News
Conservatives still call the shots in Vietnam and Laos
Vietnam and Laos, the only Communist regimes in South-east Asia, inducted new leadership this past week through party congresses. Changes in both cases saw conservatives prevail. The relatively secretive Lao People’s Revolutionary Party which runs Laos – which is chairman of the 10-nation Asean this year – chose Mr ...
Vietnamese from Laos welcomed
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a plan to support free migration for Vietnamese returning from Laos to settle in Vietnam. The plan will be carried out in 10 provinces that border Laos including Dien Bien, Son La, Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, ...
Strong FDI inflows to drive Vietnam's economy this year: forecast
As foreign investment will remain strong this year, both manufacturing and construction sectors in Vietnam will see positive growth, helping the economy rise 6.9 percent, according to a new Standard Chartered Bank report. It will be the second highest growth in Asia, after India, the London-headquartered ...
Vietnam watches out for alarming Zika virus spread
Health officials are monitoring the spread of Zika virus in other countries, saying Vietnam is also at risk. The Preventive Health Department said the virus, which has been linked to brain damage in thousands of infants in Brazil, has not been detected in Vietnam. Keep reading ...
Vietnam FDI surges this month
Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam rose impressively by 101.2 per cent to more than US$1.33 billion in January of this year, according to the Foreign Investment Agency. Up to 127 new foreign-invested projects, worth more than $1 billion, were licensed as of January 20, surging ...
Vietnam rakes in over $30 billion with phone exports
Vietnam’s exports of mobile phones and parts exceeded US$30 billion last year, surpassing all other products, customs data showed. That was a 27.9 percent increase compared to 2014, and accounted for 18.7 percent of the country’s total export revenue, it said. The EU was the biggest buyer of ...
Vietnamese investment minister calls for political reforms
A Vietnamese government minister has warned that the country must immediately reform its political system if it does not want to be left behind. Minister of Planning and Investment Bui Quang Vinh told the National Party Congress on 22 January that Doi Moi (Renovation), the economic reforms ...
Craft industry struggles to find export markets
Vietnam’s handicrafts face many challenges in producing and finding export markets, while integrating into the world economy although it has the potential for economic development. According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Agricultural Trade Promotion Centre, there are nearly 1,750 traditional craft ...
Snow envelops northern Vietnam as weekend temperatures plummet
Many northern provinces have been experiencing bitter cold, while snow has been falling heavily in many areas across the northern mountainous region due to a strong cold spell that has enveloped almost half of the country since 23 January. Snow blanketed Sa Pa in the northern ...
Vietnam congress ‘not likely to affect Cambodia ties’
As Vietnam’s Communist Party continues its weeklong congress to choose its general secretary, experts and analysts said the outcome would likely do little to change the historically close relationship between Cambodia and Vietnam’s ruling parties. Early media reports indicate that Nguyen Phu Trong will run for ...
