Raw Materials & Natural Resources
This category covers key natural resources, including agriculture, fisheries, forestry, mining, and energy. It explores production trends, exports, imports, and government policies affecting raw material industries. Topics include supply chain dynamics, sustainability efforts, and the role of natural resources in global commodity markets. This section is essential for understanding the resource-driven sectors that underpin the economy and their impact on domestic and international trade.
EU non-tariff barriers becoming key obstacle for Vietnamese goods
Vietnamese okra is at risk of being banned from entry into the EU due to high levels of pesticides found in recent imports. As a first step, the European Union has increased inspections of the okra coming from Vietnam. Similar action has been taken for instant noodles, dragon fruit, and
Vietnam’s Offshore Wind Power Holdup: Unpacked
At the beginning of March of this year, a 100-ton wind turbine fell apart over a fish and shrimp farm in Vietnam’s Bac Lieu province. No one was injured but some three weeks later the owner of the shrimp farm made a compensation claim in the amount of VND 160
Offshore wind in Vietnam unlikely before 2028
The Investor is covering the Global Wind Energy Council’s Global Wind Report 2024, which says Vietnam will not have offshore wind power before 2028. The report cites the underdevelopment of Vietnam’s grid and regulatory gaps as key challenges facing offshore wind development in Vietnam. Of note, Vietnam’s Power Development Plan
Shrimp farmers turn to rice on back of repeated losses, amid dumping investigation
Shrimp prices in Vietnam have been too low for too long and as a result shrimp farmers are growing rice instead, Tuoi Tre is reporting. Not in the article but of note, Vietnamese shrimp is currently under an antidumping investigation by the US Department of Commerce. US shrimp farmers are
Prioritise local wind power over imports: Vietnam industry group
It was announced last week that Vietnam’s state owned power provider EVN was considering importing electricity from Laos at 7 cents per kilowatt. Nestled just near the bottom of this article from VN Express on the issue is a comment from Bui Van Thinh, chairman of the Binh Thuan Wind
Vietnam looking to import wind power from Laos on lower prices
Vietnam is considering importing wind power from Laos because it’s cheaper, Tuoi Tre is reporting. One project in Laos is offering electricity at 7 cents per kilowatt hour whereas wind power projects in Vietnam that were online before November 1, 2021 receive 9.8 cents per kilowatt hour per a renewable
Vietnam wind power project up for grabs in mortgagee auction
Vietnam’s Agribank is auctioning off the Phong Dien 1 wind power plant with a starting price of VND1,205 billion (US$49.6 million) after the firm behind the project Vietnam Renewable Energy Engineering (VREE) failed to meet its debt obligations , The Investor is reporting. Background: Wind power producers were offered very
Singapore firm inaugurates Asia’s biggest black soldier fly farm in Vietnam
Singapore’s Entobel, opened its latest project in Vietnam last week, a black soldier fly factory to produce feed for Vietnam’s rapidly growing aquaculture industry, per a press release on PR Newswire. Entobel says it chose Vietnam for its: tropical climate, which is the ideal environment for black soldier flies; Vietnam’s
Singapore firm to add 245 MW in Vietnam renewable energy to portfolio
Singapore’s Sembcorp Industries has said it intends to spend US$160.3 million on renewable energy assets in Vietnam, The Investor is reporting. This will include wind, solar, and hydro power purchased from local investment firm Gelex.
Vietnam launches antidumping investigation into wind turbine towers from China
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has launched an investigation into wind turbine towers imported from China at the request of CS Wind Vietnam, a subsidiary of South Korea’s CS Wind, The Leader is reporting. Why it matters: This goes to the changing nature of trade with Vietnam, specifically the
Province in southern Vietnam wants to export windpower to Singapore
The People’s Committee of Ca Mau province has put together a report on plans to export wind power to Singapore via 900 kilometres of overhead high-voltage lines and underground cables, according to Tuoi Tre. This is inline with Vietnam’s National Energy Master Plan which says Vietnam should be exporting 5,000
Back to the drawing board for PDP8 deployment plan
A draft deployment plan for the Power Development Plan 8 (PDP8) has been sent back to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for revisions due to a lack of detail, particularly on offshore wind, according to The Investor. Why it matters: Doubts have already been raised about Vietnam’s ability to
EU ban of Vietnamese seafood could cost upwards of US$500 million
If the EU issues Vietnam’s seafood industry with a red card under its illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing regulations it could cost Vietnam’s seafood industry half a billion dollars according to ‘industry insiders and policymakers’, Vietnam News is reporting. Vietnam was issued a yellow card under the the EU’s
Vietnam’s offshore wind (OSW) targets in doubt
“To meet the PDP8 scheduled target, the OSW projects should have been identified, investors selected, and permits issued by now,” according to a blog post from the law firm Shearman and Sterling. The law firm points out that the typical lead time for OSW projects is 5 to 7 years
Lack of, slow policy development may hinder wind power development in Vietnam
The Investor has a write-up of the Global Offshore Wind Report 2023 in which it highlights that a lack of timely supporting policy can be off putting to investors. Specifically, Vietnam introduced a policy a few years ago that would see wind farms completed by the end of 2020 paid
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