HANOI (Reuters) -Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said on Saturday he had directed authorities to quickly grant a license to Elon Musk's Starlink to provide satellite internet services in the country under a pilot scheme.

Hanoi is trying to avoid U.S. duties on its ballooning exports, which contributed to a record trade surplus with Washington last year, making the Southeast Asian nation vulnerable to reciprocal tariffs threatened by President Donald Trump.

"The PM has directed the Ministry of Science and Technology to quickly issue a license to Starlink internet (services) on a trial basis," the government said on its website, reporting discussions Chinh had with U.S. businesses in the capital.

In February the Vietnamese parliament approved a temporary scheme to allow satellite internet companies to provide services in Vietnam while retaining full control on their local subsidiary - a precondition set by Musk.

Chinh told the businesspeople that Vietnam was taking measures to rebalance its trade surplus, citing potential imports of aircraft, arms, liquefied natural gas, agriculture goods and pharmaceutical products.