Vietnam

A Samsung factory in Vietnam: The country's worst yet outbreak of COVID-19 is posing risks to its vital manufacturing sector.
Coronavirus

Samsung suspends Vietnam factories hit by COVID: health ministry

Ho Chi Minh City to require workers sleep at plants or get bused in

14 July 2021
Facilities around Ho Chi Minh City make up U.S. chipmaker Intel's biggest assembly and testing operations worldwide. (Photo courtesy of Intel) 
Companies

Intel staff vaccinated as Vietnam prioritizes tech exports

Coca-Cola and others turn to on-site housing and testing to keep factories open

13 July 2021
Vietnamese authorities have proposed a decree requiring social media companies to block content after "justified" complaints from individuals or organizations. (Source photo by Ken Kobayashi) 
Politics

Vietnam to tighten grip on Facebook and YouTube influencers

Hanoi proposes new rules to crack down on what it calls fake news

13 July 2021
A food seller sails her boat at Cai Rang floating market on Mekong river in Can Tho, Vietnam, on May 5: more than 70 million people rely on the river for their livelihood.
Opinion

Why we should care about fate of the Mekong

Worsening environmental degradation will impact millions

12 July 2021
The Vietnamese central bank has been tasked with researching and developing a blockchain-based currency. (Source photos by Reuters)
Economy

Vietnam to pilot virtual currency as crypto thrives in gray zone

Central bank instructed to develop blockchain-based digital money

12 July 2021
H&M's shop in Beijing, pictured on Mar. 24: the Swedish fashion brand drew Vietnam's ire after it was accused of posting a map on its website that depicts islands in the South China Sea as Chinese territory.
Opinion

Vietnam learns to exploit nationalist rage over Chinese maps

Netflix, Jackie Chan and H&M all fall foul of Beijing's 'nine-dash line'

9 July 2021
An employee of FPT Software Co. in Ho Chi Minh City is injected with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
Coronavirus

Former COVID haven Vietnam confronts Ho Chi Minh City spike

Prime minister calls for drastic solutions as health system comes under strain

8 July 2021
Director Ash Mayfair on the set of "The Third Wife." Despite being nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards, the film never saw a full cinema run in its home country.
Arts

The 'New Wave' filmmakers challenging Vietnamese society

Censorship is unavoidable in what remains rigidly conservative country

7 July 2021
Tiki, the largest local online retailer in Vietnam, is hoping that fintech offerings will help it catch up to its bigger rivals. 
Technology

Vietnamese online retailer Tiki adds insurance in fintech push

Local startup aims to gain ground on rivals Shopee and Lazada

6 July 2021
A production line at VinFast's auto plan in Hai Phong, which started operating in 2019. The group sold roughly 30,000 cars in Vietnam in 2020.
Automobiles

Vietnam's Vingroup aims to capture 1% of US auto market with EVs

Group founder Pham Nhat Vuong to personally spend $2bn on sales blitz

3 July 2021
Ferrying more cargo helped VietJet weather the pandemic at first, but the budget carrier is bracing for more turbulence as Vietnam grapples with its deadliest outbreak of the virus yet. 
Companies

Vietjet to sell up to 15% stake as Vietnam battles COVID surge

Cargo shipping made budget carrier one of few profitable airlines in 2020

29 June 2021
A Samsung factory in Vietnam: The Southeast Asian country produces half of all the South Korean company's smartphones. 
Climate Change

Samsung urged to use 100% green energy in South Korea and Vietnam

Greenpeace says electronics giant lags Amazon and Total in renewables use

29 June 2021
A factory worker in Hanoi checks a pair of shoes for export. Vietnam's exports have grown despite the coronavirus pandemic.  
Economy

Vietnam's GDP grows 6.6% in April-June despite COVID outbreaks

US exports contribute, though delayed vaccinations hinder prospects

29 June 2021
Singapore Airlines’ subsidiary Scoot will debut new Airbus A321neo jets to serve Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines.
Transportation

Singapore Airlines' budget unit Scoot debuts new Airbus jets

Low-cost carrier eyes routes to Thailand and Vietnam after fleet refresh

28 June 2021
Men work inside a furniture factory in Ho Chi Minh City in 2006, and containers at Dinh Vu Port in Hai Phong city in 2019. Vietnam overtook China last year in furniture exports to the U.S. (Source photos by AFP/Jiji)
Economy

Vietnam's furniture sector 'nervous' over US logging probe

Washington investigates nation's timber industry and ties to illegal logging overseas

28 June 2021
People gather at Phu Tho Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City for COVID-19 vaccinations on June 24. (Captured image from Vnexpress website)
Coronavirus

Ho Chi Minh City vaccination sites trigger superspreader fears

Venues overwhelmed as officials try to administer 836,000 jabs in one week

25 June 2021
Vietnamese are watching the government's pandemic response as it struggles to secure vaccines amid a global supply shortage.  
COVID vaccines

Vietnam backpedals on COVID-19 vaccination targets

Hanoi struggles to secure doses despite launching $1.1bn fund

25 June 2021
A health worker prepares a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the Noevir Stadium Kobe in Kobe, Japan, on June 12. 
Coronavirus

Delta variants create roadblock on Asia's path toward normalcy

Vaccination efforts accelerate in face of evolving virus

24 June 2021
A 41-year-old man who was exposed to Agent Orange, pictured at his house in Bac Ninh province in August 2018: time is running out for Vietnamese victims.
Opinion

In Vietnam, Monsanto is guilty until proven innocent

Chemical giant has never compensated victims of Agent Orange

22 June 2021
A man rides a bike on an empty street in Hanoi on May 31 as Vietnam battles rising numbers of COVID-19 cases. 
Coronavirus

Vietnam accepts China COVID shots as inoculation drive stalls

Hanoi to give Sinopharm doses to people engaged with huge neighbor

21 June 2021
Under a proposed bilateral agreement, Vietnam is set to send its workers to Israel to learn agricultural techniques used there. 
Agriculture

Southeast Asia looks to Israeli tech to improve farming techniques

Israel companies offer ways to boost production as region faces supply threats

20 June 2021
Amazon sellers in Vietnam are taking advantage of pandemic-fueled spending by customers in the U.S. and other overseas markets. (Source photo by Reuters) 
Technology

Amazon courts Vietnam merchants in Alibaba's backyard

US retailer says pandemic has boosted exports from Southeast Asian country

16 June 2021
Ho Chi Minh City is on high alert after a hospital developed a COVID-19 cluster in which more than 50 health care workers contracted the virus despite being vaccinated.(Source photos by Reuters and Getty Images)
Coronavirus

Vietnam detects COVID cluster at hospital after vaccinations

Ho Chi Minh City struggles to stop spread after outbreaks in northern factories

15 June 2021
A Vietnamese health care worker administers the Nanocovax vaccine candidate, which has entered the final phase of clinical trials. (Photo by Vietnam News Agency)
COVID vaccines

Vietnam homegrown COVID vaccine heads for full approval by year-end

Doses enter Phase 3 trials, but Hanoi could approve emergency use as cases climb

15 June 2021
Nonfungible tokens, or NFTs, are bought and sold in Southeast Asia through games such as Axie Infinity. (Source images from Axie Infinity website)
Technology

Southeast Asians jumping on NFT bandwagon to boost incomes

But signs of falling liquidity in nonfungible token markets could mean trouble

14 June 2021