Vietnam

Early voting has started in Kon Tum, Vietnamese province near Cambodia and Laos border.
Coronavirus

COVID wave challenges Vietnam's national election Sunday

One-party state wants high turnout for races that include first gay candidate

22 May 2021
Japanese beverage maker Kirin Holdings is helping coffee farmers in Vietnam obtain a sustainability certification from an international NGO. (Source photos by Reuters) 
Food & Beverage

Kirin helps Vietnam coffee farms get sustainability certification

Japanese beverage maker eyes stable supplies from world's No. 2 producer

22 May 2021
A garment factory in Vietnam. Local authorities said they have found the more transmissible Indian variant in two northern provinces home to industrial parks and zones, as the country battles another wave of infections. (File photo by Rie Ishii)
Coronavirus

Vietnam finds COVID at Samsung and Canon factories

More infectious Indian strain detected, threatening supply chain

20 May 2021
Since May 3, around 17,000 workers in Ho Chi Minh City have had samples taken for coronavirus testing. (File photo by Reuters)
Coronavirus

Vietnam scrambles to control COVID at industrial parks

Shutdown of 4 sites has Japan, Taiwan and other manufacturers worried

19 May 2021
Shoppers in Singapore stock up on groceries on May 14, after new curbs on dining out and social gatherings were announced.
Coronavirus

Singapore, Vietnam and Taiwan fight to remain COVID havens

Upticks in cases and variant fears doom events and squeeze businesses

18 May 2021
Vietnam has the highest percentage of computers infected with malware of any country in the world, according to the security website Comparitech. The Vietnamese state is also believed to employ around 10,000 "cybertroops" to block or manipulate content on Facebook and YouTube. (Source photo by Reuters)
Life

One of the world's most prolific hackers wants to say sorry

Ex-con returns to Vietnam after swapping black hat for white hat

18 May 2021
A construction site in Hanoi: Steel prices have soared 50% since the start of the year.
Materials

Vietnam asks steelmakers to cut exports as domestic prices surge

Hanoi steps to help builders struggling with high costs

18 May 2021
Gojek says digital payments and car hailing are the two services "most requested" by its customers in Vietnam.
Technology

Gojek starts car-hailing service in Vietnam in challenge to Grab

Indonesian startup eyes superapp status; local player Be expects profit in 2021

17 May 2021
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has told Ho Chi Minh City officials that they have to take the lead in containing the virus and in keeping the bustling city's economy revved up. (Source photos by AP and EPA/Jiji)
Coronavirus

Ho Chi Minh City demands more autonomy to accelerate vaccinations

Vietnam's economic engine asks for Hanoi's nod to tap private funds

14 May 2021
The Military Medical Academy deployed phase 2 of the test injection of Nanocovax vaccine to prevent COVID-19. (Photo courtesy of  the Military Medical Academy)
COVID vaccines

Vietnamese COVID vaccine goes to final trial, as Hanoi lags on shots

Shunning Chinese options adds pressure to domestic push for inoculation

13 May 2021
Sky Mavis' game platform lets players own virtual fighting pets or digital land, purchasing them with blockchain-based tokens. (Photo by Yuki Kohara) 
Technology

Vietnam's Sky Mavis lands $7.5m for token-powered gaming

Mark Cuban among backers of startup bringing blockchain tech to games

12 May 2021
Colonial Pipeline's storage tank in Woodbridge, New Jersey: we hear on a regular basis of increasingly powerful attacks.
Opinion

Global rules against cyberattacks must be updated

Time to recognize that civilian and military targets are now perilously entwined

11 May 2021
Thailand's restaurants are closed to diners until further notice but home deliveries and takeaways are an option in most places. 
Coronavirus

Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia hit COVID variants with iron fist

Bangkok closes eateries, Cambodia shuts garment factories and Hanoi bans karaoke

11 May 2021
A Vingroup factory in Hanoi: The Vietnamese conglomerate entered the smartphone business in 2018. (Photo by Tomoya Onishi)
Electronics

Vingroup makes quick exit out of smartphones in shift to EVs

Vietnamese conglomerate will also halt TV production

11 May 2021
Half of Samsung Electronics' global smartphone shipments are made in Vietnam and it has set up its biggest research center in Southeast Asia in the country, but the government wants the company to play an even bigger role.
Companies

Vietnam says Samsung seeks renewable energy help at key tech hub

Country is company's global phone hub, but pushes for more supply chain access

7 May 2021
Plug Power is increasing investments in green hydrogen as more companies globally are looking at hydrogen as a power source. (Source photos by Plug Power)
Climate Change

US hydrogen company, with partner SK, eyes China and Vietnam

Plug Power to make fuel cells in South Korea amid rising demand for green energy

5 May 2021
Pham Minh Chinh, pictured in Hanoi on Mar. 24: Vietnam's new Prime Minister will be under huge pressure to deliver strong growth rates.
Opinion

The economic agenda taking shape under Vietnam's new leader

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh under pressure to deliver rapid growth

4 May 2021
An employee walks past a sign for Zalo, the division of tech unicorn VNG that made Vietnam one of the few countries in the world with its own chat app more popular than foreign rivals'.
Business Spotlight

Vietnam's first unicorn bets on AI and overseas growth

VNG built the country's answer to WeChat; now it is aiming even higher

30 April 2021
FE Credit's operating revenue has been growing at a double-digit pace every year. (Source photos by Tomoki Mera and screenshot from FE Credit's website) 
Finance

SMFG to take $1.4bn stake in Vietnam's biggest nonbank lender

Japan megabank hopes FE Credit will give it access to fast-expanding loan market

28 April 2021
Festival attendees at Hung Kings temple on April 21. Vietnam has raised its alert to the highest level ahead of a four-day holiday period that starts April 30.
Coronavirus

Vietnam fears COVID wave from Cambodia or Laos as holiday nears

Hanoi tightens borders and boosts pandemic preparations in southwest

26 April 2021
Coastal plastic: Vietnam is among the top five countries that send litter to sea, along with China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, according to Ocean Conservancy, a nonprofit based in Washington. (Source photos by Reuters)
Environment

Vietnam tests waters for plastic credits to fight marine pollution

New approach takes page from carbon trading but fears remain of 'greenwashing'

15 April 2021
Workers inspect a car rolling off an assembly line during the opening of the VinFast auto plant in the Vietnamese city of Haiphong in 2019.
Markets

Vietnam's Vingroup considering IPO or SPAC deal for car unit

Conglomerate's announcement follows news of $40bn deal by Singapore's Grab

15 April 2021
The plant in Hai Phong, Vietnam currently produces about 10 million LG smartphones every year.
Electronics

LG struggles to find buyer for Vietnam plant in smartphone exit

If the Hai Phong facility sale cannot be made, company will sell just land

14 April 2021
The ongoing crisis in Myanmar is shaping up as a key test of Vietnam’s mediation diplomacy. (Source photo by Reuters)
Comment

Vietnam's 'mediation diplomacy' faces key test in Myanmar crisis

Hanoi has failed to respond meaningfully to military coup and suppression

14 April 2021
Vietnam Communist party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong applauds during a party meeting in Hanoi on Jan. 31: he was reelected to an unprecedented third term.
Opinion

Vietnam restores regional balance to top leadership

Pendulum finally swinging back to the south

14 April 2021