This is a brief rundown of what is being reported today in Vietnam’s state-approved media and some others.
It compiles coverage from official outlets like Dan Tri, Tuoi Tre, and VN Express, highlighting the narratives currently shaping the country’s economic, financial, and business news landscape.
Government inspection EV maker
Dau Tu Kien Thuc is reporting that Hung Yen provincial inspectors have included TMT Motors in a 2026 inspection plan covering investment compliance at nearly 100 enterprises, including its electric vehicle assembly expansion project.
TMT Motors is in partnership with SAIC GM Wuling Automobile in 2023 and sold 591 electric vehicles in 2023, 1,358 in 2024, targeting 3,404 units in 2025, the article notes.
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Bamboo Airways recruiting
Dau Tu Kien Thuc is reporting that Bamboo Airways announced plans to recruit up to 1,000 flight attendants in 2026 as part of its restructuring and preparation for fleet expansion.
Bamboo Airways said the hiring plan aligns with its goal to add eight to 10 aircraft annually and restore fleet size to about 30 aircraft by 2030.
Ed.’s notes: Planespotters has Bamboo Airways operating just 8 aircraft / 1,000 flight attendance = 125 recruited per aircraft. Seems unlikely. #monitoring
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New regulations: credit institution investments
Vietnamnet is reporting that the State Bank of Vietnam has issued Circular 60 of 2025 tightening conditions for credit institutions to contribute capital or acquire shares to/in other companies.
Under the circular, credit institutions must meet minimum capital adequacy requirements, investment limits, profitability conditions and maintain a bad debt ratio below 3 percent.
Institutions must also show profits in the preceding year and have no administrative penalties related to credit classification, provisioning or investments in the previous 12 months.
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New credit card ID requirements
Thanh Nien is reporting that from January 5, banks issuing credit cards are required to meet customers in person and verify matching biometric information, under new regulations from the State Bank of Vietnam.
The circular also maintains the monthly cash withdrawal limit for credit cards at VND 100 million, about US$3,800.
For foreign customers, the residency requirement of at least 12 months has been removed, with card validity capped at the remaining permitted stay in Vietnam.
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New Year holiday tourism
Nha Dau Tu is reporting that Vietnam served about 3.5 million tourists during the January 1–4, 2026 New Year holiday, with nationwide hotel occupancy averaging 51 percent, according to the Vietnam National Tourism Administration.
Ho Chi Minh City led with 1.24 million visitors and tourism revenue of VND 2.632 trillion, about US$99.9 million, while Hanoi welcomed 560,000 visitors, up 250 percent year on year.
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Business closures 2025
Dau Tu Kien Thuc is reporting that Vietnam recorded about 297,500 newly established and returning enterprises in 2025, while about 227,000 exited the market, about 600 firms each day.
New business registrations totalled about 195,100 firms with registered capital of nearly VND 1.9 quadrillion, about US$72.1 billion, and registered employment of roughly 1.15 million people.
During the year, about 114,400 firms suspended operations, 76,900 awaited dissolution procedures and 35,900 completed dissolution, reflecting continued exit pressure, the publication says.
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Loss-making tech firms listing HoSE
VnExpress is reporting that Vietnamese regulators are considering allowing loss making science, technology and startup companies to list on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange on a separate trading board.
The proposal was raised on January 5 by Johan Nyvene, chairman of Ho Chi Minh City Securities Corporation, during a Tuoi Tre newspaper forum.
Current rules require listed firms to be profitable for two consecutive years
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Public company status Viettel Global
Dau Tu Kien Thuc is reporting that Viettel Global said it no longer meets public company requirements from January 1, 2026, as 99 percent of its shares are held by its parent, Viettel Group.
The company will retain public company status until December 31, 2026, while it studies options to adjust its shareholder structure.
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Unilever VN partner public company status revoked
Dau Tu Kien Thuc is reporting that Bien Hoa Packaging Joint Stock Company (formerly SoVi) said it will delist from the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange after losing public company status due to shareholder concentration, following notice from the State Securities Commission on January 5, 2026.
Thai Containers Group affiliate TCG Solutions holds 94.11 percent of shares after spending nearly VND 2.1 trillion, about US$79.7 million, to acquire control in 2020.
Under securities rules, SVI no longer meets the requirement that at least 10 percent of voting shares be held by at least 100 non major shareholders.
Notably, SVI supplies packaging to companies like Unilever, PepsiCo, and Nestlé.
Ed.’s notes: Contrasts with above article about Viettel.
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Nhon Trach gas plant officially online
Dau Tu Kien Thuc is reporting that Vietnam’s first liquefied natural gas power project, Nhon Trach 3 and 4, officially entered commercial operation on January 5, 2026, according to GE Vernova.
The US$1.4 billion project, invested by PetroVietnam Power Corporation, has total capacity of 1,624 megawatts and is Vietnam’s first LNG fired power plant.
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Call for government orders of VN-made UAVs
Nguoi Lao Dong is reporting that Realtime Robotics founder Luong Viet Quoc has urged the Vietnamese state to order unmanned aerial vehicles for rescue, security, disaster response and environmental monitoring to give the industry a boost.
A Ho Chi Minh City event marking the launch of a controlled trial of unmanned aerial vehicle delivery on January 5 under a sandbox program, heard that motorbike delivery costs VND 40,000 to 50,000 per order, about US$1.5 to US$1.9, while unmanned aerial vehicle delivery remains significantly higher, making last mile logistics uneconomical.
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Netflix censorship 9-dash line
Tuoi Tre is reporting that Vietnam’s Cinema Department has ordered Netflix to remove the Chinese television series Shine on Me after it was found to feature the nine dash line.
The department instructed Netflix to take down the 27 episode series from its website and app within 24 hours from 9:00 pm on January 3.
Ed.’s notes: Interesting quote on the matter from China’s Global Times “Vietnam harbours concerns that the broadcast of such works could lead ordinary Vietnamese citizens to gain a better understanding of the fact that China holds legitimate sovereignty in the South China Sea.”
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Q4 inflation
the-shiv is reporting that Vietnam’s Consumer Price Index rose 0.19 percent in December from the previous month, driven mainly by higher food prices and dining costs, according to the latest release from Vietnam’s National Statistics Office.
Compared with December last year, the CPI increased by 3.48 percent, while the average CPI for the fourth quarter of 2025 rose 3.44 percent year on year.
2025 trade data
the-shiv is reporting that Vietnam’s total merchandise exports and imports reached US$88.72 billion in December, up 15.1 percent from November and 25.7 percent year on year, according to the latest release from Vietnam’s National Statistics Office.
For the full year 2025, total trade turnover rose 18.2 percent to US$930.05 billion, with exports increasing 17.0 percent to US$475.04 billion and imports climbing 19.4 percent to US$455.01 billion.
2025 FDI
the-shiv is reporting that total registered foreign investment in Vietnam reached US$38.42 billion in 2025, up 0.5 percent from the previous year, according to official data released as of December 31, according to the latest release from Vietnam’s National Statistics Office.
The figure includes newly registered capital, adjusted registered capital and capital contributions and share purchases by foreign investors.
GDP growth Q4 / 2025
the-shiv is reporting that gross domestic product in the fourth quarter of 2025 is estimated to have grown 8.46 percent year on year, marking the strongest fourth-quarter expansion recorded over the 2011–2025 period, according to the latest release from Vietnam’s National Statistics Office.
The result extended a clear acceleration trend through the year, with growth rising from 7.05 percent in the first quarter to 8.16 percent in the second quarter and 8.25 percent in the third quarter, the NSO said.
Imports from Philippines
the-shiv is reporting that in November, Vietnam imported US$173.97 million worth of goods from the Philippines, down from US$198.17 million in October, a change of -12.22 percent, according to preliminary data from Vietnam’s General Department of Customs.
So far this year, Vietnam has imported US$2,178 million worth of goods from the Philippines.
Stock market performance Monday
the-shiv is reporting that the VN-Index closed at 1,788.40, up 3.91 points or 0.22 percent, with a total trading value of VND 25,892.10 billion or US$982.62 million, and foreign traders net-selling US$27.89 million worth of equities, Monday, according to the latest data from the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange.
Exchange rates Monday
the-shiv is reporting that on January 5, in Vietnam, the black market US dollar buy rate was VND 26,900 and the sell rate was VND 26,950, a change of 150 and 130, respectively, for a mid-market rate of VND 26,925 (up 0.52 percent), according to Ty Gia USD.
Meanwhile, the State Bank of Vietnam’s central exchange rate was set at VND 25,124, while the Google Finance mid-market rate stood at VND 26,275.
Exports to Australia
the-shiv is reporting that in November, Vietnam exported US$563 million worth of goods to Australia, down 12.55 percent over October, according to preliminary data from Vietnam’s General Department of Customs.
So far this year, Vietnam has exported US$6,146 million worth of goods to Australia.
Cashew nut imports
the-shiv is reporting that Vietnam imported cashew nut to the tune of US$264 million in November, up from US$258 million in October, a change of 2.18 percent, according to preliminary data from Vietnam’s General Department of Customs.
Year to date, Vietnam had imported US$4,246 million worth of cashew nut by the end of November.
Yesterday’s Vietnam news headlines
In yesterday’s news headlines: Advertising wait time caps, Crypto / gold bar tax changes, Labour shortages LNY, Chinese HRC ADDs extended, Vinfast Ha Tinh production, Wigroup on interest rates, Wood tariff delays, Milk imports, Chemical products exports, PMI December, Imports from Australia, Exports to Philippines… Read more→