Knowledge & Innovation
This category covers advancements in technology, education, and research, including startups, AI, fintech, and digital transformation. It highlights government policies on innovation, investment in R&D, and digital economy trends. As economies transition to knowledge-based industries, this section explores emerging technologies, automation, AI, and blockchain, showcasing how businesses and policymakers adapt to rapid innovation.
Vietnam News Roundup: July 3 to July 10
This week’s Vietnam news roundup covers farm export risks from US tariffs, a weaker dong, surging corporate bonds, Q2 GDP growth, power sources in June, dairy and meat non-tariff barriers, dumping tariffs on Chinese steel, and more….
Currency: Vietnam’s liquidity tightens as USD/VND spread widens, Thursday
Vietnam’s financial markets on 10 July 2025 showed signs of tightening liquidity and ongoing dollar demand pressure, reflected in movements across repo operations, exchange rates, and interbank interest rates.
Currency: Vietnam central bank flags major exchange rate uncertainties ahead
Vietnam faces significant uncertainties over exchange rates and monetary policy in the coming months, Pham Chi Quang, director of the State Bank of Vietnam’s monetary policy department, told a press conference Tuesday, The Investor has reported.
Currency: Vietnam dong continues to weaken against the greenback, Tuesday
The central exchange rate set by the SBV appreciated slightly Tuesday to VND 25,121 per US dollar, an increase of 8 dong from the day before. The mid-market rate on Google Finance also strengthened slightly to VND 26,135 per US dollar, up by 10 dong.
Vietnam’s H1:2025 GDP Growth: Key Drivers, Rising Risks
Vietnam’s first-half GDP growth surged to 7.52 percent in 2025, marking its strongest start since 2011, according to the National Statistics Office. While driven largely by manufacturing and robust domestic consumption, the expansion is heavily underpinned by private credit and faces rising external risks. Rapid credit growth and looming US tariffs on Vietnamese exports pose significant challenges to sustaining this momentum in the second half of the year.
Labour: Survey finds Vietnam wages barely enough to make ends meet
A new survey highlighting widespread financial hardship among Vietnamese workers has intensified calls for a 6–7 percent minimum wage increase in 2026, as experts and labour representatives warn that current incomes fall far short of basic living needs, Kinh Te Do Thi has reported.
Inflation: Vietnam June CPI rises 0.48 percent month-on-month, driven by housing and fuel
Vietnam’s consumer price index (CPI) in June 2025 rose 0.48 percent from May, largely driven by higher housing material costs and fuel prices, according to the National Statistics Office.
Economy: Vietnam GDP growth reaches 7.96 percent in Q2 2025, NSO
Vietnam’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew by an estimated 7.96 percent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2025, marking the second-highest Q2 growth since 2020.
Growth was driven by robust performance across all major sectors, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO).
Vietnam News Roundup: June 27 to July 3
This week’s Vietnam news roundup covers Trump’s Vietnam tariff deal, crypto regulation changes, Skoda’s local assembly, strong credit growth, dong weakness, The Venti’s debut, proposed wage hikes, new insurance rules, PMI decline, and major moves in real estate and stocks.
What’s On Vietnam: Business Events Directory
This is a free directory of events for foreign firms doing business in Vietnam.
Economy: Business confidence in Vietnam holds steady for Europe-linked firms — BCI Q2 2025
European business leaders continue to show strong long-term confidence in Vietnam, according to the EuroCham Business Confidence Index (BCI) for Q2 2025, even as global trade tensions and domestic challenges persist.
Currency: Vietnam dong weakens slightly, black market premium persists
The central exchange rate for the Vietnam dong rose slightly to 25,052 per US dollar today from 25,048 yesterday, up 0.02 percent, according to data from the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV). Meanwhile, black market rates, according to Ty Gia USD, continue to trade significantly higher, indicating persistent demand for US dollars outside official channels.
Minimum wage: Vietnam labour union proposes 9.2 percent hike from January 2026
The Vietnam General Confederation of Labor has proposed a minimum wage increase of 8.3 to 9.2 percent from January 1, 2026, citing inflation, productivity gains, and rising living costs. Employers, however, are calling for a more modest adjustment of 3 to 5 percent, Dan Tri has reported.
Vietnam News Roundup: June 20 to June 26
This week’s Vietnam news roundup covers dong depreciation, IMF and Fitch reform calls, bond market risks, F&B revenue decline, US tariff responses, foreign investor trading, CRC’s retail expansion, shifts in the tourism and pharma sectors, and more…
Policy: Vietnam PM says gov’t to crackdown on currency, gold speculation to tackle Middle East conflict risks
Vietnam’s government intends to mitigate economic risks arising from escalating Middle East conflict by stepping up action against speculation in gold and foreign currency markets, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told a high-level meeting on 23 June, VietnamNet has reported.
How Low Can the Vietnamese Dong Go? Why it’s Sliding & What Might Happen Next
Vietnam’s dong has weakened 2.83 percent this year, diverging from regional peers, as State Bank interventions have the currency overvalued and FX reserves depleted. With this in mind, this article looks at how it’s reached this point, what is happening now, and where it might be headed next.
US tariffs: Vietnamese firms shift to automation and market diversification, new PwC survey shows
A new PwC Vietnam survey shows that local manufacturers are accelerating automation, lean manufacturing, and market diversification in response to the prospect of a 46 percent US tariff. The findings reveal that firms are looking beyond short-term cost cutting and moving toward more structural adjustments to maintain competitiveness.
Economy: Fitch says Vietnam GDP to grow 5.6 percent in 2025, affirms Vietnam at BB+ rating
Vietnam’s GDP is forecast to grow 5.6 percent in 2025 and 5.3 percent in 2026, down from 7.1 percent in 2024, Fitch Ratings has said. It has, however, also highlighted risks from rising leverage, trade policy uncertainty, and structural weaknesses in governance and the banking sector.
Vietnam News Roundup: June 13 to June 19
This week’s Vietnam news roundup covers Vietnam’s new BRICS partnership, updates to its emissions trading scheme, a major LNG power project, moves to tax soft drinks and tighten e-commerce tax collection, as well as corporate bond issuances, foreign stock trading activity, key outcomes from the crackdown on counterfeit goods, and more…
Transport & infrastructure: Vietnam’s US$67 billion high-speed railway faces 140-year capital recovery, minister warns
If the Government of Vietnam were to spend US$67 billion on the proposed North-South high-speed railway, as opposed to funding the project through private investment, it could take up to 140 years to recover the initial capital, Minister of Construction, Tran Hong Minh, has said and Thanh Nien has reported.
In today’s Vietnam news: GS TL on AI, Saigon Economic Times last issue, Fuel prices cut, Vinhomes issuing more bonds, Counterfeit Korean cosmetics store,
In today’s Vietnam news: Power supply imports, Hanoi boulevard project protests, Antidumping duties coming for boxes, Maersk container terminal project Hanoi, Vinpearl foreign investment,
In today’s Vietnam news: Credit limits removed for some major projects, Estonian web security company market entry, Vingroup’s Vuong becomes major shareholder LP Bank,
This is an interview with Chris Walker, a Vietnam Sourcing Expert with Vietnam Factory Tours how rising oil prices and the Middle East crisis are
This is an interview with John Gardner, CEO and Founding Partner, at Optimum Hospitality in Ho Chi Minh City. It covers fuel price impacts on:
This is an interview with Dr Nuno F. Ribeiro, Associate Professor, International Tourism & Hospitality Management at Copenhagen Business College, formerly of RMIT Vietnam. It