The European Union (EU) and Vietnam reached an agreement in principle on a trade and investment deal on 4 August 2015.
Vietnam's exports to the EU grew 12% to USD27bn in 2014, mainly in electronics, footwear, and food; Vietnam imported USD6bn of machinery and pharma products from the EU.
The agreement goes beyond the elimination of tariffs to include liberalisation of investment and services, and seeks to level the playing field between SOEs and private firms .
Davi Nguyen
Source: HSBC
