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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

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim have agreed to boost rail transport and infrastructure cooperation at their talks in Putrajaya this week. Photo: Xinhua

China-Asean relations

Trump’s tariffs fuel China’s dream of railway link with Southeast Asia

During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia, intraregional rail transport was at the top of the agenda.

1 minute ago

US-China trade war

China’s Xi Jinping arrives in Cambodia on final leg of Southeast Asian tour

3 hours agovideocam

Cambodia

Cambodia’s descent into madness remembered, 50 years after the Khmer Rouge

4 hours ago

US-China trade war

With US-China decoupling closer than ever, firms are reshaping supply chains

With full US-China decoupling looking closer than ever – though not a certainty – suppliers are rapidly evaluating their relationships and options.

17 Apr 2025 - 9:18AMvideocam

Diplomacy

Opinion | As US retreats, Asian powers can reshape world order to meet their needs

Global South countries, tired of bearing the costs of globalisation, are asserting their economic visions.

17 Apr 2025 - 5:30AMvideocam

South Korea

South Korea and Vietnam huddle together against Trump’s tariff broadside

Vietnam wants South Korean companies to expand their operations. Samsung already produces more than 60 per cent of its phones in the country.

16 Apr 2025 - 3:20PM

US-China relations

Xi Jinping arrives in Malaysia as Trump tariffs push China closer to neighbours

Chinese leader hails ‘golden 50 years’ of ties as he lands in the country, where he is greeted by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.

15 Apr 2025 - 9:42PM

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (left) welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) as the Chinese leader arrives in Malaysia for a state visit on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE

Fame and celebrity

Meet Amanda Nguyen, who just joined Blue Origin’s all-female space flight

An author and civil rights activist who studied astrophysics at Harvard, Nguyen conducted one of the experiments in partnership with the Vietnamese National Space Center – a nod to her heritage.

15 Apr 2025 - 6:00PM

Education

Vietnam city to ban evening classes to ease academic stress, boost well-being

Advocates say Ho Chi Minh City’s move would also help to reduce demand and rein in its unchecked private tuition sector.

15 Apr 2025 - 4:23PM

Donald Trump

Video | Trump says China-Vietnam talks part of plans to ‘screw’ US

Crude remark comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping begins tour of three Southeast Asian nations targeted for high tariffs on exports to US

15 Apr 2025 - 3:11PM

Trump says China’s talks with Vietnam are probably intended to ‘screw’ US

01:39

Video | Xi visits Vietnam amid US tariff war

Chinese leader pledges to build strong bilateral relations with Hanoi and reject protectionism

15 Apr 2025 - 2:10PM

Xi Jinping arrives in Vietnam to boost political and trade ties amid tariff war with US

02:37

Cambodia

Cambodia’s tougher ban on genocide denial: ‘another tool to silence dissent’?

Critics fear the move to further criminalise denial of the Khmer Rouge’s horrors will stifle opposition to Hun Sen’s dynasty.

15 Apr 2025 - 1:17PM

US-China trade war

China’s Xi urges solidarity in Vietnam meetings against US ‘unilateral bullying’

The Chinese leader was focused on the need to uphold the multilateral trading system in his remarks at the start of his Southeast Asia tour.

5 hours agovideocam

US-China trade war

Chinese factories in Vietnam see ‘crazy’ surge in orders amid US tariff pause

US businesses are putting factories in Vietnam under pressure to front-load as many shipments as possible within the 90-day window.

15 Apr 2025 - 11:00AM

Vietnamese workers stitch apparel at a factory in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam has been a focus of US President Donald Trump’s tariff policies in recent weeks. Photo: AFP

Hong Kong economy

How Trump’s tariffs are forcing mainland, Hong Kong firms to rethink plans

Relocation to Mexico among options on the cards for companies eyeing the US market amid unpredictable trade policies.

15 Apr 2025 - 4:12PMvideocam

Some companies are scrambling to adjust their strategies amid the US’ move to impose a high tariff on Chinese goods. Photo: AFP

Asia travel

Vietnam’s battlefields bringing in tourists and veterans 50 years later

The locations of many of Vietnam’s biggest and most famous battles attract crowds of sightseers and veterans from both sides of the conflict.

15 Apr 2025 - 7:15AM

US-China trade war

Trump says China’s talks with Vietnam are probably intended to ‘screw’ US

Crude remark comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping begins tour of three Southeast Asian nations targeted for high tariffs on exports to US.

16 Apr 2025 - 12:35PMvideocam

Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong visa relaxation sparks surge of Vietnamese visitors

Approved visa applications from Vietnam increased from 322 in the five years before the relaxation of criteria in October 2023 to 4,970 since.

14 Apr 2025 - 7:59PM

Approved visa applications from Vietnam have increased to 4,970 in the 16 months following the relaxation of entry rules. Photo: Reuters

Donald Trump

Vietnam thrived under first US-China trade war, now it’s ‘no longer an option’

Vietnam’s manufacturing boom faces a setback as Trump’s new tariffs threaten its export competitiveness.

14 Apr 2025 - 6:28PMvideocam

Icons and Influencers

Q&A | Quiet luxury, Vietnam style: Lam Gia Khang’s Gia Studios

Gia Studios, based in Saigon’s Savile Row and now stocked at Lane Crawford, Hong Kong, blends fine tailoring with cross-cultural inspirations.

12 Apr 2025 - 4:00PM

Donald Trump

What South Korea’s Samsung and Vietnam stand to lose in Trump’s tariff war

Samsung’s reliance on Vietnam will make it a primary victim should higher US tariffs take effect later this year, observers say.

12 Apr 2025 - 4:20PMvideocam

A man riding a motorbike through the entrance gate of Samsung’s electronic components factory in Bac Ninh province. Samsung has said previously it would respond flexibly to US tariffs. Photo: AFP

Donald Trump

Asian Angle | The ‘Tariff Man’ cometh: Vietnam’s misplaced faith in Trump 2.0

Hanoi was once confident in navigating a second Trump term. Now it faces the harsh reality of his trade policies eating into economic growth.

12 Apr 2025 - 11:00AMvideocam

US President Donald Trump stands during an arrival ceremony in Hanoi in 2017. Photo: AFP

US-Asean relations

Asean’s ‘illusion of solidarity’ splinters amid Trump’s tariff threats

While Malaysia calls for a united front, the reality is a race for bilateral deals, with Vietnam leading the charge – as China watches on.

13 Apr 2025 - 12:21PMvideocam

China-Asean relations

China’s defence chief to visit Vietnam for military exchange and joint patrol

The activities will coincide with Xi Jinping’s state visit to the Southeast Asian country as Beijing seeks to bolster regional ties.

11 Apr 2025 - 9:56PMvideocam

Donald Trump

Vietnam to squeeze some China trade to mollify Trump, avoid stinging tariffs

Hanoi aims to ease US levies by cracking down on Chinese transshipments and tightening export controls.

11 Apr 2025 - 1:20PMvideocam

The US claims that China uses Hanoi as a conduit to obtain lower tariffs for goods that do not have significant Vietnamese involvement. Photo: Reuters

Amazon

Amazon cancels some orders from China amid Trump’s tariffs

One vendor says a US$500,000 wholesale order was cancelled without warning after the products had already been manufactured.

10 Apr 2025 - 12:00PMvideocam

US-China trade war

Will Trump’s tariffs force Global South to show ‘true colours’ on US and China?

Beijing’s ties with developing world to face test as Washington may push countries to take tougher China stance, analysts say.

9 Apr 2025 - 11:43PMvideocam

Asia travel

In 1994 Vietnam landmines, Viet Cong and the kindness of strangers

Vietnam in 1994 was a place of adventure and the occasional hazard, and one where the people were generous, honest and proud.

9 Apr 2025 - 12:09PM

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