Vietnam’s trade surplus with the US widened to $123.5 billion last year, making the manufacturing powerhouse a potential prime target for President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Vietnam's trade surplus with the U.S. soared to a record high last year, U.S. data released on Wednesday showed, potentially complicating Hanoi's efforts to stave off trade tariffs from the new Trump administration.

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Donald Trump started the biggest trade war since the 1930s in his first term, his impulsive combination of threats and import taxes on U.S. trading partners created chaos, generated drama — and drew criticism from mainstream economists who favor free trade.