Economy

A Thai farmer carries rice stems in Nakohn Ratchasima, 200 km northeast of Bangkok. Thailand was the world's biggest rice exporter for decades but is now suffering from falling output and deteriorating quality.
Economy

Asia's rice exporters trigger a price war

Thailand likely to lose further ground in global market to India and Vietnam

16 January 2019
A train passes through downtown Hanoi. Traveling by rail from the Vietnamese capital to Ho Chi Minh City in the south takes more than 30 hours.
Economy

Vietnam revives $58bn high-speed rail project despite cost hurdle

Hanoi seeks funding plan for north-south line serving economy and unity

16 January 2019
The garment industry is shifting production out of China and into Vietnam, such as at this factory near Hanoi, in order to avoid higher U.S. tariffs.
Trade war

Vietnam reaps sixth straight record year in foreign investment

Trade war drives 9% gain in 2018, pulling garment production from China

10 January 2019
Women work at a garment factory in Hai Duong province, outside Hanoi. 
Economy

Vietnam privatizations hit wall as TPP arrives

Hanoi poised to miss 2020 goal of easing control of economy

7 January 2019
Stream article image
2 January 2019
© Illustration by Eric Chow
Asia Insight

Japan to Asia: Give us your young, your skilled, your eager workers

Abe bets on foreign talent -- blue and white collars alike -- to revitalize the economy

1 January 2019
Van Don International Airport can accommodate large aircraft such as Boeing 777s and Airbus A350s.
Economy

Vietnam's first privately owned airport opens for business

Van Don airport represents Hanoi's push to ease dependence on state funds

30 December 2018
A ship leaves a port in Indonesia, which has indicated interest in joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement.
Trade war

Japan rings in the year of mega free trade

TPP-11 zone covers a big chunk of global GDP -- but not US and China

30 December 2018
PetroVietnam Oil operates 540 filling stations in the country, with another 3,000 locations run by agents.
Companies

Vietnam state oil retailer tweaks search plans for foreign strategic partner

Amid market slump, PV Oil compromises on 45% divestment plan

20 December 2018
Workers at a garment factory in Bac Giang province, near Hanoi. Vietnam's apparel industry is benefiting from buyers looking increasingly beyond China.
Trade war

Trade war buoys apparel industry in Bangladesh and Vietnam

Production shift likely to pick up as buyers look beyond China

15 December 2018
Stream article image
3 December 2018
A Rosneft Vietnam worker stands on the Lan Tay gas platform in the South China Sea.
International relations

Vietnam and Russia expand joint South China Sea gas projects

Moves to ease dependence on Beijing threatens to sharpen regional conflict

30 November 2018
In Vietnam, seven casino projects, including the Grand Ho Tram Strip in Ba Ria–Vung Tau Province, have been licensed for operation, but only foreigners are permitted to play in them.
Business trends

Vietnam prepares to open up casino gambling to locals

Vingroup to handle pilot project slated for launch next year on Phu Quoc Island

28 November 2018
Japan wants to help Southeast Asian nations train more specialists in information technology.
Economy

ASEAN to groom 80,000 tech specialists with Japan's help

Tokyo will also assist with the construction of smart cities in Southeast Asia

15 November 2018
Stream article image
Asia Insight

Southeast Asia awakens to the power of corporate competition

Caught flat-footed by Grab and Uber, states raise antitrust games

6 November 2018
A Formula One race is held in Mexico City on Oct. 27.
Life

Vietnam brings Formula One racing to Hanoi in 2020

City faces steep challenge to raise funds for circuit

3 November 2018
Hanoi during rush hour. Vietnam is becoming a destination for multinationals seeking shelter from the U.S.-China trade war.
Economy

Vietnam primed for M&A boom as foreign ownership limit eases

Industries like pharmaceuticals and real estate catch Asian buyers' eyes

1 November 2018
A villager walks by a geothermal power plant in Central Java Province. Indonesia is rich in geothermal reserves.
Environment

Southeast Asia to double renewables with help of experts

International agency to steer ASEAN away from coal

31 October 2018
Both American and Chinese companies say that the trade war is causing them to lose market share to Vietnamese competitors. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Trade war

Vietnam emerges as key beneficiary of trade war

US and Chinese companies weigh Southeast Asia as new supply base

29 October 2018
Cambodia's minimum wage, which determines the pay of many garment workers, has risen sharply in recent years.
Economy

Minimum wages surge across Southeast Asia

Favoring protectionism over productivity risks discouraging foreign investment

28 October 2018
A worker inspects a circuit board at factory in Vietnam. Southeast Asia has become a more important link in the supply chains of multinational manufacturers.
Trade war

Trade war drives Asian manufacturing out of China

Southeast Asia and Mexico emerge as favored hubs for Panasonic, TCL and others

24 October 2018
Nguyen Phu Trong
Politics

Vietnam party chief Trong formally named president

74-year-old becomes country's first leader to hold both roles since Ho Chi Minh

23 October 2018
U.S. soybeans, such as these grown in Missouri, have become comparatively cheap due to the trade war with China and a bumper harvest.
Economy

Is Southeast Asia China's new middleman for US soybeans?

Trade statistics point to emergence of new routes bypassing increased tariffs

23 October 2018
Representatives from Trans-Pacific Partnership members pose for photos in March after the signing ceremony in Chile.
Economy

Australia approves TPP-11, raises chance of pact taking effect in early 2019

New Zealand and Vietnam set to debate ratification of trans-Pacific trade deal

17 October 2018
A "Made in Vietnam" label is visible on a shirt in a display case in the lobby of President Donald Trump's Trump Tower building in New York, U.S.
10 October 2018