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Vietnam

Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on Vietnam, covering politics, economy, society and the country's relationships with the United States, Australia, China and neighbouring Southeast Asian countries.

Capital

Hanoi

Head of State

President To Lam

Head of Government

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh

A critically endangered Sumatran rhino calf with its mother at the Way Kambas National Park Sumatran Rhino Sanctuary in Indonesia. Photo: AFP/Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry

Asean

Over 4,300 Southeast Asian species face extinction threat

Tigers, giant catfish, gibbons and pangolins are among the thousands of ‘critically endangered’ or ‘endangered’ species in the region.

5 hours ago

Truong My Lan

Vietnam sells disgraced tycoon’s Hermes bags to recoup US$27 billion in damages

22 May 2026 - 12:15PMvideocam

Belt and Road Initiative

China’s new US$10.7 billion canal near completion to boost Asean trade links

22 May 2026 - 2:40PM

Trip Inspiration

Asia’s new hotels: from Kyoto to Bangkok, luxury awaits

Discover Asia’s most captivating new luxury hotels – from Kyoto’s geisha-haunted Imperial to Lugu Lake’s matrilineal retreat – where heritage craftsmanship meets cutting-edge design.

21 May 2026 - 8:00AM

The swimming pool at Andaz One Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: courtesy Andaz One Bangkok

Energy

Video | Hanoi hits the brakes on petrol motorbike ban

The proposed ban has already been scaled back, as riders demand better infrastructure and government support before making the switch to electric.

19 May 2026 - 9:04PM

The Philippines

Philippine navy’s ‘aspirational’ middle power claim comes under scrutiny

The navy based its assessment partly on regional partners admiring its newer ships that were deployed in recent joint exercises.

20 May 2026 - 11:00AMvideocam

Hong Kong science and tech

Hong Kong’s CUHK aims to bring AI to life with humanoid-focused robotics lab

City’s first embodied AI lab, backed by 24 tech firms, is set to advance humanoid and quadruped robotics research and training over next five years.

18 May 2026 - 11:38PM

The Chinese University of Hong Kong has launched the city’s first embodied AI lab to drive humanoid and quadruped robotics research and talent training. Photo: Edmond So

South China Sea

Chinese scientists land on Sandy Cay as tensions with Philippines spike again

Manila says it sent a plane over the South China Sea reef in an effort to ‘drive away’ those carrying out ‘unauthorised’ research activity.

18 May 2026 - 8:11PMvideocam

Sri Lanka

The great scam migration: fraudsters fleeing Cambodia find a new hub

Criminal gangs are setting up in rented spaces ranging from luxury villas to office complexes, thanks to cheap visas and fast internet.

18 May 2026 - 11:12AMvideocam

Thailand

Face forward: why Thailand is the next big thing in beauty trends

The T-beauty industry is growing by 5 per cent each year and is estimated to be worth over US$10 billion by 2030.

17 May 2026 - 1:37PMvideocam

Shoppers look at beauty products at a store in Bangkok. Photo: AFP

China-Asean relations

Asian Angle | China offers Southeast Asia clear advantages in nuclear power

With its experience in exporting nuclear reactors, China can offer long-term energy security and technological upgrades.

17 May 2026 - 12:00PM

Researchers inspect an alloy material sample used to build a Thorium Molten Salt Reactor at a laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics in October last year. Photo: EPA

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation

Vietnam’s US$5 billion Apec island is running out of time

Phu Quoc is a test case for Vietnam’s build-fast model. But with 18 months to go, the island is short of workers, diesel and hotel rooms.

17 May 2026 - 8:00AM

To Lam

Beyond bamboo: Vietnam’s To Lam mounts a diplomacy offensive

The security chief turned paramount leader is chasing the markets and capital required to reach high-income status by 2045.

16 May 2026 - 8:00AM

2026 Xi-Trump summit

Trump and his CEOs want China’s business – but has Asia moved on?

The US delegation went to Beijing looking for deals, but a ‘super cycle’ of capital expenditures across Asia is already fuelling enormous growth.

16 May 2026 - 6:03AMvideocam

US-China relations

As I see it | Beijing had already won before the Trump-Xi summit even started

There’s a lesson for the US president in Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in the early 19th century.

15 May 2026 - 8:43PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump (bottom right) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping upon arriving at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14. Photo: Reuters

Britain

Turning over a new leaf: why UK’s green mandate is a win for Asia

The Green Party’s record-breaking gains in UK council elections are a sign voters are taking climate change seriously, analysts say.

15 May 2026 - 2:45PMvideocam

Asean

Canada pushes to finalise Asean trade deal to cut US reliance

Ottawa is keen to sign an FTA with Asean this year, as analysts predict two-way growth in sectors ranging from mining to manufacturing.

15 May 2026 - 4:28PM

China-Latin America relations

China restores US beef trade amid Trump-Xi summit, alarming Brazilian exporters

Beijing’s renewal of import licences for US beef plants comes as Brazil nears its annual quota cap and scrambles for alternative markets.

15 May 2026 - 4:46AMvideocam

People shop for beef at a supermarket in Fuzhou, Fujian province. China has renewed import licences for hundreds of US beef plants. Photo: China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

2026 Xi-Trump summit

Wary mood to mark Xi-Trump summit with irritants aplenty on both sides: analysts

Observers noted the number of recent strategic and trade blows, including the war on Iran, have not derailed the meeting from going ahead.

14 May 2026 - 1:50AMvideocam

United States

Vietnam asks US to let crucial oil tanker slip past Hormuz blockade

The ship’s destination, Nghi Son, can process 200,000 barrels a day – meaning the 1.99 million barrel load can keep it going for 10 days.

19 May 2026 - 9:20PMvideocam

Indonesia

Police raids reveal Indonesia as new hub for scam, gambling syndicates

Hundreds of foreigners have been arrested in Indonesia recently following crackdowns against crime groups in Cambodia and Myanmar.

12 May 2026 - 8:11PMvideocam

Foreign nationals suspected of running an online gambling operation at an office building in Jakarta await transport after being arrested in the Indonesian capital on Sunday. Photo: Reuters

Indonesia

321 foreigners arrested in Indonesia online gambling crackdown

The foreigners, mainly from Vietnam, were arrested near Jakarta’s Chinatown section that investigators described as a hub for more than 70 online gambling websites.

11 May 2026 - 11:13AMvideocam

Suspected online gambling operators (in orange) walk towards buses for transfer after a police raid at the Hayam Wuruk Plaza office building in Jakarta on Sunday. Photo: AFP

India

Vietnam joins rush for India’s battle-tested ‘strong, non-Western’ BrahMos

As a joint Indo-Russian venture, BrahMos offers a supersonic, non-Western alternative to US hardware with no Nato-linked conditions.

10 May 2026 - 1:35PMvideocam

South China Sea

Vietnam adds over 2 square km of land in South China Sea, US report says

The expansion brings its total reclaimed area to roughly 11 square km, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.

9 May 2026 - 2:07PM

China trade

How a China-backed highway may turn landlocked Laos into a trade gateway

The project is part of wider efforts to build overland trade corridors linking southern China with the Mekong region.

9 May 2026 - 7:11AM

An aerial drone photo taken on April 13 shows a train of the China-Laos Railway, departing from Kunming in southwest China’s Yunnan province, arriving in Vientiane, Laos. Photo: Xinhua

Science

Why are China’s coastal fish farms disappearing while India’s are expanding?

China’s coastal aquaculture ponds span the largest area in the world but they are shrinking – and that is a good thing.

8 May 2026 - 5:00PM

Aquaculture workers check sea cucumber growth at a marine farm in China's eastern Shandong province. Photo: Xinhua

To Lam

Vietnam burns red tape but growth may be harder to rekindle

Vietnam’s drive to energise its economy may take time to materialise in the face of rising fuel costs and trade barriers, analysts say.

8 May 2026 - 10:43AM

Asean

Opinion | Why China’s warning over military blocs is finding listeners in Asia

For regional governments, strategy is about preserving options. China has read this instinct carefully and given it a diplomatic vocabulary.

8 May 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

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Vietnam

Over 4,300 Southeast Asian species face extinction threat

Tigers, giant catfish, gibbons and pangolins are among the thousands of ‘critically endangered’ or ‘endangered’ species in the region.

Vietnam sells disgraced tycoon’s Hermes bags to recoup US$27 billion in damages

China’s new US$10.7 billion canal near completion to boost Asean trade links

Asia’s new hotels: from Kyoto to Bangkok, luxury awaits

Discover Asia’s most captivating new luxury hotels – from Kyoto’s geisha-haunted Imperial to Lugu Lake’s matrilineal retreat – where heritage craftsmanship meets cutting-edge design.

.css-1t72pn8{color:#C79A00;}Video | Hanoi hits the brakes on petrol motorbike ban

The proposed ban has already been scaled back, as riders demand better infrastructure and government support before making the switch to electric.

Philippine navy’s ‘aspirational’ middle power claim comes under scrutiny

The navy based its assessment partly on regional partners admiring its newer ships that were deployed in recent joint exercises.

Hong Kong’s CUHK aims to bring AI to life with humanoid-focused robotics lab

City’s first embodied AI lab, backed by 24 tech firms, is set to advance humanoid and quadruped robotics research and training over next five years.

Chinese scientists land on Sandy Cay as tensions with Philippines spike again

Manila says it sent a plane over the South China Sea reef in an effort to ‘drive away’ those carrying out ‘unauthorised’ research activity.

The great scam migration: fraudsters fleeing Cambodia find a new hub

Criminal gangs are setting up in rented spaces ranging from luxury villas to office complexes, thanks to cheap visas and fast internet.

Face forward: why Thailand is the next big thing in beauty trends

The T-beauty industry is growing by 5 per cent each year and is estimated to be worth over US$10 billion by 2030.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Asian Angle | China offers Southeast Asia clear advantages in nuclear power

With its experience in exporting nuclear reactors, China can offer long-term energy security and technological upgrades.

Vietnam’s US$5 billion Apec island is running out of time

Phu Quoc is a test case for Vietnam’s build-fast model. But with 18 months to go, the island is short of workers, diesel and hotel rooms.

Beyond bamboo: Vietnam’s To Lam mounts a diplomacy offensive

The security chief turned paramount leader is chasing the markets and capital required to reach high-income status by 2045.

Trump and his CEOs want China’s business – but has Asia moved on?

The US delegation went to Beijing looking for deals, but a ‘super cycle’ of capital expenditures across Asia is already fuelling enormous growth.

As I see it | Beijing had already won before the Trump-Xi summit even started

There’s a lesson for the US president in Napoleon’s invasion of Russia in the early 19th century.

Turning over a new leaf: why UK’s green mandate is a win for Asia

The Green Party’s record-breaking gains in UK council elections are a sign voters are taking climate change seriously, analysts say.

Canada pushes to finalise Asean trade deal to cut US reliance

Ottawa is keen to sign an FTA with Asean this year, as analysts predict two-way growth in sectors ranging from mining to manufacturing.

China restores US beef trade amid Trump-Xi summit, alarming Brazilian exporters

Beijing’s renewal of import licences for US beef plants comes as Brazil nears its annual quota cap and scrambles for alternative markets.

Wary mood to mark Xi-Trump summit with irritants aplenty on both sides: analysts

Observers noted the number of recent strategic and trade blows, including the war on Iran, have not derailed the meeting from going ahead.

Vietnam asks US to let crucial oil tanker slip past Hormuz blockade

The ship’s destination, Nghi Son, can process 200,000 barrels a day – meaning the 1.99 million barrel load can keep it going for 10 days.

Police raids reveal Indonesia as new hub for scam, gambling syndicates

Hundreds of foreigners have been arrested in Indonesia recently following crackdowns against crime groups in Cambodia and Myanmar.

321 foreigners arrested in Indonesia online gambling crackdown

The foreigners, mainly from Vietnam, were arrested near Jakarta’s Chinatown section that investigators described as a hub for more than 70 online gambling websites.

Vietnam joins rush for India’s battle-tested ‘strong, non-Western’ BrahMos

As a joint Indo-Russian venture, BrahMos offers a supersonic, non-Western alternative to US hardware with no Nato-linked conditions.

Vietnam adds over 2 square km of land in South China Sea, US report says

The expansion brings its total reclaimed area to roughly 11 square km, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.

How a China-backed highway may turn landlocked Laos into a trade gateway

The project is part of wider efforts to build overland trade corridors linking southern China with the Mekong region.

Why are China’s coastal fish farms disappearing while India’s are expanding?

China’s coastal aquaculture ponds span the largest area in the world but they are shrinking – and that is a good thing.

Vietnam burns red tape but growth may be harder to rekindle

Vietnam’s drive to energise its economy may take time to materialise in the face of rising fuel costs and trade barriers, analysts say.

Opinion | Why China’s warning over military blocs is finding listeners in Asia

For regional governments, strategy is about preserving options. China has read this instinct carefully and given it a diplomatic vocabulary.

Video | Hanoi hits the brakes on petrol motorbike ban

Asian Angle | China offers Southeast Asia clear advantages in nuclear power