Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and US President Donald Trump at the Government Office in Hanoi, February 2019. (Photo: VGP)

Vietnam ascended two spots from last year to 32nd out of 80 economies in the 2019 power ranking released by multi-platform publisher US News and World Report.

Listing is based on an equally weighted scores average related to a country's leader, economic influence, political influence, international alliance and military. Singapore was named most powerful Southeast Asian country, ranked 20th. Vietnam's level of global influence is ahead of several neighbors including Indonesia, the Philippines, Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia.

The US retains the top spot as the most powerful country in the world, followed by Russia and China.