Vietnam's trade surpasses US$1 trillion for the first time, but a widening US$12 billion deficit and inflation above 5 percent complicate the economic picture. Meanwhile, foreign investment commitments surge 74 percent, VinFast faces a new US investor investigation, HDBank's bad debts jump 85 percent, and Vietjet reports declining passenger revenue.

Donald Trump claims he could have won the Vietnam War in a week, raising questions about the Vietnamese government's response amid sensitive US trade negotiations. Meanwhile, Tesla and Samsung oppose additional US tariffs, Danish shoemaker ECCO closes its Vietnam factory, the country's main airport operator cuts 3,700 jobs, and manufacturing growth slows despite improving business conditions.

VinFast founder Pham Nhat Vuong injects another US$436 million into the loss-making EV maker as Vingroup reports record quarterly profits. Meanwhile, Vietnam faces a renewed international money laundering warning, is forecast to overtake Indonesia in GDP per capita, and introduces electricity price cuts and tax relief as rising fuel costs weigh on Vietnam Airlines.