transport & Infrastructure
The Transport & Infrastructure category covers road, rail, air, and maritime transport systems, as well as urban development and investment in public infrastructure. It explores government policies, major infrastructure projects, and sustainability initiatives, providing insights into supply chain efficiency, economic growth, and smart city development.
Hitachi is suing in Vietnam over Ho Chi Minh City metro delays
Issues with site clearance and delayed payments to contractors have caused repeated delays to the metro project which was originally scheduled to start operating in 2018. This is common among infrastructure projects in Vietnam and is in large part caused by a significant mismatch in the value of land versus what is offered to landowners. This stems from land price regulations which sees the central base price from which local land prices are calculated adjusted only once every five years…
Vietnam electric vehicle maker’s US factory possibly delayed: Reuters
Work started on the North Carolina right around the same time that VinFast shipped its first electric vehicles to the United States. VinFast’s electric vehicles, however, have not been popular in the US and have received some pretty damning reviews. Furthermore, the company is also being sued for alleged disclosure violations, patent infringement, and unpaid rent, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the US is investigating a car crash in California in which four people died when the VinFast car they were driving crashed into a tree…
How Vietnam feels about imported Chinese cars: insights from local media
It’s not clear how the author of this article drew these conclusions with no sources listed and it reads a lot more like an opinion piece than hard news. These observations, however, could just as easily be applied to consumers in developed markets of Vietnamese electric vehicles…
Vietnam’s VinFast runs into trouble in the US over unpaid rent
Of note, a lot of the challenges VinFast has faced entering the US market can largely be traced back to fundamental differences between doing business in Vietnam and doing business in the United States, and a failure to properly understand the differences…
Drivers avoid Vietnam smart carpark on comparatively high prices
Vietnam’s cities have a carpark problem. Built around motorbikes most cities are cramped with narrow streets and very little room to park a car. Car numbers, however, have continued to grow and as a stop-gap vehicles are being parked just about anywhere space can be found.
Ground broken on second terminal at airport in Vietnam capital
For context, at the end of last year, the President of Vietnam Airlines noted that overcrowding at Vietnam’s airports was costing the national carrier US$20 million a year. Indeed, overcrowding has become a huge problem–Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City was built for 28 million visitors a year but welcomed 34 million arrivals in 2022. Similarly, Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport was built for 25 million visitors a year but was expected to finish 2023 with 30 million arrivals.
Chinese EV makers looking to expand in Vietnam
One of the side effects of all of the attention Vietnam’s Vinfast has received is that it has exponentially raised awareness of electric vehicles among Vietnamese consumers. Furthermore, there is a lot of status that goes along with owning a car in Vietnam. That said, Vietnam’s GDP per capita is still only around US$4,000 which makes owning a car of any kind challenging for most Vietnamese. In this context, smaller, cheaper Chinese EVs could find a welcome home south of the border.
Airlines are making just US$1 per passenger: Vietnam Airlines exec.
The rising price of airfares in Vietnam has been in the news a lot lately. A review of airline ticket prices by the Vietnam Aviation Administration, however, after conducting a brief investigation, earlier this year, found that airfares prices have been within the current guidelines–in Vietnam airfares are regulated by the government.
Vietnam Airlines doesn’t want to use HCMC’s new airport
Vietnam’s national carrier, Vietnam Airlines, has said that it would prefer to stay at what is currently Ho Chi Minh City’s only international airport, Tan Son Nhat, when a second airport at Long Thanh is completed. It is essentially arguing that airport transfers will be more challenging–currently, it’s possible to
Vietnam airfares investigation finds no price gouging
A review of airline ticket prices by the Vietnam Aviation Administration has found that domestic airlines have not breached pricing regulations. The airfare regulator put out the call last week for consumers who felt they had overpaid for airfares. After a brief investigation, however, they have found that airfares prices
Vietnam Airlines record profit result of lessor writing off bad debt
Vietnam Airlines recorded a ‘new record’ profit in the first quarter of this year of VND 4.53 trillion or US$178 million. This was, however, only after the company leasing planes to Vietnam Airlines subsidiary, Pacific Airlines, agreed to write-off US$220 million worth of debt in exchange for the return of
Vietnam aviation regulator considering an investigation into airfare prices
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam has reached out to consumers who believe they have been overcharged for airfares, VN Economy is reporting. Airfares are regulated in Vietnam with price caps over which ticket prices cannot go. It’s not clear if there has been a breach of these regulations but
Vietnam EV maker North Carolina factory delayed
Vinfast’s planned North Carolina factory has been delayed pending approval of plans for a much smaller factory, The News Observer is reporting. The car marker has not been as successful as it had hoped, hence the smaller factory. It has, however, continued to maintain that the factory will be online
Vietnam’s Vinfast first quarter results show little improvement
Vietnam’s Vinfast has continued to haemorrhage money, reporting a loss in the first quarter of 2024 of US$618.3 million, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Key takeaways It delivered 9,689 EVs; This was down from 13,513 in the fourth quarter of 2024; with 50 percent
Class action launched against Vietnam’s Vinfast
Three law firms have initiated legal action against Vietnamese electric vehicle maker Vinfast on the grounds that it withheld information from shareholders, according to a press release from US law firm Pomerantz. Specifically, that it would be unable to meet its 2023 delivery target and that it lacked the capital
Vietnam’s Airline Industry Turbulence: Unpacked
When Vietnam’s Bamboo Airways first took to the skies in January of 2019, everything was looking up for Vietnam’s airline industry–not only was international tourism flourishing but rising incomes among middle-class Vietnamese were fueling a boom in domestic tourism as well. In fact, the route between Hanoi and Ho Chi
Vietnam aviators to be short up to 26 jets over summer: CAAV
The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam–the CAAV–is forecasting that Vietnamese airlines could be short up to 26 jets over the summer, VN Express is reporting. This is on the back of maintenance issues with some jet engines. This is impacting airlines all around the world which are scrambling to secure
Vietnam’s legal argument for not returning four ex-Vietjet planes
This analysis of a dispute between foreign aircraft lessor, Fitzwalter Capital Partners, and Vietnam’s Vietjet, in which Vietjet failed to return four planes after a lease agreement was terminated, goes into the legal argument for keeping the aircraft in Vietnam. Specifically, the article states that when the ownership of the
Vietnam’s Pacific Airlines has no aircraft left in its fleet
The airline, owned by Vietnam’s national carrier Vietnam Airlines, looks to have returned all of its aircraft though this may have been a repossession. This article in Tuoi Tre is not exactly clear but it does make specific mention of the struggles of Pacific Airlines to pay its debts. “The
VinFast exec claims will break even in 2025
Despite losses totally more than US$2 billion in 2023, Vietnam’s homegrown automaker will break even in 2025, according VinFast President Le Thi Thu Thuy as reported by Zing News. This is a huge undertaking with sales overseas lacklustre at best–just a few thousand–and the vehicles sold in Vietnam mostly to
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