vietnam
The Vietnam category covers economic developments, investment trends, and policy updates specific to the country. It explores market opportunities, trade relations, industry growth, and government initiatives, providing insights into Vietnam’s role in global supply chains, emerging sectors, and foreign business expansion.
Vietnam ‘unlikely’ to see minimum wage hike in 2025
Of note, the National Wage Council meets at least once a year to discuss the minimum wage in Vietnam. That said, the minimum wage does not necessarily rise every year. For example, during COVID minimum wage rises were put on hold. Similarly, as Vietnam’s economy struggled in 2023 minimum wage hikes were delayed until 2024…
Binh Dinh officials push to include German firm in Vietnam offshore wind pilot
Officials in Binh Dinh are pushing for the Ministry of Industry and Trade to include at least part of an offshore wind farm proposed by Germany’s PNE Group in a pilot offshore wind power project being developed. The full plan is for a US$4.6 billion investment that will generate 2,000
Elevated Vietnam banking bond issuances continue in July
Of note, back in 2022, the construction sector dominated bond issuances, accounting for about 52.30 percent of bonds issued by the end of July that year. Banking on the other hand accounted for just 2.17 percent. At the end of July this year, however, banking accounted for 67.2 percent of the bonds issued whereas construction accounted for just 2.8 percent.
UK court finds against Vietnam’s Vietjet in leasing dispute from 2021
A court in the UK has found that FitzWalter Aviation Holdings, which had a leasing agreement with Vietnam’s Vietjet, had the right to cancel said lease back in 2021. Vietjet had argued that the lease termination was illegal and had refused to allow four aircraft to be repossessed. The judgement
Vietnam’s Hoa Phat Steel: Stock Review
While the challenges are evident, the potential of Hoa Phat’s Dung Quat 2 complex to drive future growth cannot be ignored. This complex is expected to start operating in early 2025, targeting an annual production capacity of 5.6 million tons of steel, including 4.6 million tons of HRC and 1 million tons of specialty steel. This could potentially stimulate revenue, and profits, making Hoa Phat an intriguing investment prospect.
Indian pharmaceuticals firms planning US$200 million investment in Vietnam
Indian pharmaceutical giants SMS Pharmaceuticals and Sri Avantika Contractors are considering establishing a US$200 million plant in a manufacturing park in Thanh Hoa province. The project has already attracted around 50 potential secondary investors, according to Vietnam Investment Review. Of note, Vietnam’s pharmaceuticals market is projected to reach approximately US$2.4
Vietnam News Roundup: August 2 to August 8
This week’s Vietnam news roundup covers foreign trader stock market activity, bad debts, the latest manufacturing developments, the Big Mac Index, EU standards warning on Vietnam produce exports, Vietnam’s outbound FDI and more…
Commerce’s Findings from Vietnam’s Non-Market Economy Review: Unpacked
Last week, the United States Department of Commerce–the DOC–rejected Vietnam’s application to have its status as a non-market economy overturned. This came after a months-long review including thousands of pages of evidence and arguments, from both Vietnam and the United States, culminating in not just the aforementioned adverse findings but also a 284-page memorandum explaining the decision. This article breaks down the key points in said document.
Bad debts continue to skyrocket at most Vietnam banks
Of 29 of Vietnam’s biggest banks, 27 had recorded an increase in bad debt at the end of June, Mekong ASEAN has reported. Between them there was VND 46,719 billion or US$1.86 billion in bad debts, an increase of 20.8 percent compared to the end of 2023. Of note, back
Vietnam outbound FDI falls 53 percent year-on-year in July 2024
It’s worth noting, however, that it’s quite common for local firms to have offices in other parts of the world, usually Singapore, through which they conduct their foreign investment activities. This is partly to avoid the bureaucratic approval process for outbound investment but also due to the perceived relative safety of more advanced markets.
Vietnam’s VinHomes jumps on buyback news but foreigners exit stock en masse
Foreign investors, however, followed their own path, using the increased local demand to net-dump 1,935,886 shares worth around US$72 million. This has further diminished foreign ownership in the firm–at the start of last year foreign investors held about 24.30 percent of Vinhomes shares, that number has since come down to just 15.08 percent. ..
Affordable Housing in Vietnam for Foreign Firms 2024
FDI can be a significant contributor to solving Vietnam’s affordable housing shortage, but it’s not a silver bullet. The development of affordable housing in Vietnam is hindered by a complex number of factors. Bureaucratic hurdles, land scarcity, and tightening credit conditions have created a challenging environment for both domestic and foreign developers, writes Huong Nguyen.
Vietnamese steel giant injects massive capital in new complex, despite China challenge
China’s steel industry has significantly impacted Vietnam’s steel market over the last year or so. The Chinese real estate crisis has led to a construction slowdown, leaving steel mills there with excess inventory. As a consequence, China has ramped up steel exports, particularly to Vietnam…
Vietnam to sell itself as filming location in US despite censorship issues
In the past, Hollywood studios have generally used Thailand as a stand-in for Vietnam on the back of a more well developed film industry in Thailand as well as complicated procedures for getting approval to film in Vietnam. Most recently, producers of the Netflix series The Sympathiser, who had intended to film in Vietnam, could not get approval to do so on the back of censorship issues…
Costa Rica recognises Vietnam as a market economy even if US doesn’t
Of note, trade between Vietnam and Costa Rica is relatively small. So far this year, the Central American nation has not featured in Vietnam’s customs data. That said, state media has been pushing the number of countries that consider Vietnam a market economy as a key reason why it should be upgraded by the US. With this in mind, it’s likely there will be many more announcements like this from smaller countries…
Vietnamese dong undervalued by 33.3 percent: Economist Big Mac index
Of note, since the start of the year, the Vietnamese dong has only devalued against the US dollar by about 4.5 percent since January 1. This has been on the back of efforts by the State Bank to keep the local currency from devaluing further against the US dollar by issuing treasury bills and burning through its US dollar and gold reserves…
Former head of Vietnam’s FLC Group sentenced to 21 years in jail for fraud
Prior to Quyet’s arrest, FLC had been a major real estate developer in Vietnam. The company had properties all over Vietnam as well as an airline–Bamboo Airways–with Quyet at one point reportedly a US dollar billionaire. Well known in Vietnam–idolised by some for his business savvy–his arrest drew a lot of media coverage and his trial has too.
How African Swine Fever is Reshaping Vietnam’s Pork Market
Vietnam has a bad case of African Swine Fever that it just can’t seem to shake. This is fundamentally reshaping Vietnam’s pork market, which has seen a huge increase in pork imports in recent years. This article looks at how this all started, what’s happening now, and what might happen next.
Almost 6,000 redundancies at Vietnam’s Mobile World so far this year
Mobile World is one of the most active stocks on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange among foreign investors. Trading under the ticker MWG, shares of the company closed at VND 62,900 a share on Friday. Foreign investors currently own about 46.69 percent of the firm with a foreign ownership cap of 49 percent…
Imported car sales poised to overtake locally made cars in Vietnam
Most of these imports came from Indonesia, Thailand, and China which have seen their car market share in Vietnam grow on the back of the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement, or ACFTA, that has seen import tariffs on most small cars with less than 9 seats reduced to zero…
In today’s news: ForEx regs overseas investments SOEs, VinFast GSM 5m unit agreement, US cotton shipments to VN, Samsung semiconductor build-out VN, Tay Ninh
In today’s news: Japan-VN asset tie-up, Import tax refund guidance, Instant noodle consumption, AI plans, SSC + S&P Dow Jones execs meet in NY,
In today’s Vietnam news: Vinhomes bond plans, Fuel prices revised, Counterfeit Havianas, Internet undersea cable failures, VN-China tariff diff, SK-VN joint crude stockpiling, Daewoo
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