News
Vietnam's forest protection law falls short

Vietnam’s Law on Forest Protection and Development has become backwards and exposed numerous disadvantages, after more than 10 years of implementation, a senior official from the Vietnam Forestry Administration (VNFOREST) has said. Deputy director of the VNFOREST, Nguyen Ba Ngai, made his comment at a workshop ...
Vietnam fruit farmers unprepared for ASEAN
Economist Le Dang Doanh warned that Vietnamese farm produce would face fiercer competition from other countries in the region when the ASEAN Economic Community is born at the end of this year. Keep reading ...
Lao economy forecast up 6.4 pct for this year, 7 pct for 2016: World Bank
Investments in power generation and higher than expected production of gold and copper are set to see Laos post economic growth of 6.4 percent for the year 2015 despite the impact of weak commodity prices and sluggish global trade, according to a World Bank report ...
ASEAN, Japan to fight cybercrime, terrorism
Southeast Asian ministers in charge of security held talks with their Japanese counterpart on 1 October in a bid to enhance cooperation in tackling terrorism and cybercrime. Eriko Yamatani, a cabinet minister and also the chairperson of the National Public Safety Commission, led a delegation for the ...
Myanmar youth leaders gather at the Social Good Summit
When 40 Myanmar youth leaders gathered at the Social Good Summit on September 26, it was clear there was one topic on their minds. The main focus of the Yangon summit, organised by the Union Nations Development Programme in partnership with the UN Volunteers and UN ...
Guardians of ‘race and religion’ target NLD

Nationalist monks are stepping up their political activities as Myanmar’s election approaches, with the opposition National League for Democracy feeling the heat as the main target of Ma Ba Tha’s growing reach. The constitution bars monks from voting or forming political parties, but Ma Ba Tha, ...
US report lauds Thai efforts to combat child labour

The US Department of Labour has upgraded Thailand to the “significant advancement” category for child labour after efforts in recent years have made progress in thwarting the harmful practice. The department on 30 September released a report entitled Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labour 2014, which ...
Made in Vietnam: Should Samsung be treated as a local company?

On the sidelines of a conference at the end of July, Samsung Vietnam CEO Myoung-Sup Han told the press that his company hopes to be treated as a local business soon, instead of a foreign investor. He said every year Samsung makes huge contributions to Vietnam’s ...
Dengue patients overwhelm hospital for tropical diseases

The National Hospital for Tropical Diseases is struggling to cope with a flood of dengue fever patients who insist on getting treated there, instead of local hospitals and clinics. Dr Nguyen Trung Cap, head of the Ha Noi-based hospital’s emergency department, said since the monsoon began ...
Vietnam road fee suspended starting in 2016

The Government has agreed on suspending the collection of the controversial road maintenance fees from motorbike users starting in 2016 after public criticism said the fee was unfair. The decision was reached in a monthly regular cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung that ...