During the trade war between Washington and Beijing, Vietnam managed to attract important trade flows into the country through its competitiveness. According to several experts, Vietnam has in fact been one of the major beneficiaries of the transformations initiated by the trade war. However, an interesting article by Asiatimes claims that Vietnam's growth won't be able to replace the "Made in China" brand, mainly because of the large Chinese population and the greater resources available to Beijing

Panasonic is shutting down a domestic appliance factory near Bangkok to consolidate production in a larger plant in Vietnam. During the trade war between Washington and Beijing, many companies had initially moved production from China to Thailand. Now they seem interested in moving to even more competitive countries like Vietnam and Indonesia.

The Vietnamese government aims to achieve a double-digit annual growth in e-commerce sales up to $35 billion by 2025. According to the sector development strategy presented by the Vietnamese government, more than half of Vietnam's population of 95 million people will shop online within the next five years.

Heather Variava and Melissa Brown, respectively head of the US Mission to Indonesia and the US Mission to ASEAN , appear in The Jakarta Post to highlight the importance of the partnership between the US and ASEAN. These statements reveal the US intention to strengthen its position in the Pacific by focusing on alliances in Southeast Asia.

ASEAN became China’s largest trading partner in the first three months of 2020, surpassing both the EU and the United States. During this period, ASEAN-China trade increased by 6 percent year-on-year to US$140 billion and accounting for 15 percent of China’s total trade volume. This comes as the country’s traditional, largest trading partner, the EU, has been on lockdown.

Southeast Asia has been mentioned as the place where the Korean financial industry should expand its presence over the next three years to accomplish the country's grand plan of becoming an international financial hub.

Vietnam's Civil Aviation Authority stated that the country won't consider new requests from foreign airlines in order to prioritize the recovery of the domestic aviation sector following the heavy impact of the coronavirus crisis

The Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) introduces an extensive study exploring possible policy responses to the coronavirus pandemic and its problematic effects on international trade and global value chains in Asia. The focal point of the document is undoubtedly the coordination of regional policies, which is essential to mitigate and slow down the devastating effects of the epidemic.

Ambassadors and chargé d'affaires of ASEAN countries in Mexico, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, on May 13 had an online exchange with Director General for Asia-Pacific at the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs Claudia Franco Hijuelos about the COVID-19 fight in Southeast Asia and Mexico.

The COVID-19 pandemic has not only affected people's health but also disrupted supply chains, negatively affecting the global and regional economy. Minister of Industry and Trade Trần Tuấn Anh talks with Vietnam News Agency about plans for economic recovery, and the Special ASEAN Plus Three Summit on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) that was held via video conference.

In a new Brookings Institution report, economist David Dollar analyzes China’s Belt and Road Initiative. According to the expert, the US should try to counter Chinese influence in the Southeast Asian region by building strong economic relations with the Countries of the area.

After the trade deals signed with Singapore and Vietnam, the European Union seems determined to conclude trade agreements with other ASEAN countries as well. Talks with Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand are in progress, but have proven to be difficult. Negotiations with Malaysia have stalled for years, with prevailing issues, particularly the EU’s plan to ban palm oil imports, taking precedence. The EU, however, is not giving up.

In an attempt to support businesses struggling to recover from the severe economic impact of the pandemic, the Vietnamese Central Bank has cut interest rates for the second time in two months. The authorities seem determined to make the country able to restart, with the aim of registering significant growth in spite of the crisis

During a major online meeting with national and international companies, the Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc announced Vietnam aims for a full recovery at a targeted 5% growth, despite the International Monetary Fund forecasts are predicting a 2,7% growth in 2020. The Vietnamese government hopes to achieve the higher result by means of attracting new investors.

For a decade all eyes have been on China, but now the attention of the international community is shifting to Southeast Asia, a region rich of opportunities, with a young, dynamic and large population.

The Russian Ambassador to the Philippines, Igor Khovaev, assures the support of the Russian Federation to ASEAN member countries for a stronger collaboration in the hard fight against the coronavirus pandemic. An online meeting is expected to be held soon to share intervention modalities and good health practices.

The Vietnamese authorities are considering relying on international arbitration to solve the dispute with Beijing on the South China Sea. According to analysts, Vietnam could act similarly to the Philippines, which won a case against China in the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in 2016.

New-vehicle sales in Southeast Asia plummeted 40% on the year in March, the biggest monthly drop-off in the past decade, data compiled by Nikkei finds. Automakers sold only 196,802 vehicles in six of the region's leading markets that month as the coronavirus pandemic undercut both demand and consumer outings.

The antagonism between Vietnam and China for the control of some areas in the South China Sea over the last years has been pushing Hanoi to get closer from a diplomatic and military point of view to the United States, which is increasingly relying on Vietnam for China's military containment.

After having benefited from the consequences of the US-China trade war, Vietnam has now effectively managed the virus and is preparing to restart its economy and growth. An interesting editorial by Nikkei Asian Review highlights Vietnam's momentum in the light of recent changes