Is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) ready for a new era of trade coercion? The answer will depend on each nation, but Asean members want to look unified and pragmatic.

A flurry of deals on trade and critical minerals was signed by the United States with Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam on Sunday (Oct 26).

According to statistics from Enterprise Singapore, Viet Nam is currently the third largest rice supplier to Singapore, after India and Thailand.

Viet Nam’s accession to ASEAN 30 years ago has marked a strategic turning point, transforming the country from a closed economy into an open, dynamic, and deeply integrated player in both regional and global markets.

In September alone, the two-way trade turnover between the two countries reached SGD3.2 billion (approximately US$2.47 billion), marking a 46.7% increase compared to the same period last year.

Rice continues to be one of Vietnam’s key export products to Singapore, maintaining its position as the city-state’s third-largest supplier after India and Thailand.

A Vietnam–Singapore business networking event was held in Singapore on October 16, focusing on the electrical, electronics, electrical equipment, semiconductor, and industrial manufacturing sectors.

Ha stated that Vietnam regards the development of the Halal industry as a new and important direction to unlock the global Halal market and foster new growth drivers.

Malaysia is Vietnam’s third-largest trading partner in ASEAN and ninth globally, as well as a key investor with 731 valid projects worth about 13 billion USD. Bilateral trade reached 9.23 billion USD by July 2025, up 8% year-on-year, nearing the 18 billion USD target.

Tith Rithipol, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Commerce, on Saturday led a Cambodian delegation to a key conference on the connectivity of production, distribution and logistics enterprises between Vietnam and Cambodia.