Vietnam

Electric vehicle maker VinFast, owned by Vingroup, tapped Credit Suisse as one of several banks to handle a planned stock listing in the U.S. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Finance

Vietnam's Vingroup awaits clarity on Credit Suisse after buyout

Bank bought by UBS counts EV maker VinFast, developer Novaland among Asia clients

27 March 2023
VP Bank will become Sumitomo Mitsui's equity-method affiliate. Sumitomo Mitsui will send executives and others to the Vietnamese bank. (Source photos by AP, screenshot from VP Bank website) 
Finance

Japan's SMFG to invest $1.5bn in Vietnam's VP Bank in Asia push

Japanese financial group bets on growing market to compete with rivals at home

27 March 2023
Lawyers and supporters of Le Thi Thuy Linh head to the Supreme Court in February for an appeal hearing against her conviction for abandoning the bodies of her stillborn twins. The court ultimately found her not guilty.
Japan immigration

Vietnamese trainee acquitted in Japan of abandoning stillborn twins

Supreme Court case exposed foreign technical interns' fears of deportation

24 March 2023
Vietnamese ride-hailer Be Group will go electric with VinFast scooters and cars in a fast-growing economy struggling to ditch fossil fuels. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Automobiles

Vietnam's VinFast EVs enter ride-hailing with Grab rival Be Group

Vingroup chair finds new use for vehicles amid low deliveries in U.S., Vietnam

22 March 2023
Young people drink coffee at a local coffee shop in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Business Spotlight

Vietnam's coffee culture survives 10 years of Starbucks

Deep history, popularity of local brews make country hard for global brands to crack

17 March 2023
Traveloka President Caesar Indra says interest is growing in sustainable tourism. (Photo by Tsubasa Suruga) 
Travel & Leisure

Indonesia's Traveloka eyes sustainability demand as tourists return

Online booking unicorn seeks 'quality' partnerships for wider ASEAN market share

13 March 2023
Keisuke Honda sees parallels between experience in soccer and entrepreneurship. (Photo by Dimas Ardian)
Interview

Soccer star and investor Keisuke Honda eyes Indonesia, Vietnam

Self-described 'challenger' attracted by Southeast Asia's young population

12 March 2023
A Keppel Corporation infrastructure center in Singapore. The company invests in energy projects, urban development and data centers. (Photo courtesy of Keppel Corporation)
Property

Singapore's Keppel targets Vietnam amid 'China plus one' shift

Temasek-backed asset manager eyes clean energy, data centers for new investment

9 March 2023
The Vietnamese beef plant planned by Vinamilk and Sojitz will be able to process about 30,000 head of cattle per year.
Food & Beverage

Vinamilk and Japan's Sojitz break ground on beef plant in Vietnam

$100m joint-venture complex set to launch operations in 2024

9 March 2023
Vietnamese pop singer Hoang Thuy Linh's song "See Tinh" has gone viral on TikTok, with people around the world from Ecuador to the Philippines uploading videos of themselves dancing to the infectious tune. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by TikTok Vietnam and the LEADER Entertainment Vietnam)
Tea Leaves

Mysterious algorithms help Vietnam TikTok hit go global

'See Tinh' is fun but endless internet scroll teaches us it's bad to be bored

8 March 2023
Vietnamese leader Nguyen Phu Trong speaks at a February 2021 news conference in Hanoi after being reelected as Communist Party general secretary for a third term.
Politics

How viable is Vietnam as a 'friend-shoring' destination?

Leadership shake-up sparks concern about possible shift toward China, Russia

5 March 2023
Tengku Muhammad Taufik, third from right, president and group CEO of Malaysia's Petronas, and Japanese Economy and Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura, second from left, and others attend a decarbonization conference in Tokyo on March 3. (Photo by Sayumi Take) 
Climate Change

Malaysia's Petronas CEO seeks 'practical' clean power transition

Southeast Asian energy leaders meet for Japan's decarbonization initiative

3 March 2023
New Vietnamese President Vo Van Truong, left, is a close ally of Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, right.
Politics

New Vietnam president moves party chief Trong closer to one-man rule

Power struggle with echoes of Xi's tactics raises fears for economy

3 March 2023
The arrival of VinFast electric vehicles means Vietnamese cars are hitting U.S. pavement for the first time. (Photo courtesy of Vingroup)
Automobiles

VinFast delivers EVs to U.S. drivers in first for Vietnamese maker

Vietnam's biggest company enters tepid market that is hitting rivals Tesla, Rivian

2 March 2023
Vo Van Thuong, the youngest member of Vietnam's Politburo, has been elected to become the country's next president.
Politics

Vietnam's parliament elects Thuong as new president

Party chief Trong to solidify grip on power with appointment of ally

2 March 2023
Exports of wood and other products from Vietnam declined in 2023 as global demand fell. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Supply Chain

Vietnam customs inspections cramp 59% of exporters, importers: survey

Trade dropped in fastest-growing ASEAN economy amid global downturn

24 February 2023
Vietnam is experiencing a rare reversal in its property market with an oversupply of high-end apartments and shortage of regular housing. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Property

Vietnam high-end home prices could fall over 10%, expert warns

High borrowing costs punish property speculators in Southeast Asian nation

23 February 2023
Vietnam is one of the world's leading exporters of shoes.
Companies

Nike, Adidas shoe supplier to cut up to 3,000 jobs in Vietnam this month

Taiwan's Pou Chen slows output as inflation hits Western consumers

23 February 2023
The Vietnamese government has an 86% stake in Vietnam Airlines, while Japan's ANA Holdings is about 5.6%.
Transportation

Vietnam Airlines faces delisting after 3 straight years of loss

Carrier in talks with stock exchange, but corruption crackdown clouds fate

17 February 2023
The challenge for startups in the recycling sector is raising money at a time when investors are being held back by global macroeconomic uncertainties, rising interest rates and inflationary pressures. (Photo courtesy of The Incubation Network)
Business Spotlight

ASEAN's garbage economy: Startups turn plastic waste into consumer goods

Trash is transformed into chairs in Indonesia, floor tiles in Vietnam

17 February 2023
Nguyen Thi Thanh speaks by video with supporters in Seoul on Feb. 7: The landmark ruling in her favor puts the South Korean government in a difficult position.
Opinion

Vietnam and South Korea have to address wartime legacy together

Landmark ruling for 1968 massacre survivor is awkward for both governments

17 February 2023
Drought in Cambodia is expected to reduce Vietnam's supply of rice, hindering its ability to export more of the staple to the Philippines.
Agriculture

Thai rice exports to Philippines set to double as Vietnam cuts back

Fresh demand to help boost Bangkok's annual trade in staple to 8.2 million tons

16 February 2023
ChatGPT is not officially available in Vietnam, but everyone from individual users to major conglomerates are showing an interest in the chatbot's potential. (Source photos by Reuters)
Technology

ChatGPT fever reaches Vietnam, from Vingroup to AI startups

Country finds way to use blocked bot captivating the likes of Adani and Alibaba

16 February 2023
Vietnamese property conglomerate FLC Group partially owns Bamboo Airways, the country's third-largest airline.
Companies

Large shareholder in Vietnam's Bamboo Airways to be delisted

Property group FLC penalized for disclosure violation following founder's arrest

16 February 2023
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai shakes hands with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Feb. 14. Tai was in the country for a three-day visit.
Trade

China-less IPEF trade framework will benefit business: USTR

USTR Tai also sees lessons in 'dark' history with former war enemy Vietnam

15 February 2023