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: 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.
Technology: Vietnam’s Telegram ban sees crypto communication plummet
User activity in ten major Vietnamese crypto communities dropped over 45 percent within days of Vietnam’s Telegram ban going into effect, according to a report from Tiger Research.
Intellectual property: Vietnam moves closer to launching specialised IP court
A draft resolution on court establishment and jurisdiction in Vientam, to include specialised IP courts, has been submitted for review, targeting a 1 July 2025 effective date, Mondaq has reported.
Vietnam’s BRICS Partnership: Risks & Benefits
Vietnam’s new BRICS partnership offers potential access to new financing and export markets but also carries risks. That said, it is only a small step forward and looks more like a pragmatic hedge than a major strategic shift.
News Media: Vietnam’s top legislator uses press event to reaffirm Party-aligned press mission
National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man has praised journalists for their role in national development while reaffirming the media’s central mission: to uphold Party directives and reflect public sentiment within an ideologically aligned framework, Vietnam News has reported.
Advertising: Nestlé fined in Vietnam over misleading Milo milk advertisement
Nestlé Vietnam has been fined VND 80 million (US$3,077) and ordered to immediately remove promotional materials for its Milo barley milk after Dong Nai police ruled the company’s claims were misleading, Tuoi Tre has reported. The advertisement used unsubstantiated phrases like “best” and “only,” which authorities said could confuse or deceive consumers, violating the Law on Protection of Consumer Rights.
Tax: Vietnam excludes subsidiaries from SME tax incentives under new law
Subsidiaries and affiliated companies will not be eligible for the new preferential tax rates of 15–17 percent aimed at small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), under Vietnam’s amended Law on Corporate Income Tax, passed by the National Assembly on June 14, VN Express has reported. The general corporate income tax rate remains at 20 percent, while firms with annual revenues under VND 3 billion and VND 50 billion may access lower rates—unless they are linked to larger corporate groups.
Tax: Vietnam to impose excise tax on soft drinks from 2027
Vietnam’s National Assembly has passed an amendment to the Law on Special Consumption Tax, introducing new excise taxes on soft drinks and revising tax schedules for alcohol, tobacco, air conditioners, and fuel, VN Express has reported.
Vietnam News Roundup: June 6 to June 12
This week’s Vietnam news roundup explores a US$1.5 billion aviation finance deal, fresh concerns over currency manipulation, APAX’s social insurance debts, possible energy shortages, VinFast’s widening losses, AEON’s finance fallout, carbon market reforms, and more….
Policy: Vietnam finalises legal framework for carbon market, effective date August 1
Vietnam’s government has officially issued Decree 119/2025/NĐ-CP, amending a 2022 decree on greenhouse gas emissions and ozone layer protection. The new regulations take effect on 1 August 2025, establishing the legal foundation for emissions quotas, carbon credit trading, and both domestic and international offset mechanisms.
The End of Vietnam’s Two-Child Policy: When Ideology Meets Economics
Vietnam may have scrapped its long-standing two-child policy last week, but the ideology behind it may be harder to shift. Coming just days after General Secretary To Lam urged the nation to “practice thrift and fight wastefulness,” the move signals less of a break from the past than a concession to present economic realities: a shrinking workforce, a strained social security system, and a manufacturing model under pressure.
Vietnam’s Economy in May: Unpacked
Last Friday, the National Statistics Office (NSO) released its May economic update. For the most part, the data was on trend, however, it comes amidst broad trade uncertainty and a generally hazy global economic picture. Against this backdrop, this article breaks down the key data points and policy factors that shaped Vietnam’s economic landscape in May.
Investment: FDI commitments to Vietnam top US$18 billion by end-May
Vietnam’s total registered foreign investment had reached US$18.39 billion as of May 31, 2025, up 51.2 percent year-on-year, according to the latest data from the National Statistics Office.
Economy: Vietnam CPI hits 3.24 percent in May, up .16 percent month-on-month
Vietnam’s consumer price index (CPI) in May 2025 rose 0.16 percent month-on-month, driven mainly by higher housing, electricity, and dining-out costs. Compared to December 2024, CPI is up 1.53 percent, and 3.24 percent compared to May 2024, according to the latest data from the National Statistics Office.
In today’s Vietnam news: Fuel prices cut, Double-digit growth target reinforced, New airport services delay approval requested, TikTok VN investment, Bybit in Vietnam, LG
In today’s Vietnam news: VN renews antidumping tariffs on Thai sugar, Power supply challenges continue, USTR tariffs forced labour, AMRO growth forecast downgrade, Foreign
In today’s Vietnam news: Fund outflows May, New HCMC airport trial operations to begin September, M&A HCMC 2026, Compensation for gas-to-electric bike switch Hanoi,
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