Vietnam asks United States to reconsider seafood export ban

HANOI (Reuters) -Vietnam has asked the United States to reconsider a decision that could lead to a ban on some Vietnamese seafood exports to the American market starting next year, a potential blow to an economy already hit by U.S. tariffs. Vietnam's Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien on Monday sent a letter to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to ask for the "reconsideration" of an August decision by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which determined that some of Vietnam's fishing methods posed risks to marine mammals, the ministry said in a statement. The United States is among Vietnam's largest seafood markets, with January-August exports rising 6.9% from a year earlier to $1.24 billion, accounting for 17.3% of Vietnam's total seafood shipments, according to Vietnam's customs data.