Vietnam

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
A floating system of solar power panels in Da Mi, Vietnam: The Southeast Asian country is hitting its solar targets six years ahead of schedule.
Environment

Vietnam aims doubling use of renewables by 2030 to slash CO2

Power shortages loom, but climate fears drive country away from coal reliance

7 October 2020
It started as U.S. government pressure on American companies to boycott specific Chinese entities. Now, that effort has widened to become a wholesale blockade of Chinese technology. 
The Big Story

Inside the US campaign to cut China out of the tech supply chain

Apple, Google and others shift production to prepare for 'decoupled' global market

7 October 2020
An internet user looks at a Facebook page at a cafe in Hanoi: digital protectionism is on the rise.
Opinion

Asian 'splinternet' threatens cross-border data collaboration

Why digital protectionism damages Asia's economic growth, innovation and security

7 October 2020
Ride-hailing service inDriver is starting in outlying areas of Vietnam before expanding into the biggest cities. (Photo courtesy of the company)
Sharing Economy

Russia's inDriver rolls into Vietnam ride-hailing market

App lets customers haggle with drivers over fares

7 October 2020
Vietnam illustrates an economy led by manufacturers and digital elements. (Source photo by Reuters) 
Economy

Vietnam seeks 6.5% growth through 2025 after missing current goal

Hanoi eyes regional supply chains after pandemic derailed GDP target for 2016-20

5 October 2020
Vietnam is suffering from poor consumer sentiment, with many locals reluctant to go shopping due to concerns about the pandemic's economic impact.
Economy

Vietnam consumer confidence plummets on COVID worries, survey says

Only 5% of respondents expect a better economy despite victory against the virus

2 October 2020
Men drink beer on the street in Hanoi. The maximum fine for drunk driving on motorcycles has doubled to $340.
Food & Beverage

Vietnam's top beer maker Sabeco loses its fizz

Earnings take hit from pandemic and crackdown on drunken driving

2 October 2020
Suga plans to visit Vietnam and Indonesia in mid-October in his first overseas trip since taking office. (Source photos by Reuters and Nikkei)
International relations

Suga to take up Abe's Indo-Pacific mantle with ASEAN tour

Japan's new leader plans first overseas trip to Vietnam and Indonesia

1 October 2020
 British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab meets Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the Government Office in Hanoi, Vietnam September 30, 2020. 
Trade

Vietnam backs UK to join TPP in Hanoi talks

Brexit and COVID push both sides to finalize bilateral trade deal

1 October 2020
Singapore has established a new coastal and flood protection fund to help protect the country against rising sea levels.
Opinion

We cannot stop climate change, but we can be better prepared

Data and digital technology can help deliver more resilient infrastructure

29 September 2020
A port in Ho Chi Minh City: Exports made a big contribution as Vietnam's GDP grew 2.62% in the July-September quarter. (Photo by Rie Ishii)
Economy

Vietnam Q3 GDP improves to 2.6% growth on rising exports

PC exports and infrastructure spree help to create SE Asia's strongest economy

29 September 2020
Britain Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab will be in Hanoi for a two-day visit from Tuesday to discuss a trade deal, among other issues. 
Trade

Vietnam and UK foreign ministers to meet for trade deal

Hanoi seeks recovery from COVID while London keen to secure pact due to Brexit

29 September 2020
Vietnam is increasingly a crowded market for e-wallet companies like Momo and ZaloPay. (Photo by Tomoya Onishi)
Finance

Vietnam digital bank relaunches as e-commerce booms

Timo Plus hopes to offer full suite of financial services with Viet Capital Bank

28 September 2020
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks in a pre-recorded message that was played during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Sept. 22.
International relations

Asian leaders hedge bets at UN as Trump throws barbs at China

'When elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled flat,' Duterte warns

28 September 2020
Vietnam Airlines pilots disembark from a flight from Taiwan at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi in March, 2020.
Economy

Vietnam receives flight from Seoul amid hopes for business rebound

Regular commercial route resumes, with Japan, China and Taiwan to follow

25 September 2020