INFRAESTRUCTURE GROWTH, INVESTMENT, AND WORK CAPACITY These are uncertain times. What times aren’t? “They, like all men, had to live through difficult times,” wrote Borges. Although Southeast Asia is suffering in the current economic climate, this year Singapore’s GDP is set to grow 3.3%, and it won’t be alone: Vietnam will grow 6.6% and the Philippines 6.3%, according to Standard & Poor’s. 2023 growth pro-jections exceed 5% in the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand. While inflation is surging in Europe, it’s projected to be around 5.7% in Singapore this year, and 5.3% in the Philippines. In Vietnam, it won’t even hit 3%. The long-term infrastructure investment picture is dazzling, with average regional GDP growth of 4% to 5% over the next decade, according to Bain & Company. ASEAN welcomes international appreciation from global powers and receives abundant capital, especially from China. Foreign direct investment in 2020, for example, rose by 44% to USD 175 billion. Two examples highlight the trend of the region’s most dynamic markets: Singapore, a global financial center and the priority destination for companies that wish to operate in the region, had FDI inflows of USD 99 billion in 2021, while according to Bing Yuan, an international ana-lyst at Edmond de Rothschild investment firm, Vietnam is attracting capital formerly invested in China thanks to “its convenient logistics, high-quality raw materials, and strong work ethic.” And thanks to its youth, which is another of the keys to the region’s growth. Vietnamese workers are 32 years old on average, compared to 38 in China. Nike has located over half of its shoe production there. Samsung is the primary foreign investor, manufacturing 58% of its smartphones in the country and generating 20% of its wealth. The Vietnam of today is a testament to the country’s transformation from the harsh nation depicted in The Quiet American to an entrepreneurial society.