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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

A scientific study has found that in moderation, lard can have health benefits. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Science

Lard can actually keep you fit and feeling more comfortable, Chinese study finds

Long-held beliefs about animal fats being unhealthy are challenged as scientists discover consumption at moderate levels can have benefits.

6 hours agovideocam

To Lam

Vietnam’s To Lam may secure dual role as party and state head in rare move

24 Dec 2025 - 11:46AMvideocam

US-China trade war

Explainer | Will US-led ‘Pax Silica’ be a new dawn for the international AI supply chain?

24 Dec 2025 - 6:35AMvideocam

Year in Review

SCMP Plus Year in Review 2025: China

As the year comes to a close, SCMP Plus highlights the biggest China-related stories of the year.

23 Dec 2025 - 4:00PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a military parade in Beijing in September. Photo: AP

Extreme weather

Asia’s year in extreme weather and natural disasters, from earthquakes to floods

From the deadly earthquake in Myanmar to tropical cyclones in the Philippines, Asia went through its share of natural disasters in 2025.

23 Dec 2025 - 3:00PM

SCMP Highlights

Philippines’ Chinese tourism woes, police officer goes viral: 7 Asia highlights

From India’s anxiety over US-Pakistan deals to South Korea’s visa policy debate, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

23 Dec 2025 - 12:45PM

Asean

Southeast Asian floods set to threaten more wildlife due to climate change

Environmental crimes and poor oversight are also worsening the risks faced by animals and trees.

23 Dec 2025 - 7:39PMvideocam

An elephant clearing logs and debris on December 8 in a village affected by flooding in Pidie Jaya, Aceh province, Indonesia. Photo: AP

China economy

Opinion | Why China has moved to curb steel exports

China’s pivot to emerging markets has kept its export machine running. But frictions are growing and steel is the most visible flashpoint.

23 Dec 2025 - 7:49AM

Education

Opinion | As UK universities lose prestige, Asian institutions stand to benefit

The decline of Britain’s universities and the challenges facing Western academia in general stem from education no longer being treated as a national investment.

22 Dec 2025 - 9:37PM

India

‘Pax Silica’: America’s new AI inner circle and Asia’s chosen few

Japan, South Korea and Singapore made the cut, leaving key partners like India and Vietnam – and even New Zealand – on the sidelines.

22 Dec 2025 - 8:00AM

Representatives of the “Pax Silica” signatories hold signed documents at a summit held in Washington on December 12. Photo: Getty Images/AFP

South Korea

Vietnamese influx surges as South Korea’s foreign population hits record high

The Vietnamese population in South Korea jumped by 15.5 per cent last year, the fastest growing among major ethnic groups.

20 Dec 2025 - 12:32PMvideocam

People of different nationalities flock to Myeongdong shopping street in Seoul. Photo: Shutterstock

Thailand

Thailand’s tourism crown slips as troubles in paradise mount

Border clashes with Cambodia, fierce competition from Malaysia, deadly floods and a strong baht threaten the kingdom’s holiday appeal.

21 Dec 2025 - 12:33PM

Environment

Video | Vietnam’s recyclers risk cancer in toxic villages

UN study finds ‘very high’ lead and dioxin levels in Vietnamese communities handling domestic and imported plastic waste, with residents reporting widespread illness.

19 Dec 2025 - 6:05PM

The Philippines

Philippines struggles to win back Chinese tourists as regional rivals surge

New data shows Chinese arrivals to the Philippines hit 312,000 last year, only 18 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

19 Dec 2025 - 2:15PMvideocam

Chinese tourists from Beijing enjoying Cambugahay waterfalls in Siquijor, Central Visaya, Philippines. Photo: SCMP / James Wendlinger

China trade

Battle for China’s durian market gets even juicier as Laos enters the fray

Laos could present a real challenge to other players in China’s vast durian market due to its low costs and logistical advantages.

18 Dec 2025 - 9:00AMvideocam

A local vendor sells durians at a stall near Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Several Southeast Asian nations including Cambodia export the fruit to China, which is the world’s largest buyer by far. Photo: AP

Food and Drinks

Mouthing Off | American cuisine better than Vietnamese, Korean? New ‘best’ list stirs tempers

The ‘100 Best Cuisines in the World’ list from TasteAtlas is angering people with its contentious food rankings. Singapore at number 90?

18 Dec 2025 - 8:15AM

Environment

Dirty, dangerous, cancer-prone: toxic truth about Vietnam’s recycling villages

‘There’s no shortage of cancer cases in this village,’ a worker, who has been sorting plastic in Xa Cau for a decade, says.

16 Dec 2025 - 11:42AMvideocam

Malaysia

Trump’s tariffs on Southeast Asia put US Christmas gifts at risk

From Hot Wheels to headphones, new levies are squeezing the supply of Americans’ festive favourites.

15 Dec 2025 - 8:02AM

Passers-by look in Christmas-themed shop windows at Macy’s department store in New York earlier this month. Photo: Zuma Press Wire/dpa

US-Asean relations

Southeast Asia barely features in America’s new security strategy

The region appears just twice in the new 32-page US National Security Strategy, raising fears it is being relegated to a ‘bargaining chip’.

14 Dec 2025 - 12:00PM

Japan

Japan’s English skills crash to record low, behind Laos and Vietnam

Outdated teaching methods and the rise of language translation apps have made most Japanese less inclined to learn English, educators say.

12 Dec 2025 - 8:00AMvideocam

Environment

‘I have to wear a mask all the time’: Hanoi’s smog hits crisis levels

On Thursday, Hanoi was the world’s fourth most-polluted city, with officials citing vehicles, industry, and crop burning for the poor air quality.

11 Dec 2025 - 4:44PM

People wearing face masks in Hanoi, Vietnam on December 4. Vietnam’s capital is advising residents to limit outdoor activities on poor air quality days. Photo: Xinhua

Americas and the Caribbean

Mexico lawmakers approve tariff increase on Chinese and other Asian imports

The move, which still requires Senate approval, would affect goods like cars, clothes and steel from China, India, South Korea and elsewhere.

11 Dec 2025 - 2:42AM

Employees work at a steel bar factory in Santa Catarina, Nuevo Leon state, Mexico, in November. Photo: AFP

Luxury Hotels

Is Hoiana Resort & Golf Vietnam’s ultimate seaside escape?

The luxury resort along the central Vietnam coast boasts over 20 F&B establishments, golf, a casino and endless activities for both grown-ups and children.

10 Dec 2025 - 2:00PM

Japan

Japan drops out of plans to build major nuclear power plant in Vietnam

Japan is not in a position to ‘implement’ the Thuan 2 project plant, Japanese ambassador says.

8 Dec 2025 - 4:05PM

Social media

Asian Angle | Vietnam’s anti-drug police are speaking Gen Z, and it’s working

Ho Chi Minh City’s police have found a way to wrap dry state messaging in viral humour, mirroring China’s digital playbook.

7 Dec 2025 - 10:30AM

A viral social media post showing a faux wedding proposal created by an anti-drugs police unit photo in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Facebook/PC04.CATP

Technology

Opinion | Does AI’s rise have to mean job losses? East Asia tells a different story

Studies from Vietnam to South Korea show AI adoption has not cannibalised jobs. Instead of simple mechanisation, economies are synergising.

7 Dec 2025 - 9:30AMvideocam

The automated Seres Super Factory fpr electric vehicles in Liangjiang New Area, southwest China’s Chongqing, on September 19. Photo: Xinhua

Climate change

Opinion | Fashion industry must tailor climate plans to Asian suppliers’ reality

Efforts to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions in the fashion industry will not work if they rest on a Western design paired with Eastern sacrifice.

7 Dec 2025 - 5:30AM

Indonesia

Indonesia’s flood death toll hits 908, hundreds still missing

The governor of hard-hit Aceh warns starvation has become the gravest threat to survivors in remote villages cut off by the devastation.

6 Dec 2025 - 7:23PMvideocam

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Vietnam

Lard can actually keep you fit and feeling more comfortable, Chinese study finds

Long-held beliefs about animal fats being unhealthy are challenged as scientists discover consumption at moderate levels can have benefits.

Vietnam’s To Lam may secure dual role as party and state head in rare move

.css-sioo19{color:#c79a00;}Explainer | Will US-led ‘Pax Silica’ be a new dawn for the international AI supply chain?

SCMP Plus Year in Review 2025: China

As the year comes to a close, SCMP Plus highlights the biggest China-related stories of the year.

Asia’s year in extreme weather and natural disasters, from earthquakes to floods

From the deadly earthquake in Myanmar to tropical cyclones in the Philippines, Asia went through its share of natural disasters in 2025.

Philippines’ Chinese tourism woes, police officer goes viral: 7 Asia highlights

From India’s anxiety over US-Pakistan deals to South Korea’s visa policy debate, here are a few highlights from SCMP’s recent Asia reporting.

Southeast Asian floods set to threaten more wildlife due to climate change

Environmental crimes and poor oversight are also worsening the risks faced by animals and trees.

.css-1m2rp1p{color:#34b8b5;}Opinion | Why China has moved to curb steel exports

China’s pivot to emerging markets has kept its export machine running. But frictions are growing and steel is the most visible flashpoint.

Opinion | As UK universities lose prestige, Asian institutions stand to benefit

The decline of Britain’s universities and the challenges facing Western academia in general stem from education no longer being treated as a national investment.

‘Pax Silica’: America’s new AI inner circle and Asia’s chosen few

Japan, South Korea and Singapore made the cut, leaving key partners like India and Vietnam – and even New Zealand – on the sidelines.

Vietnamese influx surges as South Korea’s foreign population hits record high

The Vietnamese population in South Korea jumped by 15.5 per cent last year, the fastest growing among major ethnic groups.

Thailand’s tourism crown slips as troubles in paradise mount

Border clashes with Cambodia, fierce competition from Malaysia, deadly floods and a strong baht threaten the kingdom’s holiday appeal.

.css-rcruog{color:#C79A00;}Video | Vietnam’s recyclers risk cancer in toxic villages

UN study finds ‘very high’ lead and dioxin levels in Vietnamese communities handling domestic and imported plastic waste, with residents reporting widespread illness.

Philippines struggles to win back Chinese tourists as regional rivals surge

New data shows Chinese arrivals to the Philippines hit 312,000 last year, only 18 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.

Battle for China’s durian market gets even juicier as Laos enters the fray

Laos could present a real challenge to other players in China’s vast durian market due to its low costs and logistical advantages.

Mouthing Off | American cuisine better than Vietnamese, Korean? New ‘best’ list stirs tempers

The ‘100 Best Cuisines in the World’ list from TasteAtlas is angering people with its contentious food rankings. Singapore at number 90?

Dirty, dangerous, cancer-prone: toxic truth about Vietnam’s recycling villages

‘There’s no shortage of cancer cases in this village,’ a worker, who has been sorting plastic in Xa Cau for a decade, says.

Trump’s tariffs on Southeast Asia put US Christmas gifts at risk

From Hot Wheels to headphones, new levies are squeezing the supply of Americans’ festive favourites.

Southeast Asia barely features in America’s new security strategy

The region appears just twice in the new 32-page US National Security Strategy, raising fears it is being relegated to a ‘bargaining chip’.

Japan’s English skills crash to record low, behind Laos and Vietnam

Outdated teaching methods and the rise of language translation apps have made most Japanese less inclined to learn English, educators say.

‘I have to wear a mask all the time’: Hanoi’s smog hits crisis levels

On Thursday, Hanoi was the world’s fourth most-polluted city, with officials citing vehicles, industry, and crop burning for the poor air quality.

Mexico lawmakers approve tariff increase on Chinese and other Asian imports

The move, which still requires Senate approval, would affect goods like cars, clothes and steel from China, India, South Korea and elsewhere.

Is Hoiana Resort & Golf Vietnam’s ultimate seaside escape?

The luxury resort along the central Vietnam coast boasts over 20 F&B establishments, golf, a casino and endless activities for both grown-ups and children.

Japan drops out of plans to build major nuclear power plant in Vietnam

Japan is not in a position to ‘implement’ the Thuan 2 project plant, Japanese ambassador says.

Asian Angle | Vietnam’s anti-drug police are speaking Gen Z, and it’s working

Ho Chi Minh City’s police have found a way to wrap dry state messaging in viral humour, mirroring China’s digital playbook.

Opinion | Does AI’s rise have to mean job losses? East Asia tells a different story

Studies from Vietnam to South Korea show AI adoption has not cannibalised jobs. Instead of simple mechanisation, economies are synergising.

Opinion | Fashion industry must tailor climate plans to Asian suppliers’ reality

Efforts to cut down on greenhouse gas emissions in the fashion industry will not work if they rest on a Western design paired with Eastern sacrifice.

Indonesia’s flood death toll hits 908, hundreds still missing

The governor of hard-hit Aceh warns starvation has become the gravest threat to survivors in remote villages cut off by the devastation.

Explainer | Will US-led ‘Pax Silica’ be a new dawn for the international AI supply chain?

Opinion | Why China has moved to curb steel exports

Video | Vietnam’s recyclers risk cancer in toxic villages