Ngo Kim Hoang Nguyen, LLM.

Nguyen Hoang Ba Huy

Lecturer, Faculty of International Law,

Ho Chi Minh City University of Law

The Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) Program, established in 1992, promotes regional economic integration through the improvement of physical connectivity and facilitation of trade and investment. Covering 2.6 million square kilometers and a combined population of around 326 million including developing countries:  Cambodia, the People's Republic of China (PRC, specifically Yunnan Province and Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region), Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Many programs and reforms in both international and national levels have been done to archive the goals. However, the trading partners in regional economic cooperation in the GMS did not facilitate the trade as expected, as evidenced by perennial trade deficits. Awarness of the GMS’ trade potential and the GMS Program’s economic integration aspirations remains a challenge as trade facilitation reforms lag behind improved physical connectivity. Calculating for a period of 30 years of GMS programs, this article aims to make recommendations to build a legal framework for investment cooperation in the region.