Vietnam News
European bizs confident in Vietnam’s economic prospects
Vietnam saw a significant rise in business sentiment in the fourth quarter (Q4) last year, reflecting resilience amidst a turbulent global landscape, according to the quarter’s business confidence index (BCI) report released recently by the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham)…
Vietnam’s communists join Musk, Milei in slashing government
As Elon Musk and Argentina’s Javier Milei champion ambitious plans to dramatically slash the size of government, a similar effort is getting underway across the globe from political leaders with a completely different ideology: Vietnam’s Communist Party.
Vietnam’s high-speed rail hits the brakes on foreign funding
The Vietnamese National Assembly has approved the creation of a high-speed rail network that will deliver significant economic benefits to the country. Rather than rely on foreign funding, Vietnam intends to largely fund the project through domestic sources, including governments…
Vietnam struggles to avoid the Trump administration’s glare
Vietnam’s rising trade surplus with the United States may threaten its close strategic and economic bilateral ties under the second Trump administration.
Vietnam to prosecute lawyer for criticising judicial actions on social media
The Vietnamese government initiated legal proceedings on Tuesday against prominent lawyer Tran Dinh Trien for allegedly infringing upon state interests through social media criticism.
Channel migrants : The real reason so many are fleeing Vietnam for the UK
More Vietnamese attempted small-boat Channel crossings in the first half of 2024 than any other nationality. Yet they are coming from one of the world’s fastest-growing economies. Why, then, are so many risking their lives to reach Britain ?
Fines for riding on sidewalks set at $236 while workers earn $330 monthly
The increased fines of VND4-6 million (US$157-236) for motorcyclist riding on sidewalks have recently sparked debate, given that workers’ average monthly income is only at VND8.5 million (US$334).
Vietnamese workers’ monthly income rises to $323 in Q4 2024
The average monthly income of workers in Vietnam reached VND8.2 million ($323.09) in the fourth quarter of 2024, an increase of VND550,000 or 7% from the previous quarter, according to the General Statistics Office.
Vietnam strengthens control of internet and civil society through new decrees
Tech companies are now required to verify users, while strict rules are imposed on associations.
Vietnam’s 2024 GDP growth accelerates to 7.09%, driven by strong exports
Vietnam’s economy expanded 7.09% last year to $476.3 billion, faster than the 5.05% expansion in 2023, driven by strong exports and robust foreign investment inflows, government data showed on Monday.
Internet connection hit as 2 undersea cables suffer disruption
Internet users in Vietnam are experiencing disruptions in international connections due to issues with two major undersea cables, APG and IA.
Frost covers Vietnam’s highest peak for nearly a week
Thick layers of frost have covered everything on the summit of Fansipan, Vietnam’s highest peak, in northern Sa Pa Town over the past six days due to chilling weather in the ongoing winter.
Vietnam PM suggests country’s richest man to build metro in Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh revealed that he had proposed to Vingroup chairman Pham Nhat Vuong, the country’s wealthiest individual, the idea of building a subway line connecting downtown Ho Chi Minh City with coastal Can Gio District.
Dwindling fish stocks, rising costs threaten livelihoods of southwestern Vietnam’s fishing communities
Fishermen in southwestern Vietnam are grappling with declining fish stocks, soaring operating costs, and labor shortages, which have forced many of them to consider abandoning their boats and seeking alternative livelihoods as traditional fishing becomes unsustainable.
Vietnam recognizes 4 royal antiques as national treasures
Hue City, the former feudal capital of Vietnam in central Thua Thien-Hue Province, has four more royal antiques recognized as national treasures under a prime ministerial decision, the Hue Museum of Royal Antiquities reported this week.
Cultural leaders highlight challenges in Vietnam’s film and arts sectors
The Vietnam Feature Film Studio, once a beacon of revolutionary cinema, now lies in disrepair following privatization, reflecting broader challenges facing Vietnamese cinema and arts.
Vietnam’s capital blanketed by toxic smog
Thick smog blanketed Hanoi on Friday, obscuring buildings and leaving nine million residents choking on toxic air as the Vietnamese capital topped a list of the world’s most polluted major cities.
Vietnam bans vapes, will fine tourists up to US$78 and jail e-cigarette traders, producers
Country joins others including Singapore, Thailand, India and Australia in banning travellers from bringing in e-cigarettes.
Customers rush to banks for biometric verification as Jan. 1 deadline nears
In the final weekend before the Jan. 1, 2025, deadline for biometric verification, many customers, especially seniors, rushed to banks instead of completing the process online.
Internet crackdown shrinks already constrained room for activism in Vietnam
For Thảo, a journalist based in Hanoi, online reports from Vietnamese internet users were key to her and her colleagues’ coverage of Typhoon Yagi and its aftermath. The storm, the biggest in Asia this year and the strongest to strike…
China-Vietnam dialogue won’t change a thing in South China Sea
New 3+3 dialogue mechanism more form than substance in long-running sea disputes that won’t likely subside or escalate.
Ukraine war : how Vietnam’s ‘bamboo diplomacy’ treads a fine line between the west and Russia
Since Vietnam adopted its programme of reform (“Doi Moi” or renovation) in 1986, its foreign policy has transitioned from one driven by ideology to a more pragmatic regime driven by independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralism.
Vietnam’s 2024 birthrate hits historic low, defying Year of the Dragon trends
Vietnam’s birthrate in 2024 has fallen to an estimated 1.91 children per woman, the lowest in the country’s history, marking a significant departure from the traditional belief that the Year of the Dragon, considered auspicious, would lead to a rise…
Vietnam to commence trans-country high-speed railway in Dec 2027
Vietnam plans to start building a North-South high-speed railway at a cost of US$67 billion in December 2027, Nguyen Danh Huy, Deputy Minister of Transport, said at a meeting on Thursday.
Vietnam, Russia pledge to beef up defense ties at 7th strategic dialogue
Vietnamese Deputy Minister of National Defense Hoang Xuan Chien and his Russian counterpart Alexander Vasilyevich Fomin have agreed to step up the defense cooperation between the two nations while co-chairing the seventh Vietnam-Russia Defense Strategy Dialogue in Hanoi on Thursday.
Vietnam jails more officials over Covid-19 flight bribes
The Hanoi People’s Court on Friday jailed more than a dozen officials for up to 12 years for corruption over repatriation flights and quarantine during the Covid-19 pandemic.