Vietnam

A U.S. Chinook helicopter flies over the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday, August 15, as the Taliban began entering the Afghan capital from all sides.
Opinion

America's Afghan misadventure is not Biden's 'Saigon moment'

Predictions about what will follow should be accompanied with a degree of humility

16 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
Vietnam delivery startup Loship dreams of listing in the U.S., a goal that has proved elusive for Southeast Asia's tech giants.
Technology

Vietnam delivery startup Loship strives for rare US IPO

Investor demand has been driving Southeast Asian companies to record valuations

13 August 2021
A health worker speaks to members of the public as they wait to enter a COVID-19 vaccination center in Ho Chi Minh City on Aug. 5.
Coronavirus

Vietnam vows to curb COVID in Ho Chi Minh City as deaths spike

Prime minister sets mid-Sept. deadline to keep foreign investment rolling in

11 August 2021
Vietnam has witnessed an explosion of digital wallets, such as MoMo, Grab's Moca, ZaloPay and VNPAY, used at businesses like this convenience store in Ho Chi Minh City. (Source photos by Lien Hoang and Ken Kobayashi) 
Business Spotlight

Vietnam emerges as Southeast Asia's next fintech battleground

E-wallet app MoMo looks to maintain its lead against deep-pocketed rivals

6 August 2021
A judo match takes place -- without spectators -- during the Summer Olympics at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan on July 29. (Photo by Takaki Kashiwabara)
COVID-19 Recovery Index

Japan slips to 83rd in Nikkei COVID index amid subdued Olympics

Southeast Asian countries languish in monthly ranking of recovery progress

5 August 2021
A solar farm in Kupang, Indonesia. Southeast Asian countries are stepping up efforts to shift to renewable energy sources. 
Climate Change

ASEAN countries start to shake off smokestack addiction

Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam count on EVs to propel shift

4 August 2021
Father FX Nguyen Duc Dai leads an Easter Sunday mass in Huu Bang parish, an area of Son Loi, which was previously quarantined due to the coronavirus. 
Coronavirus

Vietnam communists accept religions' olive branch as COVID rages

Catholics and Buddhists mobilize health workers to help Ho Chi Minh City cope

3 August 2021
Delivery platforms in Vietnam, including MarketOi, saw a rush of orders from customers in COVID lockdown but face a volatile landscape as rules change daily.
Technology

Delivery apps rise and fall on Vietnam COVID roller coaster

Fortunes swing wildly as lockdown spurs demand but cuts mobility

3 August 2021
Stream article image
Indo-Pacific

Austin shores up vital US-Philippine ties on Southeast Asia trip

Maintaining troop pact with Manila gives Pentagon options for pivot to China

31 July 2021
The visit to Southeast Asia will be U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris's second trip overseas in the post.
International relations

Harris to visit Singapore and Vietnam as US courts Southeast Asia

August trip by VP follows Defense Secretary Austin's tour to underscore engagement

31 July 2021
Vietnam's VNLife offers software for banks that want to provide mobile payment apps and other digital services. (Photo courtesy of VNLife) 
Startups

Vietnam's fintech VNLife says valuation now 'well over $1bn'

Payments system provider raises $250 million in deal led by US investors

30 July 2021
A man living in an area under a COVID-19 lockdown receives food through a barricade in Ho Chi Minh City.
Coronavirus

Vietnam PM gains vast powers to contain Ho Chi Minh City outbreak

COVID spread in south prompt legislature to approve Hanoi centralized decision-making

29 July 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
A Lexus production line in Japan: Shortages of Southeast Asian-made parts are disrupting Toyota's factory schedules. (Photo by Shinya Sawai)
Automobiles

Toyota halts Lexus and Land Cruiser plants on ASEAN virus spread

Pandemic-triggered shutdowns to reduce production by 8,000 vehicles

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
Vietnam could delay its planned e-commerce tax until next year as the country grapples with a serious outbreak of COVID-19.
Technology

Vietnam moves to delay e-commerce tax amid COVID chaos

Shopee and Lazada would collect tax for merchants under new plan

26 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
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will soon travel to Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines in the first visit to Southeast Asia by a top member of the Biden administration. (Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense)
Indo-Pacific

US defense chief Austin to visit Singapore, Vietnam, Philippines

Washington seeks coordinated approach to Beijing in South China Sea

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
Many streets in Vietnam, like this one in Vung Tau, are nearly empty as COVID curbs kick in.
Politics

Vietnam beefs up COVID response ahead of National Assembly

Cases surge in Ho Chi Minh City, prompting deployment of police and military

19 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
The surge in anti-Asian violence has brought sympathy from immigrants' home countries, prompted diplomatic rebuke, and handed Chinese state media a potent set of talking points with which to criticize the U.S.
The Big Story

Anti-Asian attacks erode US image as Biden rebuilds Pacific ties

Trump's China rhetoric cited as source of bias against Asian Americans

15 July 2021