Exclusive-EU seeks closer Vietnam ties on critical minerals in China hedge, documents show

By Francesco Guarascio

HANOI, Oct 14 (Reuters) - The European Union is seeking to secure more critical minerals from Vietnam to reduce its reliance on China amid concerns that existing supplies may be at risk, according to internal EU documents seen by Reuters.

Vietnam has substantial deposits of critical minerals, including tungsten, rare earths, antimony, bismuth and bauxite, from which gallium can be extracted as a byproduct. Exports to the EU have been largely limited to tungsten and antimony, both used in the defence sector, including in ammunition and explosives. 

"Considering Europe's need to rearm and de-risk as fast as possible, the EU cannot afford ignoring Vietnam as a potential supplier of critical raw materials considering its abundant reserves in rare earth and tungsten in particular," said a document prepared by the EU delegation in Hanoi.

The report and an annexed document, dated June 2026, recommend financial support for Vietnam's mining and processing industry to "maintain and expand current access notably to tungsten, bismuth, antimony and titanium," warning that competition from partner countries might disrupt EU supplies. The report and annexed document have not been reported on before.

The documents say stronger engagement with Vietnam is needed to "add an alternative to China," the world’s top producer of critical minerals, especially after Beijing's export restrictions last year "disrupted European supply chains." 

One of the documents urged EU institutions to prepare for concrete outcomes during Vietnamese leader To Lam's visit to Brussels, which four European and Vietnamese officials said would take place next week with meetings with EU leaders slated for October 22. The visit has not been officially announced.

The visit would come on the heels of this week's European Council, where EU leaders are expected to discuss plans to reduce their reliance on Chinese goods and raw materials while securing alternative supplies for critical resources.

"The European Commission is currently assessing the potential for concrete cooperation with Vietnam in the critical raw materials sector," a spokesperson for the EU executive arm said when asked about the document and To Lam's visit.

Vietnam is not currently among the EU's 16 strategic partners on raw minerals. Critical minerals are expected to feature prominently in next week's talks, two officials said. Last week, Brussels removed Vietnam from its tax-haven blacklist. Hanoi has also urged EU states to ratify an investment protection agreement signed in 2019, which remains blocked by a handful of countries including France. It has also pressed the EU to lift a warning on Vietnamese fisheries. 

Vietnam's foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment. The EU delegation declined to comment.

SUPPLY RISKS

Growing competition from partner countries is being viewed as a potential threat to EU supplies.

One of the documents cites a failed plan last year involving entities from Australia, the US and Canada to acquire a majority stake in Vietnam's largest tungsten operation, owned by Masan High-Tech Materials.

The complex, which includes a mine and a refinery, is a key supplier of tungsten to Europe, particularly Germany, although exports fell significantly last year due to administrative bottlenecks and amid soaring tungsten prices. 

The plan, which two people with knowledge of the matter said was orchestrated by Australian mining firm EQ Resources, was "not without risks to existing supplies to the EU," the document said. The two sources declined to be identified publicly as the talks were private.

EQ Resources did not respond to a request for comment. Masan High-Tech declined to comment.

Last month, Masan High-Tech sold a 4.99% stake to Elmet Group, a tungsten supplier to the US defence stockpile.  

Masan High-Tech is also in talks with a non-European foreign investor for the sale of another 5% stake, two people familiar with the discussions said. They also declined to be named because the talks were private.

A separate project by Australia's Lynas Rare Earths and South Korea's LS Eco Energy to produce rare earth metals in Vietnam using imported feedstock is viewed as another initiative "which risks leaving the EU behind," the document says.

It urges EU support for Vietnam's processing industry, which it describes as less politically sensitive than mining operations. 

Loans, grants, technical assistance and export-credit insurance are among the instruments proposed to support critical-mineral projects in Vietnam, including efforts to map resources more accurately.  

The document also warns about risks of investing in Vietnam's critical minerals, including a lack of transparency about China's involvement, regulatory and political hurdles, and Vietnam's "economic nationalism" involving technology transfer requirements.

(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio; Additional reporting by Phuong Nguyen; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus)