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.
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.
Vietnam News Roundup: May 30 to June 5
This week’s Vietnam news roundup covers the Trump Tower in Ho Chi Minh City, the dong’s continued slide even, the Saigon Square raid on counterfeit goods, trade tensions with the US, moves to speed up foreign work permits, and more…
Economy: OECD projects Philippines GDP growth 5.6 percent in 2025
The Philippines is forecast to grow by 5.6 percent in 2025 and 6.0 percent in 2026, driven by resilient household consumption and a gradual investment recovery, according to the latest OECD Economic Outlook 2025.
Economy: Indonesia’s OECD outlook sees steady growth through 2025, 2026
Indonesia’s real GDP is projected to grow by 4.7 percent in 2025 and 4.8 percent in 2026, according to the OECD Economic Outlook 2025.
Economy: Vietnam’s growth to moderate amid rising inflation and global uncertainty: OECD
Vietnam’s GDP growth is expected to ease to 6.2 percent in 2025 and 6.0 percent in 2026, as global trade tensions and policy uncertainty weigh on exports and foreign investment, according to the latest OECD Economic Outlook.
Currency: Vietnam central exchange rate reaches record high, breaks VND 25,000/US$1
The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) raised the central exchange rate to VND 25,004 per US$1 on June 4, marking the first time it has crossed the 25,000 mark since the bank shifted to a floating peg in 2016, CafeF has reported.
Trade: US Commerce Secretary rules out zero-tariff deal with Vietnam over China concerns: Politico
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told a hearing Wednesday the Trump administration would not accept a reciprocal zero-tariff agreement with Vietnam, citing fears that Chinese goods could enter the US through Vietnam to bypass tariffs, according to a report from Politico.
Trade: Vietnam hires US$15K a month PR firm to tackle tariff threats
As trade tensions escalate with Washington, Vietnam has enlisted the help of two politically connected US firms—Crowell Global Advisors and Tactic Global—to manage its response to the Trump administration’s proposed 46 percent tariff on Vietnamese imports, O’Dwyer PR 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