Manufacturing & Industry
This category focuses on industrial production, from electronics and textiles to automotive and heavy industry. It covers FDI trends, supply chain developments, factory expansions, and government regulations shaping the industrial landscape. As a key driver of economic growth, manufacturing plays a crucial role in global supply chains, technological advancements, and industrial competitiveness.
Site clearance issues delay Vietnam’s first LNG power plant, adding to electricity woes
Site clearance delays are hampering an LNG power project in southern Vientam, reportedly at a cost of VND 13 billion or US$510,645 per day, Tuoi Tre has reported. Of note, site clearance is a common problem on most projects in Vietnam. This in large part stems from land pricing regulations
Video game distributor possibly banned in Vietnam at request of local game developers
Video game distribution platform Steam is reportedly no longer available in Vietnam possibly at the request of local game developers, Game Developer is reporting. The article references an April 24 article published by Vietnam Net in which game developers lament that Steam does not need to conform to the same
Vietnam News Roundup: May 3 to May 9
Aviation news Vietnam aviation regulator investigating high airfares The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has reached out to consumers who believe they have been overcharged for airfares, VN Economy has reported. Airfares are regulated in Vietnam with price caps over which ticket prices cannot go. It’s not clear if there
Vietnam adds US$3.14 billion in foreign direct investment commitments in April
Vietnam pulled in an additional US$3.14 billion dollars worth of foreign direct investment commitments bringing its total for the year to US$9.27 billion. The manufacturing and processing sector was the stand out performer pulling in a whopping US$2.23 billion. In terms of the countries making the biggest investments in April,
Vietnam C.bank still struggling to make gold auctions work
Vietnam has held its second successful gold auction this year, however, the State Bank of Vietnam–theSBV–only managed to sell 3,400 SJC gold bars, Tuoi Tre is reporting. Of note, multiple gold auctions have been announced in the last few weeks but have been cancelled due to a lack of interest.
Vietnam’s non-market economy status has US hearing
The US Department of Commerce has held a hearing into Vietnam’s application to have its non-market economy status revoked, Reuters is reporting. Reuters notes that opponents of the change cited the volume of investment and input goods from China that are powering Vietnam’s growing export-orientated economy, suggesting Vietnam was being
This estimate of Vietnam’s forex reserves spent on propping up dong
The State Bank of Vietnam has spent an estimated US$500 to 700 million of its foreign exchange reserves over the last few weeks in an attempt to prop up the dong, The Investor is reporting. This estimate came from WiResearch which also estimated Vietnam’s forex reserves to be at around
No new contagion risk in Vietnam from SBV support of distressed bank: Fitch Ratings
Reuters reported earlier this year that the State Bank of Vietnam–the SBV–had been injecting cash into Saigon Commercial Bank which was at the centre of Vietnam’s biggest bank fraud ever. This was to the tune of about US$24 billion. Fitch Ratings, however, has said that it is maintaining its current
Vietnam aviation regulator considering an investigation into airfare prices
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has reached out to consumers who believe they have been overcharged for airfares, VN Economy is reporting. Airfares are regulated in Vietnam with price caps over which ticket prices cannot go. It’s not clear if there has been a breach of these regulations but
Vietnam ranks 176th on World Press Freedom Index
Vietnam has come in eighth to last on the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index beating out Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan, North Korea, Iran, and Turkmenistan. The report notes that Vietnam is the fourth biggest jailer of journalists in the world. In terms of economic development, the correlation between greater
This Bloomberg opinion column that asserts Vietnam is becoming another province of China
Worth a read simply for the title, this Bloomberg opinion column essentially discusses the integration of the economies of southern China and northern Vietnam as Chinese firms look to circumvent US trade barriers. Specifically, she cites the infrastructure connection between the border, key manufacturing hubs in the north, and the
Vietnam’s collective decision-making weighs on offshore wind power development
The Ministry of Industry and Trade–the MoIT–has said it is unlikely that Vietnam will meet its offshore wind power target of six gigawatts by 2030, The Leader is reporting. Essentially, the MoIT is acknowledging that with all of the various departments and ministries that need to coordinate to make offshore
State Bank of Vietnam cancels another gold auction
The State Bank has cancelled another gold auction due to a lack of interest, Vietnam News is reporting. Gold auctions were floated as one way to reduce the price of gold in Vietnam, however, thus far there have only been two successful buyers with the price set by the State
Vietnam News Roundup: April 26 to May 2
Banking and finance news State Bank considering reduced reserve requirements for buyers of distressed banks The State Bank of Vietnam–the SBV–has floated the idea of allowing financial institutions that take over distressed banks under the SBV’s ‘special supervision’ to benefit from reduced reserve requirements, Vietnam News is reporting. This comes
Vietnam’s PMI improved but only marginally
S&P Global’s Purchasing Managers Index or PMI has found that Vietnam’s manufacturing sector grew in April but only slightly, per a press release from the firm. The key manufacturing index registered 50.3 up from 49.9 in March. The survey also found that: The jump in the index was fueled by
Vietnam bank deposits have started to fall
Vietnamese are depositing less money in bank accounts in search of higher returns elsewhere and this is putting pressure on banks to raise deposit interest rates, VN Express is reporting. Notably, concerns have also been raised that this may put upward pressure on lending interest rates which could be problematic
New registered FDI in Vietnam reaches US$9.27 billion
Vietnam’s General Statistics Office has released its Report on the Socio-Economic Situation in April and the First Four Months of 2024 in which it says new foreign direct investment commitments have reached US$9.27 billion, an increase of 4.5 percent over the first four months of last year. Furthermore, it states
Consumer price index gains 4.33 percent year-on-year
Vietnam’s General Statistics Office has released its consumer price index data from April finding a 4.33 percent increase compared to April of last year. The biggest increases were in education, other goods and services, and housing and construction materials. Vietnam’s Consumer Price Index summary, April 2024 M-O-M Y-O-Y Food and
Vietnam’s industrial production index registers a 6 percent increase
Vietnam’s General Statistics Office has released industrial production data from January to April finding a 6 percent increase over the same period last year. Of the four categories the GSO tracks, ‘production and distribution of electricity, gas, hot water, steam and air conditioning’ recorded the biggest increase of 12.3 percent.
This forecast from VinaCapital’s chief economist
Vinacapital has released an ‘Economist’s Note’ detailing challenges facing Vietnam’s gold market and exchange rate. It identifies the two key issues facing the dong as the stronger US dollar and the high local gold price. On the latter, it says this is increasing gold smuggling which is increasing demand for
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