On April 17, Bloomberg reported that China had overtaken the United States as Vietnam’s largest export market. According to figures cited by the news organisation and tallied by the International Monetary Fund, Vietnam’s exports to China amounted to US$50.6 billion in 2017, compared to US$46.5 billion in exports to the US.If these numbers are accurate, they would represent a significant shift in the triangular relationship between Vietnam, China, and the US.

Vietnam’s Prime Minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc arrived in Singapore early this week for an official visit ahead of the 32nd ASEAN Summit. Nguyen Xuan Phuc made the official visit at the invitation of Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong. The visit was to celebrate the 45-year relationship between both countries since establishing diplomatic ties in 1973. The visit also marks the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Singapore in 2013.

With a relentless implementation of new technologies combined with a surge in investment deals, it is not erroneous to say that the automotive industry in Southeast Asia is experiencing a positive transition. Before the proposed introduction of Vietnam’s VinFast, Malaysia was the only Southeast Asian nation that had its own national car, in the form of Proton.

Vietnam and Australia’s strategic partnership marks a new chapter in their 45-year relationship and could help bolster each country’s stand on the South China Sea dispute. The strategic partnership deal was signed during Vietnamese prime minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s visit to Australia ahead of the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit on 15 March.

Amazon recently announced that it would partner with the Vietnam E-commerce Association (VECOM) to allow local small and medium-sized enterprises to sell and export their goods using the company’s platform there. The e-commerce giant's foray into Vietnam is its second into Southeast Asia thus far.Presented with stiff competition from Lazada, Tiki and Shopee in Vietnam, Amazon is likely to be still testing the market there.

Hydropower in Southeast Asia holds much promise. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), hydropower capacity in the region grew almost threefold from 16 GW to 44 GW between 2000 and 2016. The major users of hydropower technology are Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) members in the Indochinese region and the Philippines.

Earlier this week, a United States (US) navy aircraft carrier made its way to Vietnam for the first time since the end of the Vietnam war in 1975. The central coastal city of Da Nang saw the arrival of the USS Carl Vinson which had more than 5,000 crew members along with a cruiser and destroyer. Da Nang was also the first location where US troops landed during the Vietnam war, making the visit even more significant.

Sustainable energy development is a challenge when meeting rising energy demands especially in developing economies. However, Vietnam is one ASEAN nation that is up to the task.According to the country’s National Energy Development Plan, energy demand forecasts indicate that by 2035, the total final energy demand will be more than double than levels in 2015.

Last September, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc launched the construction of Vingroup’s automobile manufacturing complex in the northern port city of Hai Phong. The automobile manufacturing complex will be the production centre of Vietnam’s first national car, Vinfast. Bloomberg reported in September 2017 that conglomerate Vingroup plans to invest up to US$3.5 billion to build a manufacturing and research and development complex.

With electricity demand in Vietnam growing 12 percent annually, the Vietnamese government has set a goal to generate 265 billion kWh of electricity by 2020 and 570 billion kWh of electricity by 2030. This is to meet the surging demand for power resulting from rapid urbanisation and industrialisation in the country. Currently, Vietnam produces more than 170 billion kWh of electricity from fossil energy sources, such as coal and gas – which are speedily being exhausted.