Economy

People wearing face masks commute on their motorbikes on Oct. 1. Months after a lockdown was imposed in Ho Chi Minh City on May 31, authorities allowed Vietnam's commercial hub to "gradually" reopen at the start of October. (Photo by Nguyen Doc Lap)
Coronavirus

Ho Chi Minh City jobless flee as Vietnam eases COVID curbs

Labor crunch looms, with supply chains requiring months to fully recover

1 October 2021
People receive COVID-19 tests on the street in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo by Nguyen Doc Lap)
Economy

Vietnam's GDP shrinks 6.17% in Q3, hurt by pandemic lockdowns

With negative growth, annual target of 6.5% looks out of reach

29 September 2021
Plastic sheet dividers minimize physical interaction between store workers and shoppers at a wet market in Hanoi on Sept. 21. Vietnam's big cities have taken steps to reverse the spread of the COVID-19, but with limited success. 
Coronavirus

Vietnam poised to miss GDP target as COVID squeezes economy

Q3 result likely worse than 2020, analysts say, with rebound hinging on faster jabs

27 September 2021
Stream article image
Companies

Why a carmaker bought a grocery franchise in Vietnam

Odd partnership highlights a trade rule since scrapped by the TPP and EU deal

12 September 2021
Health care workers transfer a COVID-19 patient to an ambulance in Ho Chi Minh City: Southern Vietnam's business hub has an unusually high death rate from the coronavirus.
Coronavirus

Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City has highest COVID death rate in region

Restrictions in commercial hub likely to stay beyond Sept. 15, experts say

11 September 2021
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, pictured in Hanoi on Feb. 1: Chinh's team knows the boom-bust cycle must end.
Opinion

How Vietnam went from pandemic hero to COVID shambles

Leaders assumed that early successes meant vaccination programs could wait

23 August 2021
Asia needs to cut its reliance on coal power.
Climate Change

Philippines and Vietnam coal-fired plants to retire in ADB-led plan

Bank partners with Prudential and HSBC for pilot project

14 August 2021
Of Vietnam's 7,913 new COVID-19 cases recorded on Tuesday,  6,318 were detected in Ho Chi Minh City.
Coronavirus

Vietnam fatality rate rises as delta COVID ravages Ho Chi Minh City

Hanoi forced to close National Assembly earlier to deal with pandemic

28 July 2021
Pedestrians walk past an Adidas store on Oxford Street in London.
Trade

Fashion brands lobby US for COVID vaccines for Vietnam suppliers

Virus slams output in key global production center for apparel and shoes

28 July 2021
Hoa Phat's new blast furnace will allow Vietnam to domestically produce much of its supply of hot-rolled coils. (Photo courtesy of Hoa Phat Group)
Materials

Vietnam's Hoa Phat tightens grip as top Southeast Asia steelmaker

New blast furnace to help boost output 70%, curb dependence on Chinese imports

27 July 2021
Employees work at a factory in Vietnam. (File photo by Rie Ishii)
Companies

COVID forces Vietnam factories to choose sleepovers or stoppages

Key supply chains for Apple, Ikea and Nike hit by strict anti-virus curbs

20 July 2021
India's monstrous second wave of COVID-19 caused most of its over 400,000 fatalities during the pandemic and derailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vaccine diplomacy.
Asia Insight

India's COVID second wave disrupts vaccine export plans

Asia faces shortage as world's biggest jab producer still battles outbreak at home

20 July 2021
Mask-wearing pedestrians crowd the streets of Ho Chi Minh City. The current wave of COVID infections, which hit Vietnam on April 27, has seen a total of 34,582 cases nationwide, resulting in 100 deaths.
Coronavirus

Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City faces medical collapse as COVID surges

New daily cases surpass 3,000, putting healthcare system under pressure

16 July 2021
IPP Air Cargo plans to establish an export hub at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi.
Transportation

Vietnam's first cargo-only airline nears takeoff

Retail group IPPG looks to crack market dominated by foreign carriers

16 July 2021
Vietnamese authorities have proposed a decree requiring social media companies to block content after "justified" complaints from individuals or organizations. (Source photo by Ken Kobayashi) 
Politics

Vietnam to tighten grip on Facebook and YouTube influencers

Hanoi proposes new rules to crack down on what it calls fake news

13 July 2021
A food seller sails her boat at Cai Rang floating market on Mekong river in Can Tho, Vietnam, on May 5: more than 70 million people rely on the river for their livelihood.
Opinion

Why we should care about fate of the Mekong

Worsening environmental degradation will impact millions

12 July 2021
The Vietnamese central bank has been tasked with researching and developing a blockchain-based currency. (Source photos by Reuters)
Economy

Vietnam to pilot virtual currency as crypto thrives in gray zone

Central bank instructed to develop blockchain-based digital money

12 July 2021
H&M's shop in Beijing, pictured on Mar. 24: the Swedish fashion brand drew Vietnam's ire after it was accused of posting a map on its website that depicts islands in the South China Sea as Chinese territory.
Opinion

Vietnam learns to exploit nationalist rage over Chinese maps

Netflix, Jackie Chan and H&M all fall foul of Beijing's 'nine-dash line'

9 July 2021
An employee of FPT Software Co. in Ho Chi Minh City is injected with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
Coronavirus

Former COVID haven Vietnam confronts Ho Chi Minh City spike

Prime minister calls for drastic solutions as health system comes under strain

8 July 2021
A factory worker in Hanoi checks a pair of shoes for export. Vietnam's exports have grown despite the coronavirus pandemic.  
Economy

Vietnam's GDP grows 6.6% in April-June despite COVID outbreaks

US exports contribute, though delayed vaccinations hinder prospects

29 June 2021
Men work inside a furniture factory in Ho Chi Minh City in 2006, and containers at Dinh Vu Port in Hai Phong city in 2019. Vietnam overtook China last year in furniture exports to the U.S. (Source photos by AFP/Jiji)
Economy

Vietnam's furniture sector 'nervous' over US logging probe

Washington investigates nation's timber industry and ties to illegal logging overseas

28 June 2021
Under a proposed bilateral agreement, Vietnam is set to send its workers to Israel to learn agricultural techniques used there. 
Agriculture

Southeast Asia looks to Israeli tech to improve farming techniques

Israel companies offer ways to boost production as region faces supply threats

20 June 2021
Amazon sellers in Vietnam are taking advantage of pandemic-fueled spending by customers in the U.S. and other overseas markets. (Source photo by Reuters) 
Technology

Amazon courts Vietnam merchants in Alibaba's backyard

US retailer says pandemic has boosted exports from Southeast Asian country

16 June 2021
Vietnamese authorities have started vaccinating thousands of factory workers. (File photo by Getty Images)
Coronavirus

Vietnam vaccinates Samsung workers amid battle with COVID variant

Inoculation drive at factories comes as Hanoi struggles to control outbreaks

2 June 2021
A health worker labels a test-sample tube during the coronavirus outbreak in Hanoi, Vietnam. The country has found a new coronavirus variant that shares characteristics from the Indian and U.K strains. 
Coronavirus

New 'Vietnam variant' threatens further havoc to supply chains

'Fight pandemic like an enemy,' PM says as country scrambles to protect factory hubs

30 May 2021