Vietnam

Vietnamese IT company CodLUCK, part of an alliance of 15 companies, specializes in smartphone app and blockchain software development. (Photo courtesy of CodLUCK)
Technology

Vietnam IT companies join forces to secure more orders from Japan

Alliance to use young engineers to attract AI, app, blockchain system work

15 February 2023
Japanese investment in Vietnam is also bringing awareness of how human rights affect supply chains, said the chief representative of JETRO in Ho Chi Minh City. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Supply Chain

Vietnam at center of Japan's ASEAN supply chain shift: survey

Electronics investment, human rights awareness on the rise, trade body JETRO says

14 February 2023
Tofurky is the No. 3 retail brand for plant-based meats in the U.S. (Photo courtesy of Turtle Island Foods Holdings)
Business deals

Japan's Morinaga buys Tofurky maker and Vietnam baby milk importer

Plant-based foods and infant formula to help power overseas push

11 February 2023
Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, left, meets with Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the Istana presidential office in Singapore on Feb. 9.
International relations

Vietnam PM Chinh seals green deals on Singapore visit

Neighbors align on renewable energy as Hanoi turmoil clouds prospects

9 February 2023
Vietnam has high-end apartments aplenty but far from enough affordable housing to meet demand in a country where monthly wages average $320. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Property

Vietnam lender gets $100m from IFC for middle-class home loans

SeABank aims to double mortgages as property market suffers luxury-affordable mismatch

8 February 2023
VinFast EVs are seen being prepared for shipment from Vietnam to the U.S. last fall.
Automobiles

Vietnam EV maker VinFast delays U.S. sales until late February

Vingroup unit's plans for American factory also behind schedule

8 February 2023
Vietnamese will spend on food and beverages but cut back on big-ticket purchases because of concerns about the economy, Infocus Mekong Research says. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Consumer

As Vietnam exports slow, survey shows consumer gloom on the rise

Workers take on side jobs to make ends meet amid inflation and factory worries

7 February 2023
Aedes aegypti mosquitos are known as a vector of the Zika virus, as well as yellow fever and dengue fever. (Photo courtesy of Shinji Kasai)
Science

Southeast Asia warned of insecticide-resistant dengue mosquitoes

Japan's National Institute of Infectious Diseases finds new genetic mutation

5 February 2023
A coal mine in northern Vietnam. The country is having difficulty finding a cheap and environmentally friendly alternative.
Energy

Vietnam's energy plan delayed for 2 years, risking blackouts

Decarbonization goals, low costs prove difficult balance for officials

2 February 2023
Singapore-based Coda Payments was among the handful of new Southeast Asian unicorns last year, and Lazada ranked first in the region in overall deal value. (Source photos by screenshot from Coda Payments' website and Reuters) 
Startups

ASEAN startup fundraising slumped in 2022 but still up from 2019

Investors turn to early-stage deals amid dimmer IPO prospects for tech ventures

1 February 2023
Hoa Phat Group pared back steel output last fall amid a sharp drop in domestic demand. (Photo courtesy of the company)
Materials

Top Vietnam steelmaker Hoa Phat posts Q4 loss on construction slump

Materials costs and weak domestic demand weigh on bottom line

1 February 2023
Vietnam promised under the CPTPP trade deal that the Communist Party would surrender its monopoly on labor unions, which would mark a rare relaxation of controls. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Economy

U.S. pushes Vietnam on union rights, Xinjiang forced labor

Envoy acknowledges issues in America, too, where employers are said to resist unions

30 January 2023
Vietnam's then-President Nguyen Xuan Phuc attends the APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting in Bangkok on Nov. 19. Experts fear the economy may slow following the sudden dismissal of the president.
Economy

Vietnam president's ouster may hamper business, analysts say

Communist Party's corruption purge could clean up economy -- or stem innovation

27 January 2023
GIMO users can keep track of their pay and get rapid access to money they have already earned. (Source photos by screenshot from GIMO's website) 
DealStreetAsia

Vietnam wage access platform GIMO raises $4.6m in latest funding

Blue-collar workers can use app to get near-instant access to earned money

26 January 2023
Vietnam is the largest steel producer among the 10 ASEAN members, and sluggish demand at home puts a damper on the country's overall economy.
Construction

Vietnam steel demand slumps as construction stumbles

Crackdown on corruption linked to real estate hammers domestic steelmakers

24 January 2023
Ho Chi Minh City has one of the lowest restroom densities in the world, adding another challenge as Vietnam tries to shake off a disappointing year for the travel industry. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Travel & Leisure

Vietnam ranks among worst tourist hubs on bathroom wall of shame

Tropical country still struggling to shake travel blues amid visa rules, COVID

21 January 2023
General Secretary of Vietnamese Communist Party Nguyen Phu Trong, right bottom, and President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, left bottom, attend a ceremony of the national congress of the party in Hanoi on Feb. 1, 2021.
Politics

Vietnam's President Phuc dismissed amid Trong's anti-graft drive

Observers look at whether swift succession will help avoid intraparty struggle

18 January 2023
Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc in 2021. Phuc ranked second in the Communist Party to party chief Nguyen Phu Trong.
Politics

Vietnam Communist Party says President Phuc to resign

Latest dismissal seen as further cementing party chief Trong's grip on power

17 January 2023
Nguyen Phu Trong, left, is presented with a bouquet by Nguyen Xuan Phuc in Hanoi in January 2021: Trong has viewed Phuc with suspicion due to his pro-Western stance and policy pragmatism.
Opinion

Vietnam is losing appeal as a land of stable, competent leadership

Purge of top officials is taking down technocrats favored by foreign investors

17 January 2023
Vietnam's Merap supplies health-related products like toothpaste to retailers.
Business deals

Japan consumer goods maker Lion takes 36% stake in Vietnam company

Deal with medical products company Merap aims to tap Asian sales channels

17 January 2023
Trucking is picking up along the China-Vietnam border as Beijing relaxes its COVID restrictions, with some trucks now crossing in less than a minute. (File photo by Getty Images) 
Supply Chain

China's COVID opening promises relief for Vietnam's supply chain

As truckers rush to the border, factory goods flow but trade demand ebbs

13 January 2023
Singapore-based Welovesupermom has a presence in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand. (Source photo from Supermom website)
DealStreetAsia

Singapore parenting platform Welovesupermom bags $6m in funding

Company offers price comparisons and hosts parent communities

11 January 2023
Grab Vietnam now allows payments via VNG's ZaloPay, posing the possibility of more concentration among popular smartphone apps in the Southeast Asian market of 100 million people. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Technology

Grab adds pay feature from Vietnam tech unicorn VNG

ZaloPay used for rides, delivery in deal linking country's most popular apps

9 January 2023
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida sets off this week on a weeklong trip to meet counterparts in France, Italy, the U.K., Canada and the U.S. (Photo by Yo Inoue)
Your Week in Asia

Biden-Kishida summit, India motor show, China inflation data

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

8 January 2023
General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong speaks to the media in Hanoi on May 23, 2021. Like China's Xi Jinping, Trong has used an anti-graft drive to tighten his grip on power.
Politics

Vietnam's Trong consolidates power with dismissals of deputy PMs

Xi Jinping meeting may have accelerated general secretary's anti-graft drive

6 January 2023