In August, a group of Vietnamese workers travelled north to the LEGO Group’s factory in Jiaxing, China, for training as the Danish giant prepares to open a $US1 billion ($1.5 billion) plant in Vietnam’s Binh Duong Province, near the South-East Asian country’s business hub, Ho Chi Minh City.

The LEGO expansion is a classic example of the “China-plus-one” sourcing strategy that has prompted multinationals that have long stamped “made in China” on their goods to look south. Vietnam has benefited from superpower rivalry, trade wars, and, more recently, concern about China’s trajectory as growth there slows.