It is still too early to say how the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) has affected Vietnam's economy. In the last eight months, since the AEC took shape, Vietnam has encountered many difficulties. Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand were markets with which Vietnam had the sharpest trade deficit. Thailand continues to be Vietnam’s largest trade partner with two-way trade turnover of $5.64 billion. An analyst commented that the agreements within the framework of ASEAN or ASEAN+ markets were not bringing apparent benefits to Vietnam.

Source: VietNamNet News September 09, 2016 00:56 UTC