Cut shifts or ramp up output? Vietnam's exporters face dilemma amid tariff chaos
Some factory workers in Vietnam have been told to increase output of products for the U.S. market, while others have had their shifts cut to three per week as U.S. orders were postponed or cancelled, industry executives said. The radically diverging strategies, largely the result of shifting U.S. orders, show the chaotic reaction of exporters in the Southeast Asian industrial hub, which was slapped by the Trump administration with 46% tariffs before most duties were paused until July. "Factories change their production plan and human operations too, dividing work shifts to Mon-Wed-Fri and Tue-Thu-Sat instead of working full time, as huge orders are on hold," said Calvin Nguyen, the head of Vietnamese logistics firm WeDo Forwarding.