HANOI: South-East Asia is at a pivotal juncture as geopolitical tensions, supply chain restructuring and rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI), digitalisation and the global energy transition reshape the world economy.
This is opening up new opportunities for Asean countries, including Vietnam, to strengthen the region’s position as a centre for production, consumption and innovation.
Yet economists said the region’s next phase of development will depend less on low-cost manufacturing and more on its ability to deepen regional integration, strengthen domestic demand and build the infrastructure needed to support higher-value industries.
For decades, Asean’s rise was driven by its role as a manufacturing base for global markets.
Factories across the region supplied electronics, garments,…
