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Vietnam

Latest news, in-depth features and opinion on Vietnam, covering politics, economy, society and the country's relationships with the United States, Australia, China and neighbouring Southeast Asian countries.

Capital

Hanoi

Head of State

President To Lam

Head of Government

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh

Australia

Australia’s largest-ever military drill under way, Chinese spy ships expected

Chinese military have observed these biennial exercises since 2017, but this year’s drills coincide with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to China.

14 Jul 2025 - 11:59AM

Trade

Asian Angle | Is Vietnam’s tech dream stuck in the assembly line?

13 Jul 2025 - 10:00AM

United States

Trump hits Mexico and EU with 30% tariffs, escalating trade war

14 Jul 2025 - 3:34AMvideocam

US-China trade war

‘Caught off guard’: China’s garment makers cut out of US market as tariffs bite

US apparel imports from China have plunged dramatically since April – and fashion companies plan further reductions.

12 Jul 2025 - 2:00PM

Workers sew apparel at a garment workshop in Zunhua, north China’s Hebei Province. China’s garment industry is rapidly losing market share in the United States amid the trade war. Photo: Xinhua

Indonesia

Indonesia fights to clean up ‘world’s most polluted river’

Indonesia’s Citarum River is so heavily polluted with rubbish that you can barely see the water.

12 Jul 2025 - 12:27PMvideocam

Asean

Asian Angle | Food for thought: how Chinese brands serve up soft power in Southeast Asia

Chinese F&B brands are becoming increasingly prominent, fuelling a familiarity with China that legitimates its stronger regional presence.

12 Jul 2025 - 12:00PM

US-China trade war

China must ‘play the long game’ with trade partners as US bullies, analysts say

Moving beyond strongly worded warnings, Beijing is seen embracing a more pragmatic approach, steeling itself ahead of more talks with Washington.

11 Jul 2025 - 9:00PM

Improved trade agreements between China and Asean members could help offset the impact of US tariffs. Photo: EPA

South China Sea

South China Sea: expect ‘more provocations’ from Manila, and Hanoi could be next

Beijing ‘must be prepared to respond’, and it might be headed for confrontation with Vietnam over land reclamation, analyst warns.

11 Jul 2025 - 4:00PMvideocam

Corruption in Asia

Vietnam jails 30 for corruption worth US$45 million

Former officials among those convicted as Hanoi presses sweeping anti-corruption campaign.

11 Jul 2025 - 3:14PM

China-Asean relations

China blasts ‘immoral’ US trade practices, courts Asean on free trade unity

Foreign Minister Wang Yi presses Southeast Asian countries to not undermine interests of ‘third parties’ as region grapples with US tariffs.

10 Jul 2025 - 8:54PMvideocam

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right) stressed cooperation as he described US trade practices as “unreasonable and immoral” during a meeting on Thursday with Md. Touhid Hossain, a foreign affairs adviser for Bangladesh. Photo: Handout

Sri Lanka

Coming apart: Sri Lanka’s garment sector faces crisis under Trump’s 30% tariff

The US buys about 40 per cent of the country’s apparel exports, helping to pull in US$1.9 billion last year.

10 Jul 2025 - 3:18PMvideocam

Sri Lankan women work in a garment factory in Punani, northeast of Colombo. Photo: AP

United States

Trump announces new tariffs on Brazil, 6 smaller economies

‘Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from reciprocal,’ letters say, adding alleged deficits are threats to US national security.

11 Jul 2025 - 1:55AMvideocam

United States

Opinion | As Trump flip-flops on tariffs, what’s the point of negotiating at all?

Are the tariffs a reality show aimed at Americans, a way to gain the upper hand on China, or just a distraction from sector-specific duties?

9 Jul 2025 - 8:30PMvideocam

United States

‘No extensions’: Trump locks in August 1 deadline for US tariffs

After days of speculation, US president says increased tariffs on numerous trading partners take effect on August 1 with no further delays.

9 Jul 2025 - 4:26PMvideocam

US President Donald Trump said that US tariffs on trading partners would take effect on August 1 with “no extensions”. Photo: AP

China's economic recovery

China steps up economic monitoring, looking to head off worst-case scenarios

Tariffs and tumult have roiled China’s economy, so Beijing is taking extra precautions to ensure that it is not caught off guard during ‘trade order restructuring’.

9 Jul 2025 - 12:30AMvideocam

China will step up economic monitoring in the face of outsized threats on a global scale. Photo: Shutterstock

Donald Trump

More uncertainty ahead for Asia as Trump shifts goalposts on tariffs again

Agreements are likely to be repeatedly renegotiated as circumstances change, with smaller economies the ‘biggest losers’, analysts warn.

8 Jul 2025 - 6:00PMvideocam

Technology

Opinion | Why East Asian integration could be the solution to US tariff threats

As Japan and South Korea struggled to reach trade deals with the US, China’s economic leverage offers an example for the rest of the region.

8 Jul 2025 - 5:28PMvideocam

Malaysia

Malaysia seeks urgent trade talks with US after 25% tariff blow

Trump suggested tariffs could be lifted if Malaysia shifts manufacturing to the US. Malaysia says it wants a ‘mutually beneficial’ deal.

8 Jul 2025 - 4:59PM

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at Sunday’s Brics summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Photo: AFP

Asean

Editorial | Transshipment clause in US-Vietnam trade deal cause for concern

Given how intertwined Chinese products are in regional supply chains, an expansive US definition of transshipment could be highly disruptive.

8 Jul 2025 - 7:15AM

Asean

Opinion | Why Vietnam’s US trade deal is a high-risk economic gamble

It’s a strategic chance to catalyse economic reforms but failure risks making Vietnam a dependent client state.

7 Jul 2025 - 8:30PMvideocam

Asean

Eating plastic: the hidden cost of convenience in Southeast Asia

If plastic pollution continues to worsen in the region, its people could face a wide range of health issues, medical experts warn.

7 Jul 2025 - 7:37PM

Rising microplastic waste is fast becoming a global health hazard. Photo: Shutterstock

Asean

Trump’s Vietnam tariff pact challenges Asean unity in key summit

Vietnam’s deal with the US leaves the rest of the bloc’s members more vulnerable to direct pressure from Washington, analysts say.

7 Jul 2025 - 4:02PM

Thailand

Crisis-hit Thailand ups its offer to escape Trump’s tariffs

Bangkok is sweetening its proposal with pledges to buy more US farm goods, energy and Boeing jets after Vietnam already secured a deal.

7 Jul 2025 - 2:40PM

Thailand

Fake it ‘til you make it? Inside Southeast Asia’s booming counterfeit economy

Fake goods are still readily available across the region, despite Thailand and Vietnam’s best efforts, as Washington’s tariff deadline looms.

7 Jul 2025 - 2:51PM

US immigration

US deports 8 immigrants to conflict-torn South Sudan after legal fight

Deportation follows a US Supreme Court ruling favouring the Trump administration.

7 Jul 2025 - 2:13PM

A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. File photo: AP

United States

Trump prepares tariff notice as US trade partners scramble for deals

One of the US president’s signatures in deal making is a threat when negotiations reach critical stages, so it is unclear if the tariffs are real.

6 Jul 2025 - 6:46PM

US President Donald Trump arrives to greet Mark Rutte, Secretary General of Nato, and Dick Schoof, Prime Minister of the Netherlands ahead of the Nato summit. Photo: dpa

Trade

Vietnam breathes sigh of relief after Trump trade deal, but challenges remain

Under the new deal, US goods into Vietnam will not be taxed while Vietnamese exports will face a 20 per cent US tariff.

6 Jul 2025 - 12:00PMvideocam

Food and Drinks

Language Matters | Where did lychees come from and why are they an auspicious Chinese symbol?

The fruit’s Chinese name gave us the English word ‘lychee’, while wordplay bestowed upon it auspicious connotations.

6 Jul 2025 - 8:45AM

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