Footwear exports to the US have been forecast to struggle in the remaining months of this year due to falling demand, though it recorded a 10 per cent increase in revenue in the first quarter of the year.

Unlike Europe, North America and recently Russia, Southeast Asia does not seem to have been hit as hard by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of total deaths and confirmed cases. Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia are the worst affected countries in the region, but Vietnam, Cambodia and previously Singapore, have managed to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh and EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan reached consensus on the point of time for the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to take effect, during their phone talks on June 8.

With both the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the European Union-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) being adopted by the Vietnam National Assembly, many local firms have pinned their hopes on capitalising on the opportunity to expand into a new export market and develop production.

The number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Vietnam are much lower than in most countries worldwide due to early and aggressive anti-pandemic response. But this does not mean that the impact of the pandemic on Vietnam is less severe.

The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) and the Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA), which were ratified by the National Assembly on the morning of June 8, will offer a golden opportunity for Vietnam to elevate its position on the global trade map, especially in the context of the worldwide COVID-19 crisis, economic analysts believe.

The EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will bring great benefits to Vietnam's agricultural sector, according to an official from the European Parliament (EP).

The director-general of the World Trade Organization, Roberto Azevedo, recently said he was stepping down early. Exasperation over the WTO’s diminished standing appears to have been a factor. That’s understandable. Step by step, governments have pushed an institution with an essential role in promoting global growth toward complete irrelevance.

Experts have suggested Vietnamese enterprises improve product quality standards to overcome barriers imposed by the fastidious yet promising EU market, thus optimising the advantages to be generated from the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

Economic growth in the ASEAN region could rebound to an average 8 percent in 2021 after falling into recession in the first half of 2020, a report suggested on June 8.