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.
MSCI Frontier Markets Index review see Vietnamese stocks shuffled
Vietnam’s stock market indexes have been in the news a lot lately as the country pushes for an upgrade from a frontier to an emerging market. There are, however, a number of obstacles still standing in the local bourse’s path before an upgrade can be made and, as a result, it may still yet be languishing in MSCI’s Frontier Markets Index for some time to come.
Vietnam real estate market expecting boost from new Land Law
This may, however, be wishful thinking. It is already quite common for overseas Vietnamese to invest in real estate in Vietnam. Generally, if overseas Vietnamese cannot acquire property in their own name they will do so through a family member still living in the country. In this context, it’s not clear that when the new law comes into effect this part of it will make all that much of a difference.
Vietnam’s second biggest real estate developer under investigation
Vietnam’s Novaland, the country’s second biggest real estate developer, is currently being investigated by the Ho Chi Minh City Police department. The department has reportedly request documents pertaining to Aqua City, a real estate development in southern Vietnam’s Dong Nai province. As a result, Novalands share value plummeted by about
Real estate credit growth figures show Vietnam’s housing sector still struggling
At the end of February credit issued to Vietnam’s real estate sector had increased by about US$813.2 million, however, the residential sector recorded a credit contraction of US$78.6 million. Outstanding loans for off-the-plan houses also fell by US$648.3 million. Conversely, gains were made in industrial parks and export processing zones,
US dollar still at 25,450 dong level, more FX reserves needed
US dollars were being sold for 25,484 Vietnamese dong Sunday at some banks. This is above the 25,450 mark at which the State Bank of Vietnam has intervened by spending foreign currency reserves in the past. On the black market, US dollars were even higher selling for 25,800 a piece.
Foreign investors in Vietnam undertake the biggest net withdrawal in a month
The Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange registered a net withdrawal by foreign investors of US$50.8 million, the bulk of which was withdrawn from Vinhomes–a total of VND 900 billion or US$35.4 million, Zing News has reported. Though not mentioned in the linked article, Vinhomes has been under the spotlight
This quote about Vietnam’s new stock trading system
Vietnam’s new KRX stock trading system which was slated to begin operating on May 2 but has been delayed, is not up to scratch according to sources quoted by The Investor. Of note, one ‘representative of… a securities company’ told the publication that: “The testing process still has many errors,
Impacts of Vietnam’s US dollar intervention on trade with Japan, Korea
The Japanese yen and the South Korean won are depreciating against the US dollar and subsequently are also depreciating against the Vietnamese dong, Tuoi Tre has reported. This is on the back of Vietnam trying to keep its currency from devaluing by issuing treasury bills and spending its foreign currency
UOB says Fed rate cut will see dong appreciate by year-end
Singpore’s United Overseas Bank–or UOB–has said that it expects the dong to appreciate between now and the end of the year, The Investor is reporting. This is reflected in UOB’s Quarterly Global Outlook 2Q24 which suggests that a recovery in China will likely strengthen the local currency as well as
The Dong’s Wild Ride: Unpacked
The day that Russia invaded Ukraine, on February 24, 2022, the Vietnamese dong was trading at 22,843 dong to one US dollar–it had barely moved since the start of the year. This was in line with much of the past decade in which the local currency had only depreciated marginally,
Bank of America expects dong to slide another 1 percent in 2024
The Bank of America is expecting the Vietnamese dong to slide by another 1 percent by the end of the year, CNBC is reporting. According to the publication, the BofA made the assessment based on “Vietnam’s political instability following the second presidential resignation in two years as well as difficulty
Novaland lost VND 462 billion because of the exchange rate?
Embattled Vietnamese real estate developer, Novaland, has reported a first quarter loss of VND 601 billion or US$23.7 million, VN Express has reported. Of note, earlier this year Novaland reported an after tax profit on its unaudited financials statements of 685 billion or US$27 million, however, after being audited it
New Vietnam stock exchange trading system delayed again
Earlier this week, it was reported that the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange’s new KRX trading system would go online on May 1. This has since been delayed by the State Securities Commission–the SSC–according to Bloomberg. The SSC’s reasons are that the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange has failed
Vietnam’s VinPearl and Xanh GSM possibly listing in 2024
Chairman of Vietnam’s biggest conglomerate Vingroup, Pham Nhat Vuong, has floated the idea of listing the Vinpearl resorts and hospitality arm of Vingroup, Reuters has reported. Furthermore, he also suggested the ride hailing service he founded, that is currently the biggest buyer of electric vehicles made by Vinfast, which is
Vinhomes CEO says firm will not financially support Vinfast
The fact that she is even being asked about it is very telling as to how local investors view Vinfast’s prospects even if the local media is firmly on Vinfast’s side. (Full article is in The Investor). Vingroup owns about 60 percent of Vinhomes, and the head of Vingroup has
The State Bank is both buying and selling treasuries at the same time
On Wednesday the State Bank of Vietnam both bought VND 5,671.97 worth of treasuries from five local banks and sold another VND 5,500 billion to five Vietnamese banks. It’s not clear what the thinking is behind this but as far as keeping the exchange rate where it is, these two
Talking about speeding up the implementation of Vietnam’s revised Land Law
Vietnam’s revised Law on Land was slated to come into force on January 1, 2025, however, key decision makers are pushing for the National Assembly to move the start date up to as soon as July 1 of this year, Zing News is reporting. This looks to be in an
Vietnam’s Real Estate Market Recovery 2024: Unpacked
At the beginning of last year, construction work on buildings in Vietnam was slowly winding down as the real estate industry ground to a halt. Hard hats were hung up and cranes ten stories high fell dormant leaving the cement shells of unfinished residential towers standing dark and empty–cold reminders
HCMC-based real estate tycoon sentenced to death on fraud charges
Truong My Lan, the head of property developer Van Thinh Phat was sentenced to death this week convicted of a number of charges including embezzling US$12.5 billion. Local news coverage is more or less all the same. See: Vietnam property tycoon Truong My Lan sentenced to death in multi-billion dollar
Vietnam construction material makers stills struggling to find buyers
A number of construction materials firms reported losses last year and are now asking for government support, specifically more large scale infrastructure projects, Doanh Nhan Vietnam is reporting. This is not a good sign for the real estate industry in that construction firms, presumably in the know, are not banking
In today’s Vietnam news: Research prosecution exemption, Fuel retailer losses, Semiconductor degree requirements, Eurocham BCI, Government bond auction Wednesday, Australia tourist visa problems, Coffee
In today’s Vietnam news: Accor-Sun Group agreement, US largest ethanol supplier, Demographic dividend to end 3 years early, Maritime economy development, ACV looking to
In today’s Vietnam news: Vietnam Airlines trading restrictions removed, Insurance payouts VSS, Car sales June, 23+ years prison term recommended counterfeit supplements, Counterfeit shoes
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