Vietnam

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
Hyundai became the top-selling auto brand in Vietnam for the first time in the first half of 2020.
Automobiles

Hyundai to more than double Vietnam auto output with new plant

Automaker launches $140m project after topping sales rankings for first time

25 September 2020
Startups in Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park are exempted from land leases for 50 years. (Source photo by Reuters)
Economy

Vietnam to drive high-tech startups with new incentives

After COVID, Hanoi aims to boost country's growth potential

24 September 2020
A coffee plantation in Vietnam, the largest producer of robust beans in the world: Japanese imports of robusta, mostly used in instant coffee products, are rising.
Commodities

Vietnam now Japan's top coffee supplier, fueled by COVID

Demand for robusta beans used in instant brew gets jolt from home drinkers

19 September 2020
With exports plunging, Vietnam's garment makers change course to produce personal protective equipment, including surgical masks, instead.
Trade

Vietnam revamps as 'world's mask factory' to offset COVID hit

Hanoi expects garment sector to still gain from China migration post-pandemic

16 September 2020
Cranes are seen at Tanjung Priok port amid the coronavirus outbreak in Jakarta, Indonesia, Aug. 3.
Economy

Emerging Asia set for 1st recession in six decades, says ADB

Nobel laureate Stiglitz signals the end of region's labor intensive growth model

15 September 2020
The Mekong river divides Thailand and Laos as seen from Nong Khai, Thailand. The five countries that the river runs through find themselves the beneficiaries of U.S. and Chinese largesse.
International relations

US and China vie to corral ASEAN with Mekong and COVID support

Washington announces $153m package for basin amid tensions with Beijing

12 September 2020
TikTok, the international version of ByteDance's short video app, has, like telecom hardware maker Huawei, raised concerns internationally. But its "soft power" potential makes it unique. (Illustration by Nakako Shiotsuki)
Business Spotlight

Asia's divide over TikTok: troubled in Tokyo, chilled in Manila

Reactions to security fears after US crackdown on app reflect relations with China

11 September 2020
A man uses a smartphone in Hanoi as he walks past a poster warning against spreading "fake news" on the coronavirus.
Technology

Microsoft helps Vietnam fight hackers amid US-China cloud rivalry

Local companies and state agencies join cybersecurity event

10 September 2020
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, center, speaks during an online meeting with ASEAN foreign ministers hosted by Vietnam on Sept. 10.
Coronavirus

US to open regional CDC office in Vietnam to tackle COVID-19

Washington steps up commitment to ASEAN public health amid Beijing tensions

10 September 2020
Images taken from video provided by VTV show Association of Southeast Asian Nations' foreign ministers remotely watching Vietnamese counterpart Pham Binh Minh, center, deliver a speech in Hanoi, Vietnam, during the opening of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting on  Sept. 9.
South China Sea

Vietnam stresses South China Sea security issues at ASEAN meeting

Draft communique calls for joint work on COVID vaccine development and delivery

9 September 2020