Vietnam News
Vietnam’s national assembly approves $8B rail link to China
The project is expected to reinforce the already strong economic linkages between northern Vietnam and southern China.
Authorities on Vietnam’s Phu Quoc Island deal with homelessness, begging amid tourism concerns
Authorities in Phu Quoc City, an island off the coast of Kien Giang Province in southern Vietnam, have announced plans to address the recurring issue relating to homeless individuals and beggars in public areas, which many say negatively impacts local…
Schneider Electric inaugurates Center of Excellence as part of effort to train 45,000 Vietnamese students
French electrical equipment maker Schneider Electric and the Schneider Electric Foundation, in collaboration with several other agencies, inaugurated the Center of Excellence at Ly Tu Trong College of Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday, part of a move to train…
Does EU-Vietnam free trade break provisions on human rights ?
The rationale of the EU affixing human rights conditions to free trade agreements has again been called into question after rights groups filed a complaint over Vietnam’s crackdown on human rights defenders.
Trump’s aid freeze could disrupt progress in US-Vietnam reconciliation
Suspending USAID programmes risks undermining years of work building trust between the former enemies and helping victims of the Vietnam War.
More than half FDI firms in Vietnam report losses
More than 56% of 29,000 foreign direct invested companies in Vietnam posted loss in 2023, which triggered concerns about transfer pricing and tax evasion, according to the Ministry of Finance.
Zalo demands paid messages now for once-free verification
Vietnamese messaging platform Zalo is now requiring users to send paid text messages to receive verification codes, instead of automatically generating them, citing system congestion.
Redundant Ho Chi Minh City officials may receive $105,016 in severance amid government streamlining
Ho Chi Minh City estimates that around 6,291 civil servants, employees, and workers will be affected by the ongoing restructuring of the local government apparatus, and each affected individual may be eligible for VND2.68 billion (US$105,016) in severance.
Vietnam’s cabinet reduced to 14 ministries after government restructuring
The National Assembly passed a resolution on government organization overhaul on Tuesday to reduce Vietnam’s cabinet structure to 14 ministries and three ministerial-level agencies, a drop of five from the beginning of the NA’s term in 2021.
Manet : New textbook contains no historical distortions, barely mentions Vietnam
Prime Minister Hun Manet has responded to public criticism of the cover of a 6th grade history textbook, explaining that the inclusion of the Win-Win Monument on the cover art does not imply that Cambodia should be grateful to Vietnam.…
Vietnam’s US$8 billion railway to China gets the go ahead
It is one of two railway lines to China that Vietnam plans as part of its ‘Two Corridors, One Belt’ initiative.
‘Airpocalypse’ Now : Vietnam at Crossroads of Progress and Pollution
Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi, is ranked as one of the world’s most polluted cities in 2025. This dubious honour highlights the country’s need to balance rapid economic development with preserving the environment.
Vietnam approves $8bn railway project linking with China
Vietnam’s National Assembly has approved a resolution on the investment policy for an US$8 billion project to build a new railway linking the country with China.
Obesity, high salt intake remain alarming issues in Ho Chi Minh City
Ho Chi Minh City continues to face alarming rates of obesity and excessive salt consumption, with increasing numbers across different age groups, according to the city’s Center for Disease Control (HCDC).
Vietnam’s strict new social media regulations strangle free speech, report says
New government regulations on social media in Vietnam give authorities increased powers to prevent dissent and control the news, along with the tools to more easily track down critics and silence them.
Agent Orange twisted her limbs. The U.S. is abandoning a vow to help
Nearly 40 years after she was born with a malformed spine and misshapen limbs — most likely because her father was exposed to Agent Orange, the toxic chemical that the American military used during the Vietnam War — Nguyen Thi…
To Lam’s pragmatic pitch to Vietnam’s youth : economic prosperity, political control
Compared to their Southeast Asian peers, Vietnamese youth are more economically optimistic but politically disengaged. These attitudes concur with pragmatism of the country’s top leader To Lam, which focuses on material prosperity while calibrating civic freedoms to regime imperatives.
Confirmed road to connect Gia Binh airport with Hanoi, future metro line in discussion
Hanoi has issued a decision to build a road connecting the city with Gia Binh Airport in neighboring Bac Ninh Province while studying a plan to develop a metro line between the locations.
Vietnam paves way for Musk’s Starlink, seen as « olive branch » amid US tariff threats
Vietnam plans to adopt rules that would allow Elon Musk’s Starlink to provide satellite internet services in the country while maintaining full ownership of any local subsidiary, a draft of the regulations shows.
80% of HCMC new apartments to be priced above $2,500 per square meter
Some 10,000 new apartments are expected to hit the HCMC market this year, 80% of them priced above VND65 million (US$2,540) per square meter.
Foreigners intrigued by Vietnam’s take on Valentine’s Day
While stopping at a red light in HCMC, Daniel Thompson, 30, was struck by the sight of sidewalks overflowing with flowers and gifts.
Traffic gridlock takes more than just time from millions
Millions of people in Vietnam’s major cities are losing valuable time each day due to worsening traffic congestion.
Vietnam open to boosting US agricultural imports as tariff risks rise
Vietnam stands ready to import more farm products from the United States, according to a statement from trade minister Nguyen Hong Dien on Friday, a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would start imposing global reciprocal tariffs.
Vietnam’s Can Tho airport sees declining passenger traffic due to limited air routes
Despite having a designed capacity of 3-5 million passengers per year, Can Tho International Airport in the namesake city handled only 1.3 million passengers in 2024, with just seven domestic and two international routes still in operation.
More French investment expected to flow into Vietnam
Many French businesses are interested in making investments in Vietnam in the fields of digital transformation, AI, semiconductor, energy and transport infrastructure.
Vietnam’s ‘Era of National Rise’ and the risk of imperial overreach : lessons from 1975
Despite its growing prosperity and ambition, the country still has to tread a careful line between larger regional and global powers.