement for a luxury hotel development in an upscale district of the rapidly expanding city.

Reports indicate that the Vietnamese government expedited approvals and potentially violated domestic regulations to favor the Trump Organization.

The deals come as Vietnam faces a 46% tariff threatened by the Trump administration on April 2.

Although these punitive "reciprocal tariffs" have been postponed until July, Vietnam remains under pressure, especially considering its substantial $123 billion trade surplus with the United States.

Vietnam ranks among the most trade-dependent countries globally, with exports to the US alone accounting for approximately 30% of its GDP, according to official data.

"Hanoi understands that for the Trump Administration, what is public is private, and the best way to curry favor is to do deals with the Trump family," Zachary Abuza, a professor at the National War College in Washington, told DW.

Relations with Vietnam were positive in the early years of Trump's first term. Former Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc was one of the first world leaders to meet Trump at the White House in 2017, and Hanoi was later chosen........

© Deutsche Welle