Vietnam

U.S. semiconductor subsidies aren't just for domestic factories: Washington will pay foreign friends to invest in chips, something Asia should exploit, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in Vietnam. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Semiconductors

Yellen urges Asia to tap CHIPS Act funds for semiconductors

U.S. Treasury Secretary also says Amkor plans mega chip plant in Vietnam

21 July 2023
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen checks out an electric scooter from Vietnamese startup Selex Motors with co-founder Nguyen Nguyen at a factory on the edge of Hanoi. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Supply Chain

Yellen's trip underlines rise of Vietnam as China factory hedge

U.S. Treasury chief also backs $15bn JETP climate aid for Southeast Asian nation

20 July 2023
Vietnamese electric vehicle maker VinFast has made the U.S. the springboard for its expansion abroad, planning to break ground on a new plant in North Carolina on July 28.
Automobiles

Vietnam's VinFast to break ground on delayed EV factory in U.S.

Auto arm of Vingroup also preparing for Wall Street IPO via SPAC

19 July 2023
Japanese retailer Aeon plans to open 30 large stores in Vietnam by 2030.
Finance

Japan's JBIC, Mizuho offer $41m in loans to Aeon's Vietnam unit

Lending to retailer aims to promote Japanese food in Southeast Asian country

18 July 2023
Nghi Son is the largest refinery in Vietnam, but construction delays postponed the start of operations by about a year and a half. (Photo courtesy of Idemitsu)
Energy

Idemitsu turns troubled Vietnam refinery into boot camp for talent

Japanese oil major's 300 or so workers on to next projects after stints at Nghi Son

17 July 2023
Demand for structural steel in Vietnam has plummeted as the struggling economy has left some buildings unfinished.
Economy

Vietnam's glowing economic statistics raise eyebrows at home

Businesses question GDP figures as Hanoi buildings sit half finished

15 July 2023
Vietnam's first imports of liquefied natural gas reached PetroVietnam Gas' Thi Vai terminal this month. (Photo by Yuji Nitta)
Energy

Vietnam, Philippines heat up LNG demand in Southeast Asia

With renewables lagging, countries seek more accessible alternative to coal

14 July 2023
A scene from "A Tourist's Guide to Love": Vietnamese media and tour operators are already offering guided tours to the film's main shooting locations. (Courtesy of Netflix) 
Tea Leaves

Dark side of 'A Tourist's Guide to Love'

Hit movie gives Vietnam fresh image, but risks unsustainable visitor boom

12 July 2023
Haval cars produced by Chinese automaker Great Wall Motors are on display at a dealership in Artyom near Vladivostok, Russia, March 22.
Caixin

China's Great Wall Motor to enter Vietnam amid peers' ASEAN push

Haval H6 hybrid to be imported from Thailand; assembly plant also in the works

4 July 2023
Foxconn is shifting into electric vehicles after years of reliance on iPhone assembly. 
Supply Chain

Foxconn to invest $250m in Vietnam to produce EV parts

Apple supplier plans 2 new factories to cut reliance on iPhones

4 July 2023
Actor Margot Robbie appears during a photo call for the upcoming Warner Bros. film "Barbie" in Los Angeles on June 25.
Media & Entertainment

Vietnam bans 'Barbie' movie over South China Sea map

Film shows Beijing's 'nine-dash line' marking disputed maritime claims

3 July 2023
Scooters zip through Hanoi's busy streets. Vietnam has been one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia. (Photo by Yuji Nitta)
Economy

Vietnam Q2 growth picks up to 4.14% but remains lackluster

Minister says achieving 6.5% annual target a 'big challenge'

29 June 2023
Vietnam's National Assembly building in Hanoi. The VAT cut was among the major issues discussed by the country's main legislative body over the past two months. (Photo by Yuji Nitta)
Economy

Vietnam lowers VAT to 8% again amid economic headwinds

Tax cut to run from July to December to boost stimulus measures

27 June 2023
LG Innotek is one of the world leaders in camera modules for smartphones. (Photo courtesy of LG Innotek)
Companies

LG Innotek to raise Vietnam phone camera output with $1bn investment

Move by Apple supplier will double production capacity

27 June 2023
From Tehran to Tokyo and beyond, trans people throughout Asia continue to face violence, discrimination and exclusion from society.
Asia Insight

Trans rights progress in Asia hits barricade of tradition, legal maze

Gradual LGBTQ advances in some countries shrouded by stigma, safety concerns

27 June 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Vietnamese counterpart, Vo Van Thuong, greet each other in Hanoi on June 23. Their countries have close economic ties.
International relations

South Korea and Vietnam to bolster minerals, energy partnerships

Yoon brings Samsung Chairman Lee, other business chiefs on state visit

23 June 2023
Scorching conditions from the El Nino weather pattern are expected to crimp production at palm oil plantations like this one in Indonesia's East Kalimantan province. 
Economy

From Indonesia to Vietnam, El Nino fans fears of fires and drought

Returning climate pattern set to hit key crops as well as industrial sector

23 June 2023
PENM Partners expects Vietnam's economy to recover in the second half of this year. (Source photos by AP and logo from VMS Asset Management's website)
DealStreetAsia

Vietnam-focused PENM Partners turns to family offices for 5th fund

Denmark-domiciled private equity firm sees promise in Southeast Asian country

23 June 2023
The refinery's utilization rate has improved, and its operating company was able to secure an operating profit. (Photo by Yuji Nitta)
Energy

Vietnam's top oil refinery to avert shutdown as cash flow improves

Project led by Japan's Idemitsu expected to make November debt payment

22 June 2023
Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his allies may not be able to purge rivals again in an open way until the next party congress expected in 2026.
Opinion

Vietnam's political infighting has gone quiet but is far from over

High-level purge on pause amid growing worries about slowing economy

20 June 2023
Even though South Korea sent the biggest group of inbound travelers to Thailand this year, more Koreans are traveling to Vietnam and Japan.
Travel & Leisure

Vietnam tourism growing faster than in Thailand, Japan: Agoda CEO

Morgenshtern bets on Thailand as budding regional tech investment hub

16 June 2023
Lazada’s estimated gross merchandise value fell from $21 billion in 2021 to to $20.1 billion last year, according to a report by the consultancy Momentum Works.
Retail

TikTok rises, Alibaba's Lazada falters in ASEAN e-commerce

ByteDance-owned platform grows in Southeast Asia but still lags behind rivals

15 June 2023
Textile and apparel companies display goods at a trade show in Ho Chi Minh City: Manufacturers are grappling with weaker foreign demand and domestic turmoil. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Economy

Vietnam grapples with shrinking exports, power crunch

Economists downgrade forecasts, saying country 'not out of woods yet'

14 June 2023
VinFast this year became Vietnam's first automaker to sell cars in the U.S., though its new two-door mini electric car targets a motorbike-mad home market. (Photo courtesy of Vingroup)
Automobiles

Vietnam's VinFast launches 'mini' EV with two doors and five seats

70m motorbikes rule the alleys as Vingroup arm introduces latest electric car

9 June 2023
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, right, shakes hands with Wang Wentian, the Chinese ambassador to Cambodia, at a groundbreaking ceremony on June 7. (Photo by Yuji Nitta)
International relations

Cambodia breaks ground on China-funded highway to Vietnam border

Country's second expressway one of many projects built with Chinese money

9 June 2023