Category: Vietnam

South Korea Enters Strategic Partnership With Vietnam to Boost Trade

Vietnam and South Korea on Monday agreed to elevate their bilateral ties into a comprehensive strategic partnership, as the latter seeks to diversify its trade partners and reduce reliance on China. Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc embarked on a three-day trip to Seoul, where he met with his South Korean counterpart, Yoon Suk-yeol, to discuss…


Southern Californian Remembers Life as a Pan Am Stewardess in Vietnam

Renée Chenette, who lives in Laguna Beach, California, was a young 24-year-old Pan Am stewardess the first time she landed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base in 1972. The flight attendant, who grew up just outside of Paris, flew for the airline for 17 years between 1970 and 1987—but it’s the flights into and out…


Vietnamese Couple Jailed for Criticizing Communist Government Online

A court in Vietnam on Tuesday handed down sentences to a couple arrested for broadcasting criticism of the ruling Communist Party on social media, according to a local news report. The court sentenced Nguyen Thai Hung, 50, to four years in prison and his wife, Vu Thi Kim Hoang, 44, to two and a half…


Vietnam Mandates Removal of ‘False’ Social Media Content Within 24 Hours

Vietnam has mandated the removal of “false” content from social media platforms within 24 hours, as opposed to the initial 48 hours, as the ruling communist party intensifies its crackdown on “anti-state” activity. Vietnam’s Information and Communications Minister, Nguyen Manh Hung, said in parliament on Friday that the move was necessary because false news can…


Vietnam Gas Stations Close Amid Fears of Fuel Supply Crunch

The closure of gas stations in Hanoi on Tuesday raised concerns about a fuel supply crunch spreading in Vietnam. Several stations in Hanoi has put out signs saying “Temporarily closed” or “Waiting for re-supplying.” Moto taxi rider Nguyen Chi Bac said he had tried several fuel stations before finding one open. The Minister of Industry…


Can Any of These Countries Replace China as the Factory of the World?

Commentary China is losing its influence; it’s in decline. At the same time, however, China, ruled by a despotic regime, is responsible for 28.7 percent of global manufacturing output (more than 10 percentage points ahead of its No. 1 rival, the United States). This utter dependence on China for manufacturing must be stopped. As I…


Vietnam Secures UN Human Rights Seat Despite Abysmal Record

Vietnam has won a seat in the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2023-2025 term with 145 votes, despite the country’s abysmal human rights violations. The Southeast Asian nation was one of the 14 new council members voted by the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, marking its second election to the council. Vietnam…


Global NGOs Reject Authoritarian Regimes’ Bids for UN Human Rights Posts

Non-governmental groups have called on United Nations member states to oppose the admission of Afghanistan, Algeria, Sudan, Venezuela, and Vietnam to the Human Rights Council (UNHRC), citing “problematic” human rights records. The U.N. General Assembly will hold elections for 14 new council members on Tuesday. A joint NGO report [pdf] released on Oct. 3 drew…


Typhoon Noru Hits Vietnam After Battering Philippines, Prompting Mass Evacuations

Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in Vietnam as powerful Typhoon Noru made landfall in the country, two days after the storm devastated and inundated homes in the Philippines. The storm reached the coast of Central Vietnam on Tuesday at 117 kilometers per hour, mainly in Thua Thien-Hue, Da Nang, Quang…


Vietnam Central Bank to Raise Policy Rates by 100 Bps

HANOI—Vietnam’s central bank announced on Thursday it would raise its policy rates by 100 basis points, in a rare monetary tightening move aimed at keeping inflation under 4 percent this year. Effective Friday, the refinancing rate will be raised to 5.0 percent and the discount rate to 3.5 percent, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV)…