Economy

Vietnam Airlines is back to operating more than 350 daily domestic flights, which puts it near 2019 levels.
Transportation

Vietnam Airlines resumes all domestic flight services

South Korean carriers prepare to fly to Southeast Asian nation

2 June 2020
A worker packs polio vaccine vials in Bio Farma's factory: the company is the largest vaccine manufacturer in Southeast Asia.
Opinion

Southeast Asia is on the coronavirus vaccine hunt

Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam have successful pharmaceutical sectors

1 June 2020
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, center, and Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, right, pose at the East Asia Summit in Thailand in 2019. 
International relations

Japan's judicial diplomacy at crossroads as Laos enacts civil code

Legal assistance to Southeast Asia brings result, but budget constraints loom

31 May 2020
Repatriated overseas Filipino workers arrive at an airport after weeks of quarantine in Pasay City on May 26: they send home more than $35 billion annually.
Opinion

Coronavirus shock exposes Asian governments' addiction to remittances

Money which overseas workers send home has prevented needed reforms

28 May 2020
Staff at Ramkhamhaeng Hospital's drive through service in Bangkok test for the coronavirus on March 26. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Interview

Thailand drums up post-COVID-19 investment in medical supplies

Board of Investment chief wants multinationals that can launch operations this year

22 May 2020
A poster warns about the coronavirus on a street in Hanoi. Vietnam has recorded just over 300 cases with no deaths.
Economy

Vietnam and Mekong peers pay economic price despite low virus tolls

Promising ASEAN quartet likely to fortify and diversify after pandemic cuts growth

21 May 2020
Employees work on a smartphone production line in Wuhan. In advanced electronics, companies have barely shifted out of China at all, despite cajoling from Trump.
Opinion

US-China decoupling is much harder than Donald Trump thinks

Despite threats and incentives, companies like Chinese manufacturing

20 May 2020
According to local regulations, Vietnam can declare the end of a pandemic after 28 days without any new cases in the community.
Coronavirus

Vietnam looks to call end to coronavirus as Assembly nears

Hanoi to lure post-virus business by amending enterprise and investment laws

19 May 2020
People walk through Lumphini Park in Bangkok: Thailand reported zero new confirmed COVID-19 cases for the first time in over two months on May 13. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Coronavirus

Thailand follows Vietnam with no new coronavirus cases

Bangkok moves cautiously toward easing soft lockdown

13 May 2020
Vietnam is bullish to achieve over 5% GDP growth in 2020. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends the Special ASEAN summit on COVID-19 in Hanoi in April.
Economy

Vietnam vows 5% growth in post-outbreak foreign investment pitch

Prime minister calls on South Korea, Japan, US and Europe at business conference

11 May 2020
A floating system of solar power panels in Da Mi, Vietnam: The Southeast Asian country is hitting its solar targets six years ahead of schedule.
Opinion

COVID-19 will not slow Southeast Asia's shift from coal to renewables

Japan, China and South Korea must support move to cleaner energy

11 May 2020
Apple is mass producing AirPods in Vietnam for the frist time. (Nikkei Montage/AP/Reuters) 
8 May 2020
People ride motorbikes after the government eased nationwide lockdown in Ho Chi Minh on Apr. 25: this is no time to pop the champagne corks.
Opinion

Vietnam must turn coronavirus success into economic growth

Country has acquired financial and political capital in US-China trade war too

7 May 2020
Ventilators are a key instrument in the fight against coronavirus. 
Coronavirus

Hanoi mobilizes Vingroup to make ventilators ahead of next virus wave

Vietnam asks local manufacturers to venture into medical market

4 May 2020
Thailand to begin the first of four phases of reopening businesses on Sunday. (Photo by Akira Kodaka)
Coronavirus

Thailand reopens restaurants and golf courses from May 3

Bangkok to ease coronavirus restrictions in four phases but extends alcohol sales ban

30 April 2020
Grab cofounders, Anthony Tan (right) and Tan Hooi Ling, have grown their company into social infrastructure in Southeast Asia.    
Nikkei Asia Prizes

Grab: From business-school project to game-changer in Southeast Asia

Ride-hailing app brings financial security to drivers and new technology to region

30 April 2020
© Illustration by Yoko Nakamura
Asia Insight

Vietnam power struggle enters critical stretch after virus victory

Economy and China top agenda as Communists prepare to pick 'Four Pillars'

28 April 2020
A supermarket in Singapore in mid-March: The city-state's government has repeatedly assured consumers that food will not run out, but that does not mean supplies are immune to disruption.
Coronavirus

Fragile ASEAN food supply chains creak under strain of pandemic

Lockdowns and export curbs lead to scrawny chickens and shortage fears

24 April 2020
A poster warning about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is seen on a street in Hanoi, Vietnam April 20, 2020. 
Coronavirus

Vietnam to ease lockdown Thursday in most areas

Flights to resume, but parts of Hanoi will remain under social distancing rules

22 April 2020
A medical staff takes samples at a drive-thru testing center in Daegu, South Korea, on Mar. 3; the U.S. can learn from its partners.
Opinion

US can outshine China at coronavirus medical diplomacy

Washington needs to boost existing anti-pandemic research networks in Asia

21 April 2020
The quarantine exemptions given to Samsung engineers by the Vietnamese government are a testament to the company's importance to the nation's economy.
Economy

Vietnam gives Samsung a pass on tough travel restrictions

South Korean engineers allowed to skip quarantine despite infection risk

21 April 2020
Vietnam extends social-distancing measures in 12 cities and provinces, including Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, until April 22 at the earliest. 
Coronavirus

Vietnam extends coronavirus lockdown in 12 high-risk locations

Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh continue to be locked down while businesses call for return to normality

15 April 2020
A restaurant closed due to the coronavirus outbreak is seen next to the Chao Phraya river with a view of Wat Arun temple, one of the city's top tourist spots, in Bangkok, Thailand March 27.
Economy

Asian Development Bank triples coronavirus war chest to $20bn

Governments get the most, but companies can access $2bn in financial aid

14 April 2020
A child washes hands with anti-bacterial soap in Dhaka on Mar. 27: hand soap faces a global average tariff of 17%.
Opinion

Asia must brace for new age of protectionism

Putting up trade barriers causes everyone to lose in the long run

9 April 2020
A sign in front of My Khe beach in Da Nang, Vietnam, this week. (Photo by Hugh Bohane)
Economy

Deserted beaches show coronavirus hit to Vietnam's tourism sector

About 23,000 workers in resort of Da Nang have taken temporary leave

9 April 2020