- huge economic potential, among the 20 strongest in the world counting UE as one entity; national income per person very low; huge social disproportions, inequality; people living in poverty
- world no 1 of rice export, 50% farmlands designated to rice cultivation
- other important products and industries: manioc, corns, gum tree, sugar cane, coconuts, soya, tin, wolfram, electronics, computers, cars, machine-building industry, precious stones, tourism
- main partners: export: the USA, China, Japan, Hong-Kong, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore; import partners: Japan, China, Malaysia, the USA, European Union, and Korea; dependence of Japanese import (20%)
- weaknesses: political instability, corruption, bureaucracy
- ASEAN: 6th power of the world, after EU, the USA, China, Japan, and India; ASEAN: Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, Laos, Cambodia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines