Does economic distance affect the flows of trade and foreign direct investment? Evidence from Vietnam

This study examines the effect of relative economic distance (RED) between countries on bilateral foreign trade and foreign direct investment (FDI), using Vietnam as a case study. The difference in per-capita GDP is used as proxy for the RED between Vietnam and her partner countries. Modified gravity models are estimated using the procedure of panel-corrected standard errors (PCSE). The results indicate that there is a feedback and significantly positive relationship between Vietnam’s trade and FDI inflows. The economic distance between Vietnam and her partner countries has a significantly positive influence on the country’s bilateral trade and FDI inflows.