ABSTRACT
Beyond a history of war since 1945, and now economic reform, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia have little in common except their geographic proximity. The Mekong River, which runs along the southern border of Laos and winds through the heart of Cambodia and Vietnam, could become a common developmental factor, but this eventuality is decades in the future. Over the near term, their inclusion in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will be important once their economies become compatible with those of ASEAN's member states. Vietnam, and to a lesser extent Laos and Cambodia, will be the locus for ASEAN investments, particularly manufacturing for export to third countries; Vietnam is already an expanding target for products from the ASEANs, Japan, and China, not to mention high-tech communications and infrastructure equipment from the West.
