Category: Vietnam

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong Heads to Vietnam, Malaysia

Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong will embark on a visit to Vietnam and Malaysia, her second trip to Southeast Asia since being sworn in. Senator Wong will fly out on Sunday as the federal government continues strengthening ties with Australia’s Asia-Pacific neighbours. “It’s more than geography that binds us—we have genuine links in Vietnam and…


US Places Taiwan, Vietnam on Monitoring List for Possible Currency Manipulation

The U.S. Treasury has placed Taiwan and Vietnam on its monitoring list for possible currency manipulation due to the countries exceeding thresholds over the four quarters through December 2021. The Treasury Department released its semi-annual currency report on Friday (pdf), which assessed the U.S. major trading partners against thresholds that determine whether a country’s exchange…


Vietnam Arrests Health Minister, Hanoi Mayor Over COVID Test Kit Scandal

Authorities in Vietnam on Tuesday arrested the country’s health minister and the mayor of Hanoi for their roles in an alleged $170 million COVID-19 testing kit scandal. Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party expelled the two officials from the regime and they were sacked from their positions after being accused of violating party rules and allegedly causing…


Hong Kong’s Richest Man Eyes Vietnam, Disappoints Beijing

CK Asset Holdings, founded by Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing, will invest in real estate in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The move comes as Vietnam has become the fastest growing country in Southeast Asia, and its GDP growth rate exceeds China’s. Li, who ranked first in the “Hurun Global Real Estate Rich List 2022”…


Vietnam Speeds Up Economic Recovery, Overtakes China’s Top Export City for Third Consecutive Year

One of the fastest recovering economies in the pandemic, Vietnam’s export growth is pulling away from Shenzhen for the third year, after surpassing it for the first time in 2020. According to data released on April 8 by Vietnam’s bureau of statistics, the country’s total export value for the first quarter of 2022 rose to…


Vietnamese Reporter Jailed for ‘Abusing Democratic Freedoms’

A Vietnamese reporter has been sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison by a court in Ho Chi Minh City for “abusing democratic freedoms” through social media posts, a local newspaper reported Tuesday. Nguyen Hoai Nam had pleaded not guilty and demanded further investigation into his case. Nam, 49, wrote several articles about wrongdoing by employees…


The Great Global Supply Chain Reshuffle

The worldwide public health crisis and the Ukraine-Russia military conflict ignited body blows to the global supply chain, spotlighting its vulnerability in today’s environment. Will the fresh COVID-19 outbreaks and war in Eastern Europe result in a great reshuffling of the international supply chain? In the aftermath of the pandemic’s first and second waves, a…


Vietnamese Journalist Jailed for 5 Years Over ‘Anti-State’ Posts

Vietnamese independent journalist Le Van Dung was sentenced to five years in prison by a Hanoi court on March 23 after being charged with conducting propaganda against the communist regime through social media posts. Dung, 51, was convicted of posting 12 videos on social media to defame the Vietnamese government and spread fabricated news to…


China Announces South China Sea Drills Close to Vietnam Coast

BEIJING—China is carrying out more than a week of military drills in the South China Sea in an area between its southern province of Hainan and Vietnam, the Chinese regime announced, warning shipping to stay away. The Chinese regime claims a large part of the disputed waterway, on which major shipping lanes lie, and has…


China’s Propaganda on Ukraine Seeps Into Western Mainstream Media

News Analysis In otherwise excellent reporting on China’s reaction to Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine invasion, Western reporters continue to buy into major elements of Beijing’s propaganda, namely that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) stands for peace, state sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and that these so-called Beijing policies somehow contrast with Moscow’s invasion. Nothing could be further…