Services & Trade
This category includes the service sector, retail, logistics, finance, e-commerce, and tourism, alongside trade policy and investment trends. It covers import/export dynamics, banking regulations, stock market movements, and infrastructure development. With increasing integration into regional and global trade, this section provides insights into consumer behavior, foreign investment, and evolving service industries.
Hanoi apartment prices jump on real estate market downturn
Apartment prices in Hanoi, in some instances, have doubled on the back of a slowdown in the construction and real estate sector, Doanh Nhan Vietnam is reporting. Key points: At the end of Q3 2023, 42 commercial housing projects had been finished accounting for about 15,966 properties; This was barely
Red-tape may have killed planned K-pop festival in Hanoi
A number of K-pop bands have pulled out of a scheduled K-pop festival slated for this weekend in Hanoi after organisers failed to obtain the correct permits, Allkpop is reporting. With only a handful of bands left on the lineup there is a good chance the event will be cancelled
Vietnamese most-likely in APAC to travel abroad for concerts: Visa Survey
A total of 41 percent of Vietnamese respondents to a survey carried out by Visa, said they had travelled abroad specifically to attend a concert in the last twelve months, according to a press release from the company. Travelling for entertainment is becoming increasingly common in Vietnam as incomes rise
Singapore, Malaysia real estate firms launch US$241.1 million joint project in Vietnam
Singapore’s CapitalLand and Malaysia’s United Overseas Australia are working together to develop a mixed-use real estate project with US$247.1 million in Vietnam, The Investor is reporting. No details are provided regarding where the project will be developed.
Singapore developer drops US$562 million on southern Vietnam real estate project
Singapore’s CapitaLand has acquired an 18.9 hectare real estate project in Vietnam’s Binh Duong province for over half a billion dollars, The Investor is reporting. The project, when realised, is expected to house 12,500 people in 3,300 houses and 462 villas.
Japanese firms enter affordable housing market in Vietnam
Two Japanese firms, Cosmos Initia and Koterasu, have partnered-up with Vietnamese firm TTCapital Investment, to build affordable housing in Vietnam, Tuoi Tre is reporting. This is of interest in that the demand for affordable housing far outstrips demand for mid-level apartments, yet most development and investment has been focused on
Amendments to real estate business law pass Vietnam’s National Assembly
An amended real estate business law has officially been approved by the National Assembly of Vietnam, The Investor is reporting. Set to take effect from January 2025, the amended real estate business law has a few key changes developers and real estate firms should be aware of. These include: Developers
Key retail strips in HCMC, Hanoi among the most expensive in the world
Tuoi Tre is reporting that retail rents on Hanoi’s Trang Tien Street and Ho Chi Minh City’s Dong Khoi Street are among the most expensive in the world, according to Cushman & Wakefield. That said, the Main Streets Across the World Report 2023, from the aforementioned property managers, ranks HCMC’s
Real estate sector still struggling with more closures and layoffs
Layoffs and closures in the real state sector are ongoing, The Investor is reporting. Specifically, Housing Development and Trading Joint Stock Company (HDTC) earlier this month announced it would furlough its workforce without pay until business picks up again. The Investors goes on to list several large real estate firms
Retail association calls for extended delay on tighter bond market regulations
The HCMC Real Estate Association (HoREA) has called for an extension of Decree 08/2023 which has delayed to the implementation of tighten bond market regulations outlined in Decree 65/2020, The Saigon Times is reporting. Decree 65 when fully implemented would see bonds given credit ratings and bond market interactions limited
Vietnam real estate firm wants to settle outstanding bond debts with property
Real estate firm Novaland has proposed using unsold properties in its Grand Manhattan development in Ho Chi Minh City to cover outstanding bond debts, Vietnam News is reporting. It’s not clear that this resolution has been accepted or that it will be by creditors. The bond debt is outstanding from
Singapore real estate firm to develop 5.6 hectares in Hanoi’s west
Singapore real estate developer, CapitalLand, intends to drop US$738.6 million on developing nine towers comprising 4,000 units, in Hanoi’s west, The Investor is reporting. Why it matters: Vietnam’s real estate sector is on struggle street mostly because of a number of fraud cases that emerged in corporate bonds issued by
Vietnam back on US currency manipulation monitoring list
That said, the US Treasury did say that none of its trade partners appeared to be manipulating their currencies, according to Reuters. Countries make the currency manipulation watch the meet two of the following three criteria: They have a trade surplus of US$15 billion or more. They have a current
🇻🇳 Novaland reports Q3 profit amid default on international bond interest payment
Novaland is ‘back in the black’ with an after-tax profit of VND136.7 billion (US$5.7 million) in Q3, VN Express is reporting. This was a big change compared to the first half of the year in which it recorded a loss of VND 1,094 trillion (US$44.5 million). There is, however, no
Vietnam industrial land rent to become 10 percent more expensive
Whereas this is ‘good news’ for industrial real estate developers, according to Vietnamnet, it will mean increased costs for leasees. Vietnamnet cites data from CBRE which shows occupancy rates at 80.2 percent, with an average lease price in the primary market of US$131 per square meter. It’s not clear what
Embattled real estate firm FLC to pay US$3.3 million in overdue taxes
The Hanoi Tax Department has found that property developer FLC has US$3.3 million owed in back taxes, VN Express is reporting. The publication also notes that FLC hasn’t released its financial reports since the fourth quarter of 2022. FLC’s chairman was arrested for stock manipulation back in March 2022 and
Foreign direct investment in real estate down 45 percent year-on-year
FDI in the real estate sector reached US$1.94 billion in the first nine months of 2023, down 45 percent year-on-year, Vietnam Plus is reporting. Why it matters: The real estate sector has hit hard this year on the back of bond frauds and several high-profile arrests in the sector. This
Ministry of Construction report shows real estate supply-demand mismatch
A report issued by the Ministry of Construction has found that new residential real estate developments are stagnant but demand for housing is high and that’s pushing up prices, The Investor is reporting. The article says the completion rate of new buildings is well down due to legal hurdles and
Calls to allow greater devaluation of the Vietnamese dong
Dr Huan Huu Nguyen, from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Economics, has told Donah Nhan Vietnam that the VND should be allowed to fluctuate within a greater range and that Vietnam should accept a short-term devaluation. Currently, the dong operates in a trading band of 5 percent either
State Bank of Vietnam issues more treasury bills, total hits US$2 billion
The State Bank of Vietnam completed its fourth bond issue in the past two weeks to the tune of another VND 20 trillion (US$829 million), Donah Nhan Vietnam is reporting. This brings the total value of bonds issued since the start of last week to VND 50 trillion (US$2 billion).
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