Headlines such as "Vietnam's exports overtake Shenzhen" and "Is Vietnam the next China?" have drawn attention in China's media and online forums, reflecting anxiety that Vietnam might usurp China's position as the world's factory.

Western media, meanwhile, have focused on how China's zero-Covid policy has caused orders to be diverted to Vietnam. In a June report by German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung with the eye-catching headline "Goodbye China, Hello Vietnam", one manufacturer said: "Vietnam seems to be a better and cheaper China."