Politics

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong speaks to the media in Hanoi on May 23, 2021. Like China's Xi Jinping, Trong has used an anti-graft drive to tighten his grip on power.
Politics

Vietnam's Trong consolidates power with dismissals of deputy PMs

Xi Jinping meeting may have accelerated general secretary's anti-graft drive

6 January 2023
A rice farmer gestures in Khon Kaen, Thailand. The country has strict regulations against importing foreign strains of rice, but industry insiders say Vietnamese seeds are finding their way in.  
Commodities

Vietnamese rice in Thailand's fields poses growing problem

Alien strains help farmers meet demand at low cost but dent national brand

1 January 2023
Vietnam Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh speaks at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sept. 24.
Politics

Vietnam's Communist Party ousts top diplomat from Politburo

Two key officials kicked off from central committee over COVID-19 scandals

31 December 2022
Chinese ships were spotted in a stationary position in the Spratly Islands on Nov. 23. (Photo courtesy of the Philippine military) 
South China Sea

Philippines, China clash over new South China Sea flash point

Concern is growing ahead of President Marcos' visit to China in New Year

28 December 2022
Vu Hong Nam had served as Vietnam's ambassador to Japan since 2018. (Photo by Tomoya Onishi)
Politics

Vietnam arrests former ambassador to Japan on bribery charges

Deputy foreign minister, Osaka consul general ensnared in repatriation flight scandal

23 December 2022
Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, left, attended a summit with Indonesian counterpart Joko Widodo on Dec. 22 in the Indonesian city of Bogor. (Photo courtesy of Indonesia's presidential office)
South China Sea

Indonesia and Vietnam agree on EEZ boundaries in South China Sea

Jokowi and Phuc conclude 12 years of talks with eye on China

23 December 2022
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and European Council President Charles Michel attend the EU-ASEAN summit in Brussels on Dec. 14.
International relations

ASEAN and EU elevate ties as Vietnam snags billions to go green

Blocs' first summit focuses on energy and infrastructure amid U.S.-China tension

15 December 2022
The communist government will also introduce a whitelist of sites that are safe for ads in early 2023. (Source photos by Getty Images and Ken Kobayashi)
Technology

Vietnam to block ads on 'toxic' online content in further crackdown

State's blacklist may affect Facebook and YouTube users as well as TikTok stars

9 December 2022
Vietnam is using its first defense expo to showcase locally made arms and also its blossoming relationships with new suppliers. (Photo by Kim Dung Tong)
Aerospace & Defense Industries

Vietnam turns away from Russia reliance with first defense expo

Hanoi keen to expand weapons suppliers, shows off new ties to China

8 December 2022
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern opens her speech in the native Maori language at the Forbes Women’s Summit 2022 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Politics

What can Asia learn on gender from New Zealand? Ardern has ideas

Look beyond aggressive, 'knives-out' politics, PM says on Vietnam trip

26 November 2022
Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh will host the 27th annual United Nations climate change conference (COP27) from Nov. 6 to 18.
Your Week in Asia

Vietnam leader in China, Hong Kong investment summit, COP 27

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

30 October 2022
A company displays lumber in Vietnam, whose wood products industry is grappling with risks ranging from the Ukraine war to fake forest certificates and U.S. trade probes. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Supply Chain

Vietnam's wood trade under pressure from logging, Ukraine war

Murky origins plague furniture sector coming down from COVID-fueled buying spree

28 October 2022
Vietnamese President Nguyen Phu Trong, pictured in Hanoi on Feb. 1, 2021, has congratulated Chinese President Xi Jinping on Xi's precedent-breaking third term as party chief.
International relations

Vietnam Communist Party chief to meet Xi in China next week

Nguyen Phu Trong to make a rare trip at Xi's invitation

25 October 2022
Customers crowd a branch of Saigon Joint Stock Commercial Bank in Hanoi on Oct. 8. (Photo by Tomoya Onishi)
Politics

Vietnam's anti-graft campaign casts shadow over economy

High-profile detention triggers bank run at Saigon Joint Stock Commercial Bank

20 October 2022
The opening of Hanoi Metro Line 3 is expected to be delayed until 2027, over a decade past the estimated completion date of 2015.
Transportation

Unfinished business: Vietnam's long-awaited urban commuter rail

Clueless bureaucracy bloats project costs and delays completion dates

7 October 2022
A woman works a rice field in Khon Kaen, Thailand. The country is considering price hikes for rice exports along with Vietnam, another major rice exporter.
Inflation

Vietnam, Thailand to meet in Oct. about raising rice export prices

Hikes could hit 20%, adding fuel to global inflation

16 September 2022
Vietnam's regulations forcing companies to store user data on domestic servers are expected to affect social media platforms like Google's YouTube and Meta's Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
Technology

Vietnam data storage law rankles Big Tech and CPTPP trade bloc

China-like restrictions set companies scrambling in key test of Pacific trade deal

15 September 2022
Oil tanks at a petroleum depot in the port of Vladivostok, Russia. Myanmar starts importing Russian fuel oil as early as September.
Ukraine war

Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar deepen Russia ties to blunt economic woes

Southeast Asia nations seen giving Moscow breathing room on sanctions

6 September 2022
Group of Seven countries and democratic allies like Australia are dangling infrastructure support in Southeast Asia as an alternative to China's Belt and Road.
Asia Insight

China's ASEAN Silk Road gets slippery as other powers move in

U.S., Europe, India join battle to build regional supply chains from Thailand to Vietnam

23 August 2022
China's missile drills have forced Singapore Airlines and its budget carrier Scoot to cancel flights to and from Taiwan scheduled for Friday. (Source photos by Eastern Theatre Command/Reuters and Reuters)
Transportation

Asian carriers halt, reroute flights over Chinese drills near Taiwan

Beijing's military exercise could disrupt regional supply chains

5 August 2022
Stream article image
Feeding Asia

Opinion: Reform the global food system to end famine

Three clear avenues for action that will limit the spread of the crisis

29 July 2022
Japan is trying to attract more Vietnamese workers to help alleviate the shortage of labor in the country. (Photo by Konosuke Urata) 
Japan immigration

Japan aims to slash charges Vietnamese trainees pay to brokers

JICA to launch website allowing interns to circumvent middlemen

28 July 2022
Kamala Harris became the first-ever U.S. Vice President to visit Vietnam in August 2021, when she met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, in Hanoi.
The Big Story

Asia's odd couple: Vietnam and the U.S. find opposites attract

As China threat looms, Washington weighs up democracy with dominance in Pacific

20 July 2022
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Washington on May 13: Chinh's penchant for control has put the brakes on needed reforms.
Opinion

Endemic corruption and policy impasses are holding Vietnam back

Further growth is contingent on reforms that are nowhere on the horizon

15 July 2022
Amazon Web Services is an early mover in seeking data-center customers in Vietnam. Local players account for less that 20% of the market but the Vietnamese government wants to increase this to 70%. (Source photo by Getty Images) 
Technology

Amazon woos cloud clients as Vietnam floats onshore data rules

AWS pause in Russia amid Ukraine war shows risk of offshore data centers: analysts

11 July 2022