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Vietnam

Vietnam signed a fairly comprehensive bilateral trade agreement (BTA) with the United States in 2000. It came into force in 2001. The BTA was part of the post-war "trade normalisation" process between the two countries and should be seen as strong precursor to a watertight US FTA. In June 2007, Hanoi and Washington signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, yet another step towards a possible FTA. And in December 2008, the two governments began negotiating a hardcore bilateral investment treaty (BIT), yet another.

In January 2007, Hanoi and Tokyo began talks towards a Japan-Vietnam deal, which was finally signed in December 2008. Shortly after, Vietnam began talks with Chile, with the FTA signed in 2011. Hanoi already signed an FTA with Israel back in 2004 and may join the TPP. It is also intending to negotiate FTAs with EFTA, Russia and Mexico

As a member of ASEAN, Vietnam is caught up in the bloc’s regional FTA dealings with Korea, the EU, China, Japan and India. The Vietnamese government has also signed a number of bilateral intellectual property and science & technology agreements with industrialised countries, as well as more than 30 BITs.

last update: May 2012
Photo: Phó Nháy/Wikimedia


Businesses believe APEC’s free trade agreement will bring few benefits
The proposed APEC free trade agreement (FTAAP) is expected to be on a larger scale than the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, but many Vietnamese businesses are not enthusiastic about the trade pact.
Russian FTA could kill Vietnam’s steel market
Next week, Vietnamese officials will engage in their seventh round of talks on a pending free trade agreement with the Russia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union. The Vietnamese steel industry expects to go bankrupt as a result.
Vietnam has trouble escaping dependence on China through FTAs
A host of pending trade agreements could help Vietnam reduce its heavy economic reliance on China, but won’t unless the country takes bold and difficult steps toward developing alternative supply chains and aggressively building up a domestic base range of fabric and component part manufacturers, economists said.
Vietnam hopes to sign free trade agreement with Eurasian Economic Union by yearend
Vietnam hopes to sign a agreement on free trade zone with the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) by the end of this year, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Fam Suan Shon told ITAR-TASS on Thursday.
Vietnam’s exports to ASEAN reduce despite free trade agreement
Vietnam’s exports to its ASEAN partners have fallen despite the free trade agreement inked in 2010.
Vietnam farmers, SMEs threatened by upcoming free trade deals: trade expert
Tran Huu Huynh of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry said given the outcome of FTAs already signed, some groups like farmers would suffer more from harsh competition right at home.
VN seeks Walmart support in TPP talks
Viet Nam hopes to have the support of major US retail corporation Walmart in the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations as well as free trade pacts with other countries, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh said yesterday, Jan 7.
Israel’s argiculture seeds taking root in Vietnam
An Israeli-Vietnamese agriculture research and development fund — and a free-trade agreement between the two countries — may be established soon, following a series of high-level visits.
Putin expects Vietnam and CU to conclude agreement on FTA
Russian President Vladimir Putin set a task of doubling goods turnover in trade with Vietnam within six years. This was stated by the Russian Head of State in an article published by Vietnamese media on Monday ahead of Putin’s visit to Hanoi on November 12.
Vietnam, Israel Looking towards Bilateral Free Trade Agreement
Vietnam and Israel would soon discuss a possible bilateral free trade agreement to accelerate two-way trade in the future.