The Vietnamese government has begun to relax the severe social distancing measures to allow the country to begin a new recovery phase. The careful management of the health emergency by the authorities seems to be having its effects, offering a significant advantage to the Vietnamese economy.

Despite the impact of the pandemic, Vietnam is expected to be the fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia this year. The government has intervened with a credit support package of more than $10 billion and growth is expected to pick up strongly in the coming years.

Philippine authorities have officially protested against Chinese aggressiveness in South China Sea. China's recent assertive moves in the area, in the midst of a health and economic emergency, have raised criticism from several Southeast Asian countries and the United States.

Japanese electronics company NEC has won a contract worth about 190 million dollars to supply a radar satellite to Vietnam. The Vietnamese authorities are therefore looking at Japan for support in the development of satellite production and management systems.

Vietnam lodged a formal protest after Beijing announced the establishment of two new administrative units in the South China Sea islands. The Vietnamese authorities are urging China to respect Vietnam's sovereignty and not to violate international law

The Vietnamese textile sector is struggling with a sudden drop in orders that could have serious consequences for large clothing manufacturers. If the health emergency continues for a long time, many manufacturing companies may go bankrupt, giving Vietnam, but also the global value chains of fast fashion giants like Zara and H&M, an hard time

Through social and TV campaigns, massive use of tests and apps to control movements, the Vietnamese authorities are successfully managing the health emergency. An interesting article in La Repubblica analyzes this model.

Vietnam will enjoy the fastest economic growth in Southeast Asia in 2020, according to a new forecast from British multinational investment bank HSBC. Vietnam has been a beneficiary of the China-U.S. trade war, enjoying a boost in services and exports that should drive economic growth to 7% this year.

At the start of the year, Hanoi is wasting little time to shine a global spotlight on its position, prestige, and responsibility as the new chair of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Vietnam has approved an amended Labor Code which will come into effect in January 2021. The amendment to the labor regulations are a step towards aligning with international labor standards particularly as Vietnam integrates into the world economy as noted by the International Labor Organization (ILO).

As Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2020, Vietnam will be responsible for promoting and increasing ASEAN’s interests and prosperity, Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung has said.

Venture capital funding pouring into Vietnamese fintech companies accounted for 36 percent of the total fintech investment in Southeast Asia.

The Philippines' auto industry appears to be coming into its own thanks to government support, with Toyota Motor and Mitsubishi Motors using a majority of locally supplied parts when assembling flagship models in the Southeast Asian nation.

Vietnam, widely regarded as one of the US-China trade war’s biggest winners, is stepping up efforts to prevent US-bound China-made goods from being transported through its territory to dodge US tariffs.

La Marina filippina si appresta a prendere in consegna parte del cantiere della Hanjin Heavy Industries a Subic Bay per sostenere la ripresa del porto, colpito dalla bancarotta del colosso navale coreano, e assicurarsi che sia tenuto fuori dalle mire della Cina.

Le Filippine rappresentano un caso molto particolare nell’area ASEAN. Pur essendo inserite nel contesto del Sud-est asiatico, le Filippine non fanno parte dell’Indocina e neanche dell’Insulindia, quella “virgola rovesciata” che unisce l’Indocina all’Australia. L’arcipelago delle Filippine sembra più un elemento del contrafforte che, partendo dalla Kamčatka e passando per le isole del Giappone e per Taiwan, separa, lungo il Pacifico, l’Oriente dall’Occidente.

La Banca Mondiale e le Filippine hanno firmato un accordo di finanziamento dal valore di 300 milioni di dollari da allocare al programma condizionale di trasferimento di denaro, 4Ps. Con tale programma, il governo filippino spera di ridurre l'incidenza della povertà del paese sotto il 15% entro il 2022.

South Korea and the Philippines have agreed to conclude free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations in the first half of 2020.

On November 25, Vietnam finally released its 2019 defense white paper – the first document of its kind in a decade. It comes amid a big year for Vietnamese foreign policy in 2020, with Hanoi holding both the annually-rotating ASEAN chairmanship and a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council as well as navigating domestic transitions out to its National Party Congress in 2021.