Vietnam

The FujiMart supermarket chain is making a concentrated push into Hanoi. (Photo by Yuji Nitta)
Business deals

Japan's Sojitz buys Vietnam food wholesaler amid modernization push

Dai Tan Viet deal comes as multinationals pour into country's food distribution sector

24 November 2023
The International Finance Corporation since 2013 has invested over $2.5 billion in financers and developers of affordable housing in India.
DealStreetAsia

IFC intends to make more affordable housing investments in India

Low-priced, green residences remain a strategic focus for World Bank Group member

23 November 2023
Vietnam is increasing the number of short-haul flights, which emit 100 times the carbon of road transport, despite targeting net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Transportation

Vietnam bets on new airports to boost tourism and supply chains

Plan flies in face of net zero goal as flights emit more carbon than trains

23 November 2023
A fruit market in Hanoi. Vietnam-based private equity firm Asia Business Builders says the nation's economy has performed better than some other markets.
DealStreetAsia

Vietnam-based PE firm ABB hits $52m first close of second fund

Executive sees final close by October 2024 with $100m target for second vehicle

22 November 2023
A cosmetics store in Hanoi. Vietnam's beauty and personal care sector is one of the country's fastest-growing consumer segments, according to cosmetics chain Hasaki.
DealStreetAsia

Alibaba unit to invest in Vietnam beauty, personal care company Hasaki

Chain aims to capture at least 35% of local market share by 2027

20 November 2023
Vietnamese police have recommended prosecuting 86 people involved in alleged bribery and embezzlement at developer Van Thinh Phat and SCB bank.
Crime

Vietnam alleges $12bn embezzlement by property firm and bank

Van Thinh Phat and SCB are among biggest targets in corruption clampdown

20 November 2023
VNG's campus in Ho Chi Minh City. A U.S. IPO by the messaging-to-cloud startup would test regulations in Vietnam, which strictly controls cross-border finances. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Startups

Gaming startup VNG aims to launch Vietnam's answer to ChatGPT

After delaying Nasdaq IPO, chat-to-fintech platform searches for new cash cow

14 November 2023
FPT Chairman Truong Gia Binh announced plans to invest $100 million in the U.S. this year. (Photo by Yuji Nitta) 
Companies

Vietnam's FPT targets U.S. with eye on AI and chip deals

Tech company's growth strategy focuses on new fields and overseas expansion

14 November 2023
Excessive sand mining plagues areas like Vietnam's Mekong Delta, where homes have crumbled into the river. (Photo by Linh Pham)
Environment

Vietnam ramps up scrutiny of threats from sand mining

Officials look for 'unusual' activity as erosion puts homes at risk

13 November 2023
Cotton is harvested in Yuli County, in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China, on Oct. 27. The region produces the vast majority of Chinese cotton. 
Supply Chain

U.S. forced labor laws strain China-dependent garment supply chains

Fashion firms want to diversify fabric sources to mitigate risk, expert says

13 November 2023
Vietnam, one of the world's top exporters of garments and textiles, will consider cutting interest rates and spending on public works to resuscitate the economy. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Economy

Vietnam targets 6% to 6.5% GDP growth in 2024

Manufacturing hub aims to recover from slowdown linked to graft, trade

9 November 2023
Marubeni sees big potential in Vietnam's food sector and the overall economy. (Source photos by Reuters and Marubeni)
DealStreetAsia

Marubeni Growth Capital Asia invests in Vietnam food firm AIG

Move comes amid expanding Southeast Asian food sector

8 November 2023
A man stands beside the solar power panels on top of his house in An Giang province in Vietnam.
Energy

Vietnam turns to rooftop solar as blackouts hit country

Government aims for 50% of houses and offices to have PV panels by 2030

5 November 2023
The rush to harness the wind that blows around the South China Sea could increase the geopolitical tensions that already swirl over the strategic body of water.
South China Sea

South China Sea brims with rare earth and renewable power promise

Chinese companies are early movers with wind turbines in disputed waterway

3 November 2023
A Cambodian girl collects rubber sap at a farm in Tbong Khmum province. 
Business Spotlight

From Cambodia to Thailand, rubber producers brace for new EU rules

Deforestation regulation's requirement to prove sources called tough and costly

3 November 2023
Bamboo Airways' losses grew nearly eight times in 2022 amid depressed passenger demand.
Transportation

Vietnam's troubled Bamboo Airways suspends 10 international routes

Hanoi-Narita, Ho Chi Minh City-Frankfurt among affected connections

28 October 2023
Bicycles loaded with flowers are a popular backdrop for Hanoi tourist photos. (Photo by Yuji Nitta)
Retail

Hanoi's flower vendors see business bloom in rentals for photo ops

Traditional merchants adapt by serving tourists seeking social media posts

27 October 2023
Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, former chairwoman of AIC, is thought to have fled Vietnam amid a corruption probe, her whereabouts unknown since 2022. (Photo courtesy of AIC)
Politics

Vietnam's 'Madam Nhan' graft case seeps into political sphere

Former AIC chairwoman on the run as rumors of an intraparty power struggle swirl

24 October 2023
Workers repair electricity lines in Hanoi. Vietnam was hit by a wave of power cuts over the summer, with some companies worried the problem will persist over the coming years.
Energy

Vietnam power crunch fears darken business outlook

Experts say blackouts could repeat in 2024 due to plant delays, grid constraints

24 October 2023
Online lending services like Akulaku are becoming a go-to source of credit for younger borrowers in Indonesia. (Photo by Tsubasa Suruga)
Finance

Southeast Asia's fintechs fill lending gap with data

Major banks join race to offer more consumer financing to underserved

24 October 2023
A view of Ho Chi Minh City: Sarit Chopra, a partner with Bain Capital's Special Situations business, calls Vietnam "one of the most exciting markets in Southeast Asia." 
DealStreetAsia

Vietnam draws fresh interest from Bain Capital after Masan deal

Enthusiasm comes as country takes No. 2 fundraising spot in Southeast Asia in Q2

23 October 2023
Vietnam is such a big beer market that swings in demand there can drive the quarterly results of international brewers like Heineken. The country also nurtured homegrown players in recent years. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Food & Beverage

Vietnam's beer brewers get creative as economy loses fizz

Drinkers shift to cheaper lagers as spending woes cloud Asia's No. 3 market

20 October 2023
Communist posters are a fixture of Ho Chi Minh City's landscape. "Vietnam: Asia's Rising Star" dismisses the supposed "sanctity of the voting process, or some essential need to have a 'democracy.'" (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Books

Books: Nascent tiger Vietnam constrained by politics

Will economic prosperity fall victim to communist state's authoritarian system?

19 October 2023
A satellite terminal opened at Thailand's Suvarnabhumi Airport near Bangkok in September. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Transportation

Thailand, Vietnam and neighbors compete in airport expansion race

Airlines' passenger capacity for seven Southeast Asian nations to double by 2030

18 October 2023
Dairy cows in Indonesia. Dairy products have become essential items for Southeast Asian consumers.
DealStreetAsia

Southeast Asia's dairy industry attracts big private equity deals

Demographics, growing middle class and more discretionary spending drive trend

17 October 2023