Politics

A man uses the internet on his phone in Vietnam, which has been accused of trying to spread malicious code to government officials' devices in the EU, the U.S. and Taiwan. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Technology

Alleged Vietnam spyware targeting foreign officials 'unacceptable': EU

Cyber surveillance reports come amid upgrade of relations with Washington

16 October 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden raises a toast with Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong in Hanoi on Sept. 11.
Economy

Biden's Vietnam visit generates new wave of interest in investment

American businesses may flock to the country in fourth investment boom

10 October 2023
The case of property developer Van Thinh Phat has become symbolic of Vietnam's sweeping crackdown on graft in the public and private sectors.
Property

Vietnam says $1.2bn property bond fraud hurt 42,000 investors

Developer at heart of scandal now a symbol of country's campaign against graft

3 October 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden, left, with Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, at a military welcome ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi on Sept.10. (Pool via AP)
Opinion

U.S., Vietnam have work to do to build out new partnership

Remarkable upgrade in ties underscores shared economic, strategic interests

18 September 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden raises a toast with his Vietnamese counterpart, Vo Van Thuong, right, on Sept. 11 in Hanoi.
Opinion

If Biden can befriend Vietnam, he can work with Myanmar

Pragmatic approach will better serve U.S. strategic interests than sanctions

15 September 2023
Two Vietnamese airlines have confirmed major orders for Boeing 737 MAX aircraft during U.S. President Joe Biden's visit to Hanoi. (NIKKEI montage/Source photos by AP and Getty)
Supply Chain

Jet and chip deals agreed during Biden's Hanoi trip

Vietnam gains from U.S. supply chain diversification; critics frown on arms trade

11 September 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden attends a meeting with Vietnam's Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Hanoi on Sept. 10.
International relations

U.S. upgrades Vietnam ties as Biden blasts China for 'changing rules'

Washington not out to 'hurt' China while seeking greater Vietnam trade

11 September 2023
U.S. President Joe Biden will meet Vietnamese Communist Party Secretary-General Nguyen Phu Trong in Hanoi. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP)
International relations

Biden's Vietnam trip to push U.S. ties closer to level with China

Ex-foes are still paying the price of war, plan to talk trade and human rights

10 September 2023
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits the headquarters of the Vietnamese Communist Party with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in April. (Pool via REUTERS)
Opinion

Vietnam needs more than an upgraded U.S. partnership

Hanoi has to remake its 'safety net' for changed geopolitical environment

8 September 2023
The USS Carl Vinson paid call on Danang in 2018, the first port visit by a U.S. aircraft carrier to Vietnam since 1975.
Opinion

U.S. and Vietnam have room to expand their defense cooperation

Washington must work with Hanoi's sensitivities toward China

4 September 2023
The annual Semicon Taiwan -- one of the most important events for the semiconductor industry -- will take place from Wednesday to Friday.
Your Week in Asia

ASEAN summit, Semicon Taiwan, Biden visits Vietnam

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

3 September 2023
Samsung Electronics has made Vietnam a major part of its global strategy for smartphone production.
Business Spotlight

Samsung smartphone slump casts shadow over Vietnam

South Korean tech titan reluctant to meet Hanoi request for chip plant

1 September 2023
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, left, and Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh: Their nations are increasingly intertwined as multinationals send capital to Vietnam via the low-tax island.
International relations

Vietnam weighs Singapore diplomatic upgrade as Lee visits

China risks make Vietnam more of a destination for manufacturing, solar power

28 August 2023
Nigel Huddleston, the UK's Minister of State for International Trade, said the U.K. joined the CPTPP to boost commerce and "help shape" trade rules in areas it is "passionate about," like the digital economy. (Reuters)
Interview

U.K. trade minister rejects doubt over CPTPP gains for country

With China keen to join, Huddleston says states must play by rules

27 August 2023
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong tells Vietnamese college students in Ho Chi Minh City that both countries want to "not be encroached upon or be unable to [prosper] because of a greater power" on Aug. 23. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
International relations

Australia to upgrade Vietnam ties, foreign minister says

Penny Wong touts shared interest in protecting nations 'regardless of size'

24 August 2023
Vietnam exercises effective control over a number of islands in the Spratly group in the South China Sea, including Southwest Cay.
South China Sea

Vietnam said to plan military buildup on South China Sea footholds

Spratlys project risks backlash from China and Philippines over competing claims

19 August 2023
A farmer works in a rice paddy in Thailand's central Khon Kaen province. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Commodities

India's rice export ban brings chaos to Thai market

Surging demand sparks speculative hoarding, undercuts export opportunity

17 August 2023
Blackpink -- from left: Lisa, Jisoo, Rosé and Jennie -- headlines the Coachella festival on April 22 in Indio, California.
International relations

Blackpink takes Vietnam by storm, riding Korean economic wave

Superstars' concert is just one way South Korean influence has engulfed country

29 July 2023
Stream article image
Asia's Age of Hydropolitics

Vietnam's Mekong Delta is sinking, but innovations offer hope

From lotus farms to 'floating rice,' farmers get creative in face of China dams, climate change

28 July 2023
High smartphone use is making Vietnam a growing market for the likes of Netflix and TikTok, a market that authorities aim to tax. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Technology

Vietnam's tax agency turns to AI to spot evasion, increase revenue

Payments by Big Tech firms also rise as one-party state steps up scrutiny

25 July 2023
U.S. semiconductor subsidies aren't just for domestic factories: Washington will pay foreign friends to invest in chips, something Asia should exploit, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in Vietnam. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Semiconductors

Yellen urges Asia to tap CHIPS Act funds for semiconductors

U.S. Treasury Secretary also says Amkor plans mega chip plant in Vietnam

21 July 2023
Demand for structural steel in Vietnam has plummeted as the struggling economy has left some buildings unfinished.
Economy

Vietnam's glowing economic statistics raise eyebrows at home

Businesses question GDP figures as Hanoi buildings sit half finished

15 July 2023
From Tehran to Tokyo and beyond, trans people throughout Asia continue to face violence, discrimination and exclusion from society.
Asia Insight

Trans rights progress in Asia hits barricade of tradition, legal maze

Gradual LGBTQ advances in some countries shrouded by stigma, safety concerns

27 June 2023
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Vietnamese counterpart, Vo Van Thuong, greet each other in Hanoi on June 23. Their countries have close economic ties.
International relations

South Korea and Vietnam to bolster minerals, energy partnerships

Yoon brings Samsung Chairman Lee, other business chiefs on state visit

23 June 2023
Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his allies may not be able to purge rivals again in an open way until the next party congress expected in 2026.
Opinion

Vietnam's political infighting has gone quiet but is far from over

High-level purge on pause amid growing worries about slowing economy

20 June 2023