The Competitiveness of Vietnam on the East Asian Production Ladder
F. Gerard Adams, Anh Le Tran

Abstract
Vietnam, a transitional economy, has been successfully making a place for itself on the East Asian development ladder. This article considers the role of various sectors in the Vietnamese economy, their competitiveness, and the influence of Vietnam’s participation in AFTA and WTO. Vietnam is not yet at an advanced technological level and its competitive advantage lies in low cost labor in relatively simple industrial operations—apparel, footwear, electronic assembly. While Vietnam has maintained its growth well in comparison to other East Asian countries during the current recession, the next challenge will be moving on to more advanced stages of development.

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