I. INTRODUCTION
In 1986 during the Sixth Congress of the Communist Party, Vietnam launched a fundamental economic reform program, called doi moi (Renovation), a turning point that marked the country's transition from a centrally-planned economy to a market-driven economy with a socialist orientation. Key elements of this reform include (i) state-owned enterprise reform and private sector development, (ii) external trade and foreign investment, and (iii) liberalization of financial market. Along with the domestic economic reform, at the bilateral level, Vietnam has established and fostered economic relationships with other countries with a view to facilitating foreign trade …