Vietnam-EU trade deal begins on Aug 1

A file photo showing a worker sewing a garment at Pro Sports factory in Nam Dinh province. Vietnam has ratified a significant trade deal with the EU that begins on Saturday (Aug 1), which is expected boost the country's manufacturing sector and exports, as it recovers from a dip caused by the Covid-19. - AP

BRUSSELS/HANOI, Aug 1, 2020 (AFP): The EU's controversial trade deal with Vietnam comes into force on Saturday (Aug 1), despite criticism that it ignores environmental and human rights concerns about the communist state.

The free trade agreement, signed in Hanoi in June last year, will phase out tariff barriers over a decade for Vietnam and over seven years for the EU.