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.
Vietnam News Roundup: August 30 to September 5
This week’s Vietnam news roundup covers foreign trader stock market activity, a cut to production for Japanese solar panels made in Vietnam, a ‘stunning victory’ over a pirate film site in Hanoi, a widening gap in deposits taken and loans issued at Vietnam banks, a new coal-fired power plant set to start a trial run next month, and more…
Vietnam data centre for hire market to reach US$235 million: Arizton
Of note, Vietnam’s data centre development was given a significant boost last year when a revised Law on Telecommunications was approved. This law effectively opened the market for data centre development to foreign investment by allowing for full foreign ownership of data centres, cloud computing services, and telecommunications OTT services…
Gap between Vietnam bank deposits and loans issued gets wider
This could be symptomatic of a much bigger problem in that banks are being pressured to lend in order to meet a 14 percent credit growth target set at the beginning of the year which may be contributing to rising bad debts…
Indonesian ride-hailing app GoJek to withdraw from Vietnam market
Of note, it is not the first ride-hailing app to withdraw from the country. South Korea’s Baemin announced it would cease operations in the country back at the end of last year and Uber left Vietnam back in 2018 after selling its Southeast Asian operations to Grab…
New central Vietnam coal power plant set for trial run next month
This comes amidst uncertainty around Vietnam’s net-zero commitment made at the 26th Conference of Parties on the back of a Just Energy Transition Partnership agreement for US$15.5 billion that has been struggling to gain legs…
Vietnam Purchasing Managers Index records 2.3 point fall in August
The S&P Global Vietnam Purchasing Managers’ Index has recorded a 2.3 point fall in August, from 54.7 in July to 52.4 a month later, according to a press release from the firm. This does, however, signal the continued expansion of Vietnam’s manufacturing sector for the fifth month in a row…
Cheap meat imports continue to create discontent in Vietnam
Cheap imported meats have become an increasing concern among local meat producers with similar articles appearing in state media every other week. This narrative is largely growing in prominence on the back of a number of free trade agreements Vietnam has signed on to that are bringing down import tariffs on meat products. This has further been exacerbated by challenges in the local meat industry, particularly repeated outbreaks of African Swine Fever…
Name confusion in fake milk case sparks response from Netherlands dairy in Vietnam
Of note, it is not all that uncommon for local companies to choose names that could easily be associated with an existing firm or brand to high-jack their brand reputation. Though Vietnam has in recent years strengthened intellectual property laws, the reality is that enforcement has been challenging…
Key Vietnam car maker reports profit fall of 6 percent in first half 2024
From a peak in 2022 of VND 7.4 trillion or US$298.3 million, Thaco has seen its profits continue to fall. This has been attributed to a decline in car sales on the back of broader economic challenges in Vietnam. This is, however, only one part of much bigger changes in Vietnam’s car market as new trade agreements pull down tariffs on imports and trade remedies against cars imported from China into the US and EU see Chinese car makers search for new markets…
Cheap Chinese imports weighing on Vietnam’s small retailers
Whereas Vietnam has benefit from its proximity to China with respect to developing its own manufacturing industry as firms look to diversify their supply chains out of China, its proximity also means that it is much easier for Chinese manufacturers to access Vietnam’s consumer market…
Central Vietnam government looks for investors in new steel factory
Developing a steel project right now doesn’t seem to be particularly prudent in that there are a myriad of trade remedies investigations into steel imports around the world currently underway, including against steel from Vietnam. These trade remedies cases look to be the result of increased exports of cheap steel from China and Vietnam on the back of a fall in demand at home following slumps in their respective real estate markets…
[press release] Rockbird Media Triumphs with Inaugural Vietnam Edition of the Retail and E-Commerce Summit Asia
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this press release. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – The much-anticipated Retail & E-Commerce Summit Asia (RESA) 2024 made history as it concluded its inaugural event in Vietnam, following its remarkable success across other countries in Southeast Asia. Held on August
US IP group claims ‘stunning victory’ over Vietnam-based video piracy network
Of note, this isn’t the first time an illegal streaming website has been shut down in Vietnam only to reappear days later under a slightly different domain name. Popular illegal streaming site Phim Moi has been shut down repeatedly since 2021 but is still alive and well. Likewise Fmovies appears to be back online already under a slightly different domain name.
Japan’s Toyo Solar limits Vietnam solar panel production on trade investigation
Japan’s Toyo Solar is reducing its solar panel output at its Vietnam-base affiliate Vietnam Sunergy from 2.5 gigawatts this year to just 1.9 in response to a US trade investigation into solar panels from Vietnam, the company has said in a press release. The company goes on to say that it will wait for preliminary investigation results before making further moves…
Google is considering building a data centre in Vietnam: Reuters
Of note, electricity is relatively cheap in Vietnam. The average world electricity price is about 15.5 US cents per kilowatt-hour, however, electricity in Vietnam runs at about 7.2 US cents per kilowatt-hour. That said, power shortages and blackouts across northern Vietnam in 2023 cost the economy around US$1.4 billion by one World Bank estimate. This is likely to be a key challenge for the company if it is to go ahead.
Vietnam News Roundup: August 23 to August 29
This week’s Vietnam news roundup covers foreign trader stock market activity, Vietnam’s plane shortage, the World Bank’s latest GDP forecast, the latest Mercedes-Benz factory licensing challenge update, VinPearl’s latest bond issuance in Singapore, and more…
TCL Smart TVs made in Vietnam caught up in US trade probe
TCL has had a presence in Vietnam since 1999. Its headquarters in the country are in Binh Duong, next door to Ho Chi Minh City, on which the firm has spent US$45 million and at which it employs 2000 staff. The facility is expected to make an estimated 6 million units this year most of which are destined for the US market. In this context, this trade investigation in the US could have a significant, adverse impact on Vietnam, depending on the outcome.
US announces September Vietnam trade mission to boost agricultural exports
Of note, the US was slated to benefit from a range of tariff reductions on agricultural goods in Vietnam as part of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. It was, however, withdrawn by the Trump administration. This has put US agricultural producers on the back foot compared to other major agricultural producers like Australia and Canada in the Vietnam market…
Vietnam Stock Reviews: Gelex Group
In the first half of 2024, revenue and pre-tax profit experienced an increase of 3.8 percent and 74.4 percent compared to the previous year, respectively. The significant increase in pre-tax profit was partially attributed to the sale of majority stakes in three Gelex Group subsidiaries to Singapore’s Sembcorp. Of note, in August 2024, 300 million shares in Gelex Electric, a subsidiary of Gelex Group, were officially listed on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange under the ticker GEE.
Vietnam rare-earths war heats up with Chinese SOE throwing hat in mix
Of note, the US Geological Survey’s Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024 estimated Vietnam’s rare earth reserves to be in the vicinity of 22 million tons. China, which has the largest reserves, for comparison, is estimated to have double that at 44 million tons, and Brazil which comes in third place has roughly 21 million tons…
Vietjet’s parent company calls for stronger aircraft leasing protections just weeks after a UK court authorised the seizure of the airline’s overseas assets. Meanwhile,
In today’s news brief: HP and Asus shift production back to China, Tesla begins hiring in Vietnam, Saigon Commercial Bank closes all but three
In today’s briefing: LPBank’s construction lending has surged 127 percent following revelations that Vingroup’s chairman and his wife became major shareholders. Meanwhile, Vietnam faces
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