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.
Demand needs to be addressed in VN’s economic recovery, too
Loosening monetary policy in Vietnam will only work if flagging demand is addressed too according to Binh Duy Le, Director of Economica Vietnam, and reported by VN Economy. In recent weeks, Vietnam’s economic focus has been on increasing exports and reducing business costs through interest rate and fee cuts. Le,
Vietnam’s outbound FDI climbs over US$416 million to August 2023
Vietnam’s outbound investment topped US$416 million in the first eight months of 2023, the Vietnam Investment Reviewis reporting. Vietnamese investors now have 1,665 overseas projects valued at US$22.1 billion.
Calls for US-Vietnam free trade agreement
Business Forum Magazine is carrying comments from economist David Dapice, who’s calling for a free trade deal between the US and Vietnam. Notably, the US was slated to be a member of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement of which Vietnam is a part, but the world’s biggest economy pulled out under
Virtual banking data from Visa somewhat questionable
Doanh Nhan Online is carrying an article about a Visa report from May this year (found here) in which 90 percent of Vietnamese consumers express an interest in virtual banking services. Something to think about: The report also mentions that 76 percent of consumers in Vietnam had gone cashless for
Devaluing Vietnamese dong possibly only temporary
Tran Ngoc Bau, CEO of Ho Chi Minh City-based financial data provider WiGroup, has said a devaluing Vietnamese dong is only temporary and that it will bounce back, The Investor is reporting. Tran says remittances, a surplus in Vietnam’s balance of payments, and an end to interest rate hikes in
Hard slog likely for VN to become a permanent fixture on world live music scene
Tuoi Tre is carrying this analysis of BlackPink’s concert in Hanoi in July and what it might mean for the domestic live music scene. Overall the tone is somewhat optimistic but also realistic–there is a long way to go for Vietnam to become a key stopover in Southeast Asia. For
Late half-yearly reports plague Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange
A total of 18 companies have been reminded that they are late in submitting their 2023 half-year audited financial statements, Kinh Te Saigon Online is reporting. Most of the 18 companies have been in the news for all the wrong reasons of late. APAX Holdings, which made the list, has
S&P August data shows improved outlook for manufacturing in Vietnam
Vietnambiz has covered S&P Global’s latest Purchasing Manager’s (PMI) Index which went over 50 for the first time in the last six months. The report (found here) puts Vietnam’s PMI at 50.5 up from 48.7 in July. It notes that this may not necessarily signal the sector is in recovery
Tourists confused by where to go for accurate Vietnam visa information
Vietnam has only recovered about 44 percent of its pre-COVID tourist numbers, according to VN Express. But also of interest in this article, is a comment from Hoang Nhan Chinh, secretariat director of the Vietnam Tourism Advisory Board re: new visa regulations. “Sometimes it is not certain that tourists trust
Samsung ‘reluctant’ re: semiconductor chip factory in Vietnam
Samsung is ‘reluctant’ to build a semiconductor chip factory in Vietnam, Nikkei Asia is reporting. The publication goes on to detail Vietnam’s falling exports of smartphones and outlines some of the arrangements Samsung has with the Vietnamese authorities in order to ensure their operations run smoothly. Some context: Vietnam has
Electricity purchase prices to be higher in low-sun areas: MOIT
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has floated the idea of paying different prices for renewables produced in different regions, according to VN Express. Essentially the argument is that to encourage the development of solar projects in areas where there is less sun, power generators should be paid more. Eds
Key Apple supplier to boost investment in northern Vietnam
BYD Electronics will invest a further US$183.7 million in its operations in Phu Tho province in the north of Vietnam, according to The Investor. The company currently assembles tablets for Apple and makes components for camera drones in the area. About 70 kilometres from Hanoi, Phu Tho forms part of
Amazon exec on utilising the platform as an export avenue in VN
The unique characteristics of a product, the ingredients, and environmentally friendly packaging are key details Vietnamese vendors should communicate on Amazon, according to Gijae Seong, head of Amazon Global Selling Vietnam, via an interview by The Investor. Seong says that often local firms tend to overemphasise the product as ‘made
Why it’s hard for Vietnamese SMEs to access credit
Of Vietnam’s small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) only 30 percent have ready access to credit, whereas the remaining 70 percent have difficulty borrowing or no means to borrow at all, according to Doanh Nhan Saigon. Citing ‘experts’ the publication lists a lack of: financial infrastructure, collateral, product variety, diversity in credit institutions,
Foreign investment association chairman comments on VN’s high-speed rail project
The Investor is carrying an interview with Mai Nguyen, chairman of Vietnam’s Association of Foreign Invested Enterprises (VAFIE) in which he discusses a proposed US$58 billion high-speed rail project connecting Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. He says that the 2,070 kilometres will be completed by 2035–or in about 12
Vietnam, India big winners in Apple supply chain shift
Vietnam, alongside India have been the big winners in Apple’s diversification out of China according to Bloomberg. Bloomberg has compiled Apple supplier data from 2012 to 2022 and found a huge expansion of Apple suppliers in the burgeoning Southeast Asian nation over the last five years or so. With comments
Vietnamese tech firm files for IPO in US
VNG Corp, a Vietnamese tech firm most well known for a slew of popular video games and social messaging app Zalo has filed to list on the US stock exchange, according to Vietnam Net. VNG has been talking about listing for a long time now–in 2017 it signed an MOU
Some SEA solar products circumventing Chinese solar duties: US Dept. Commerce
Some solar products exported from Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia are circumventing duties applied to some Chinese solar products the US Department of Commerce has found, and Solar Power World is reporting. A presidential proclamation from June 6, however, exempts solar imports from the four Southeast Asian countries from paying
VN’s natural gas dreams stall on contract delays
Prolonged negotiations over guarantees on power purchases and prices between state power provider Electricity Vietnam (EVN) and private power project developers may delay Vietnam’s shift to LNG, according to the Vietnam Investment Review. Giang Duy Nguyen, Deputy Director General of PV Power, a private power developer with two projects in
Estée Lauder’s Aveda brand enters Vietnam market
Cosmetics Design Asia has covered the Estée Lauder owned Aveda’s launch in the Vietnam market. It reads a bit like a press release but the crux of the article, that Vietnam presents a big opportunity for foreign cosmetics firms, is solid. Beauty care and beauty products are hugely popular in
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