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Vietnam News Roundup: April 11 to April 17

This week’s Vietnam news roundup covers the latest: EU trade remedies against Vietnamese steel, how industry is responding to the Trump Tariff turmoil, car sales data, electricity output, foreign trader activity, State Bank open market operations, and more…

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Key Challenges in Vietnam-US Trade Negotiations: Unpacked

The US-China tit-for-tat trade war has seen tariffs on China rise to 145 percent and tariffs on the US reach 125 percent. As a key link between these two economies, this puts Vietnam in a tricky situation entering trade negotiations with the United States. Add to that the often contradictory objectives of its foreign-invested and domestically owned sectors and this should make for some very interesting negotiations.

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Vietnam’s fresh milk output up 4 percent year-on-year in March

Vietnam’s fresh milk production reached 144.6 million litres in March, up from 130.7 million litres in February. Total output for the first quarter stood at 407.3 million litres, reflecting a 3.1 percent increase compared to March 2024 and a 4.0 percent rise year-on-year, according to data from the General Statistics Office.

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Vietnam’s Revised Power Development Plan 8 2025: What’s Changed?

Last week, the Government of Vietnam issued Decision 768/QD-TTg significantly revising the Power Development Plan 8 (PDP8). This comes less than two years after the first PDP8 was issued and makes some substantial changes to Vietnam’s goals and expectations. Notably, the PDP8 is a cornerstone of Vietnam’s electricity industry, and with this in mind, this article breaks down how this plan has changed.

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Banking: Vietnam’s bad debt jumps 3.3 percent in first two month of 2025

Nguyen Quoc Hung, General Secretary of the Vietnam Banking Association, has raised concerns about the speed at which bad debt is rising in Vietnam, Tuoi Tre is reporting. Total bad debt stood at VND 1,030 trillion (US$41.18 billion) at the end of 2024, rising by VND 34 trillion (US$1.36 billion), or about 3.3 percent, in the first two months of 2025.

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VietJet found liable for US$181.8 million in UK court aircraft leasing dispute

The High Court of England and Wales has ruled in favour of FW Aviation, ordering VietJet Aviation to pay more than US$181.8 million in a dispute over four aircraft that VietJet failed to return after their leases were cancelled. The court upheld FW Aviation’s right to full termination payments and possession of the aircraft, rejecting VietJet’s penalty clause and title-based defences, according to the decision handed down by the court.

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Vietnam’s Wind Power Industry: Overview 2025

To fully realise its wind power potential, Vietnam will need to address several challenges, including regulatory uncertainties, grid infrastructure limitations, and financing hurdles. The transition from feed-in tariffs to a competitive bidding mechanism for new projects is expected to create a more stable and transparent investment environment, attracting both domestic and foreign investors.

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Vietnam’s Solar Power Industry: Overview 2025

Vietnam’s solar power industry has experienced rapid growth in recent years, driven by favourable government policies and increasing demand for renewable energy. With abundant solar potential due to its geographical location, the country has become a significant player in the Southeast Asian renewable energy market. However, regulatory uncertainty has become a key bug-bear for foreign firms and this has slowed the industries development.

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