Vietnam thought it had a deal on its US tariff rate. Then Trump stepped in.

Neither side has released documentation of the tariff terms, raising questions about whether they did, in fact, reach an agreement.

Vietnam’s negotiators had not, in fact, agreed to the 20% rate; they believed the tariff rate would be around 11%, according to the four people.

Some on the U.S. side were surprised, too, including outside groups who’d been tracking the talks, according to one Washington-based lobbyist who works with Vietnam and other Asian governments.

“Trump sandbagged everybody,” said the lobbyist. They described the Vietnamese government’s reaction as “surprise, as well as disappointment and anger.”