Vietnam is still attractive to MNCs despite Trump's snub

Ho Chi Minh City

VIETNAMESE clothing maker NhaBe Garment Corp had a lot riding on the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The supplier to brands such as Calvin Klein, Michael Kors and Kenneth Cole has seen its exports more than double since 2011 to US$729 million last year - and it increased its factories two-fold to 35, betting on a big drop in tariffs from Vietnam's membership in the 12-nation trade pact.

With a pen stroke, President Donald Trump killed the ambitious trade agreement, a deal that promised to deliver an estimated 8 per cent boost to Vietnam's gross domestic product by 2030, according to the World Bank.