Vietnam is a very open economy, and what is happening worldwide affects the country directly. Vietnam receives $2-3 billion of foreign direct investment (FDI) annually, has over a dozen free trade deals in effect, and the trade volume with the world has doubled over the last six years. Takeo Nakajima-Chief representative in Hanoi Japan External Trade Organization The Japanese companies in Vietnam are no exception. The good news in the first half of the year was that social constraints were lifted, manufacturers recovered operations (though not entirely due to labour shortages and supply chain conditions), and export markets in North America and Europe kept purchasing goods from Vietnam. However, from July, inflation kept rising, China did not lift major city lockdowns, and US purchasing power slowed due to high interest. Order for apparel, footwear, car parts, electronics, machinery, and steel also slowed down. The latter half of 2022 did not help a solid recovery of … [Read more...] about Japanese investors keeping eye on fresh 2023 trends