Key Development Challenges of the Vietnamese economy in the framework of regionalism

The dissertation focuses on the Vietnamese economy and its development during the time period from the end of the World War II until present. Its objective is to map and analyze the process of integration of Vietnam into the regional and global economic structures in the aforementioned time period and identify the main challenges of current Vietnamese economic development. The issues of deficient infrastructure, energy shortage and environmental pollution can all hinder further economic development in terms of trade and investment absorption capacity. Although many other developing countries face similar problems, in Vietnam the conditions had been aggravated by more than 30 years of war, socialist planned economy, division of the territory and long lasting economic isolation all resulting in inefficiencies in use of resources, division of labor and environmental devastation. Nevertheless, Vietnam skillfully uses the newly acquired regional network within the Association of South East Asian Nations as well as the advantages of deepening relationships with the economic centers in Europe and North America to further enhance trade, attract investment and raise development aid. With its outstanding record of high economic growth and dynamic development, Vietnam has proved the ability to employ its resources and comparative advantages to the full.