Social Media Discussion Analysis 2 Weeks After Trump's Tariff Announcement

1. 46% tariff: Social media in uproar, multiple industries stirred

The topic of tariff policy reached its first and highest discussion peak on April 3rd - the day President Donald Trump announced a 46% tariff on Vietnam. Prior to this date, there were only minimal discussions on the topic, mostly consisting of general forecasts. According to Buzzmetrics’ initial report on the tariff policy, as of 12 PM on April 3rd, the topic had generated 30,153 mentions. By the end of the day, total discussions had climbed to 73,032. Throughout the following week, the daily volume of discussions never dropped below 20,000. On April 10th, the topic peaked once again, this time marking the moment when President Trump officially enforced the tariff policy, before later announcing a 90-day delay in its application for Vietnam.

The stock market was undoubtedly the most active sector in response to Trump’s tariff policy. On the morning of April 3rd alone, the VNIndex plunged by 82 points (6.2%), nearing the floor limit - its sharpest drop in the past three months, based on preliminary market data. Many investors expressed concerns over a potential prolonged sell-off, with nearly 2,000 related online discussions. The market remained sluggish until April 10th, when Trump announced a three-month delay in the implementation of the retaliatory tariffs. Several media outlets even used the term “deep purple” (implying limit-down in Vietnamese market slang) to describe the stock market’s condition at that time.

Other sectors such as Agriculture, Electronics, and Textiles also became hot topics of discussion. These industries are directly impacted by tariffs, facing the risk of declining orders, withdrawal of FDI and restructuring of global supply chains, leading to potential consequences for employment and domestic production. Unlike the stock market, even after the retaliatory tariff policy was postponed, a portion of users continued to express concerns about these industries, suggesting that Vietnam must prepare for the most pessimistic scenarios.

2. All platforms ignited by the tariff debate

Fundamentally, the spread of the tariff policy topic followed a similar trajectory to other trending issues: it was first driven by news outlets and online media (notably VTV24), then gradually expanded to other platforms. In fact, during the first 12 hours, news sources accounted for up to 30% of all topic-related discussions. Over time, while traditional media was no longer the largest discussion channel, it continued to play a key role in shaping and directing public discourse.

Unlike most trending topics that usually generate high engagement on Facebook or TikTok, the tariff debate attracted widespread discussions across both long-standing platforms (such as forums and news sites) and newer ones like Threads, with varied formats of engagement. Buzzmetrics observed that Facebook and TikTok reacted quickly to press coverage, with conversations occurring in real time. Meanwhile, Threads and forums tended to feature more in-depth and forward-looking discussions. In 2025, few topics have triggered cross-platform engagement as intensely as the U.S. tariff policy.

3. The “tariff” sentiment rollercoaster is temporarily stationed at a positive stop

Meanwhile, sentiment analysis from Buzzmetrics shows that on April 3rd (the date the policy was announced), the sentiment score dropped to -0.451, the second-lowest point during the monitoring period. Users expressed confusion over how the U.S. tariff was calculated and showed concern about Vietnam’s economic outlook. In the following days, sentiment slightly improved after General Secretary To Lam met with President Trump to negotiate tariff adjustments. At this point, user sentiment became more optimistic, with hopes that the situation would improve. However, by April 9th - when the policy officially took effect - the sentiment score hit its lowest point at -0.49. Then on April 10th, the sentiment score recovered after President Trump announced a delay in implementing the tariff policy. This marked a turning point in what could be described as an emotional rollercoaster for Vietnamese users, partially reflected in the shifts in social media discussions. By April 15th, the online community in Vietnam appeared to be “breathing a sigh of relief. User sentiment toward key concerns such as “unemployment” and “rising consumer prices” also improved, returning to levels similar to those before the tariff issue emerged.