Thailand remains a favored hotspot for foreign direct investment (FDI) despite regional and global economic fluctuations. The country has focused intensely on efforts to consistently improve its standing as an FDI destination, gaining popularity among foreign investors because it offers an attractive and modern legal framework, reasonable input costs and a favorable geographic location.

Foreign investment is, once again, flooding into Vietnam. According to The Economist, foreign direct investment hit a record high in 2015. The Vietnamese government has taken steps to improve the investment environment by recently revising the Enterprise Law (2014), the Investment Law (2014), the Land Law (2013), and the Law on Real Estate Business (2013), among others. And if the Trans-Pacific Partnership is ratified, Vietnam will become an even more attractive investment locale, as additional trade barriers are lifted.

Since the National League for Democracy (NLD) won the election in November 2015, the new government cabinet has pledged to implement major reforms to Myanmar’s political, legal, economic, social, and democratic developments, in hopes to undo years of economic stagnation caused by over half a century of military governance.

Cambodia is becoming an increasingly attractive destination for foreign investment. Since 2011, Cambodia’s GDP has grown by at least 7 percent per year, and the Asian Development Bank expects this growth to continue in the coming years. Cambodia has one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia, and the country has been dubbed “Asia’s New Tiger Economy” by the Asian Development Bank.

With neighboring economic powerhouses such as Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos) is often overlooked as a burgeoning economy in the ASEAN region. Laos is situated in a unique geographical location. It shares borders with Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, and China, meaning that the country has great potential to become a vibrant hub, linking China to other ASEAN countries.

A patent is a type of intellectual property that can provide protection for a design, the invention of a product, or the process of making an invention. For a patent to be granted, one of the key requirements is that it must be new or novel. But beyond its novelty, a patent also has commercial value.

The government of Thailand has made it clear that it intends to fully utilize public-private partnerships (PPPs) in order to implement the country’s upcoming infrastructure development goals. The adoption of the Private Investment in State Undertakings Act B.E. 2556 (2013) (PISUA) and the announcement of the Strategic Plan on Private Investment in State Undertakings in 2015 demonstrate the specific policy objectives the government intends to achieve through using PPPs.

Effective from January 1, 2017, all contracts to construct residential buildings will be subject to contract control under the Consumer Protection Act B.E. 2522 (1979) and the Royal Decree Prescribing Bases and Procedures in Relation to a Business that is Subject to Contract Control and Description of a Contract B.E. 2542 (1999).