Vietnam

An employee works on a part for Modmo electric bicycles, which are produced in Vietnam and retail in European markets for about 2,000 euros. (Photo courtesy of Modmo)
Trade

Global manufacturers are flocking to Vietnam. Is it ready?

Samsung, Apple and Intel drive exports, but IT talent scarcity looms

11 November 2020
Vietnamese cowherd So Y Tiet is not your typical Instagram star. (From Instagram) 
Tea Leaves

Rural Vietnamese vlogger gets 15 minutes of global fame

He herded cows in Vietnam. Then Snoop Dogg put him on Instagram

11 November 2020
Toshiba is ditching its coal-related businesses for cleaner sources of energy. (Source photos by AFP/Jiji and AP) 
Environment

Toshiba stops taking orders for coal-fired power plants

Company plans to boost renewables investment fivefold as Japan targets zero emissions

11 November 2020
Changes in buying behavior arising from the coronavirus pandemic have caused big jumps in the food delivery and online grocery segments of Southeast Asia's digital economy, according to a report by Google, Singapore state investor Temasek and U.S. consultancy Bain and Company.
Technology

Deliveries fuel ASEAN digital economy as ride hailing hit hard

COVID forces major internet business players to cater more to stay-home services

10 November 2020
The cafes lining an old train track in Hanoi are quietly reopening for business. (Photo by Tomoya Onisihi)
Economy

Hanoi's 'train street' cafes quietly reopen for business

Owners torn between desire for business and possible second ban

8 November 2020
Vingroup began producing smartphones in 2018, and now has an annual capacity of about 125 million units.
Electronics

Vingroup to supply 2m smartphones to US carrier

Vietnamese conglomerate eyes new market with contract manufacturing deal

7 November 2020
Vietnam expects to see high demand for water treatment facilities. 
Environment

JFE dives into water treatment in Vietnam via tie-up

Japanese company takes a stake in Biwase for a foothold in growth market

6 November 2020
Women from the Asian and Vietnamese community participate in a rally supporting Donald Trump on October 10 in Bellevue, Washington. 
US elections 2020

Trump factor spurs Asian Americans to switch political allegiance

Vietnamese and Filipinos still lead in supporting Republican incumbent

3 November 2020
Vietnamese are pulling for a Donald Trump victory in the U.S. president's reelection bid against former Vice President Joe Biden, seeing Trump as a defender of Southeast Asia against an aggressive China. (Nikkei montage/source photos by AP and Reuters)
US elections 2020

Vietnam majority roots for Trump's hard line on China

Onetime war enemy stands out in Southeast Asia with its support for US president

2 November 2020
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. The U.S. is courting Vietnam as it expands its "Free and Open Indo-Pacific" strategy.
International relations

Pompeo in Vietnam warns Beijing over South China Sea

US secretary of state meets Vietnam Prime Minister Phuc in Hanoi

30 October 2020
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo walks to board an aircraft in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Oct. 28.
Indo-Pacific

Pompeo adds Vietnam to current Asia tour as relations deepen

Countries celebrate 25 years of diplomatic ties, but trade tensions emerge

29 October 2020
Workers turn out face masks in Hai Duong, Vietnam. Some U.S. policies benefit Vietnamese exports, such as a program that connects local businesses to global companies.
Trade

Vietnam shows limits of Trump's 'Buy American' rhetoric

Bid to reshore jobs hits wall as companies seek diverse supply chains

28 October 2020
A worker scrapes rubber latex in Huong Tra village, south of Hanoi. By keeping its forests intact, Vietnam might be able to sell emission offsets to other countries.
Environment

Vietnam agrees to World Bank deal to stop forest loss

Carbon Fund to pay out $52m if Southeast Asian nation can keep trees in ground

27 October 2020
Plans for the Sumitomo-led smart city in Hanoi include roughly 7,000 condominium units as the project kicks off in fiscal 2021. (Artist rendering courtesy of the company)
Technology

Sumitomo taps Japanese partners for Hanoi smart city

Tepco, NEC and NTT Communications added to project consortium

23 October 2020
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, center left, and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Phuc feed the fish by a pond at the presidential palace compound in Hanoi on Oct. 19.
Business trends

Japan's investment in Vietnam plummets while Suga seeks closer ties

South Korea and China fill gap left by 40% drop this year

22 October 2020
Thai protesters defiantly throw up a three-finger salute, their demonstrations part of a regional pattern of instability. The World Bank terms it a "third shock," coming on the heels of both the pandemic and the cost of containing it.
The Big Story

Thai protests build as pandemic fuels unrest across Southeast Asia

How COVID aggravated inequality and triggered political reckoning across the region

21 October 2020
Joggers run near the Merlion Park in Singapore. Japan's Bank of Yokohama has opened a branch in the Southeast Asian financial hub.
Finance

Vietnam and Singapore become new outposts for Japan regional banks

Gunma Bank and Bank of Yokohama shift resources from London and Hong Kong

20 October 2020
Yoshihide Suga and Nguyen Xuan Phuc address reporters after agreeing to expand their border reopenings for business travelers.
International relations

Japan and Vietnam agree to accelerate business reopenings

Yoshihide Suga becomes first leader from major economy to visit post-COVID Hanoi

19 October 2020
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Haas' Kevin Magnussen in action during the F1 Eifel Grand Prix in Germany on Oct. 11
Automobiles

Vietnam's auto dreams dented as F1 Hanoi race canceled

Event was supposed to showcase homegrown carmaker Vingroup's brand

16 October 2020
A GLP warehouse outside Prague, Czech Republic. The big logistics company sees huge growth potential in Vietnam, a country with a dynamic population that has had success halting the spread of COVID-19.
Companies

Warehousing giant GLP launches $1.5bn joint venture in Vietnam

Singapore company bets on COVID success story as trade moves from China

16 October 2020
Japan has been promoting its P-1 patrol plane, like this one, and the C-2 transport plane abroad. (Photo by Tim Felce)
Aerospace & Defense Industries

In Indo-Pacific push, Japan to export arms to Vietnam

Suga to sign deal on maiden visit to Southeast Asia as prime minister

14 October 2020
A production line worker at a textile factory in China: Chinese textile exports grew 33% over the first eight months of 2020.
Trade

China exports grow 9.9% as supply chain trends fuel rebound

September imports also rise as chips contribute despite Washington's Huawei ban

13 October 2020
Room service robots at a hotel in Singapore: The city-state leads Southeast Asia in AI adoption, and hospitality is a key sector for the technology.
Technology

ASEAN faces wide AI gap as Vietnam and Philippines lag behind

Study says tech can add $1tn to bloc's economy but investments are lacking

9 October 2020
Hanoi residents regularly wore masks outside because of pollution even before the coronavirus arrived in Vietnam.
Coronavirus

Pollution masks help Vietnam ward off coronavirus

Longtime environmental challenge brings unlikely upside in pandemic era

9 October 2020
Vietnam's biggest conglomerate, Vingroup, has rolled out an app to help small shops compete with convenience store chains such as 7-Eleven and B's Mart. (Photo courtesy of Vingroup)
Technology

Vingroup app digitizes mom and pop shops in Vietnam

Conglomerate counters 7-Eleven with electronic payment and order system

8 October 2020