Vietnam's industrialization and the Philippines' rule of law challenge

This is my third visit to our neighbor, Vietnam. I am on vacation with some of my former dormmates in UP Narra dormitory four decades ago. We brought our spouses. I even brought my eldest daughter. Special thanks to Pidro Sing for organizing this.

- BIENVENIDO S. OPLAS, JR.

In GDP size at Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) values, in 2008 Vietnam overtook the Philippines and Colombia, and tied with Switzerland. That year, Vietnam and Switzerland had $445 billion while Philippines had $442 billion and Colombia had $444 billion.

Then Vietnam overtook Belgium in 2009. It overtook Malaysia and South Africa in 2016, Argentina in 2019, the Netherlands in 2020, Nigeria in 2022, and Pakistan in 2024. In 2024, Vietnam had a GDP (PPP) of $1.66 trillion and was 25^th largest economy in the world while Philippines had $1.37 trillion and took the 31^st spot. Vietnam's economic expansion came fast and was fantastic, especially for a dirt poor and war-ravaged economy until 1975 when the US left and ended its brutal and barbarous invasion of about 13 years.

So far, I have made four foreign trips this year - Hong Kong and China last April, Spain last September, and will be going on my fifth and last trip to Japan today. All were work-related except the Vietnam trip. I have been to all the countries I mention in the table accompanying this piece, which compares the economies mentioned, and neighboring countries.