WEATHER ALERT
US ambassador to Vietnam says US arms manufacturers could help boost Vietnam's military capabilities
Read full article: US ambassador to Vietnam says US arms manufacturers could help boost Vietnam's military capabilitiesThe U.S. ambassador to Vietnam says U.S. arms manufacturers could help the southeast Asian country build up its armed forces.
Vietnam court may commute tycoon's death sentences if she repays $11 billion
Read full article: Vietnam court may commute tycoon's death sentences if she repays $11 billionA court in Vietnam has upheld the death sentence for real estate tycoon Truong My Lan but said it could be commuted to life if she reimburses some $11 billion.
Rights groups urge Thailand to release Vietnamese activist, saying he faces torture if extradited
Read full article: Rights groups urge Thailand to release Vietnamese activist, saying he faces torture if extraditedA group of nearly three dozen rights groups are calling on Thailand’s prime minister to release a Vietnamese activist who has been ordered extradited home to face imprisonment on terrorism charges.
Vietnamese real estate tycoon sentenced to life for billions in fraud in government graft crackdown
Read full article: Vietnamese real estate tycoon sentenced to life for billions in fraud in government graft crackdownA Vietnamese real estate tycoon has been convicted of fraudulently obtaining property worth billions of dollars and sentenced to life in prison in a case that has been a centerpiece of the government’s crackdown on corruption.
Cambodia hopes a new canal will boost trade. But it risks harming the Mekong that feeds millions
Read full article: Cambodia hopes a new canal will boost trade. But it risks harming the Mekong that feeds millionsCambodia has broken ground to build a China-funded canal to eventually link its capital Phnom Penh to the Gulf of Thailand.
Vietnamese real estate tycoon, already sentenced to death for fraud, faces trial on new charges
Read full article: Vietnamese real estate tycoon, already sentenced to death for fraud, faces trial on new chargesVietnamese state media say the second trial for real estate tycoon Truong My Lan — who was sentenced to death for financial fraud in April — started on Thursday.
Are Indonesia and Vietnam's multibillion-dollar clean energy deals stuck? Experts say not yet
Read full article: Are Indonesia and Vietnam's multibillion-dollar clean energy deals stuck? Experts say not yetIndonesia and Vietnam signed multibillion-dollar energy transition deals in 2022 that were heralded as drastic shifts in financing that would enable the coal-dependent countries to pivot to cleaner energy.
Flash flood sweeps away hamlet as Vietnam's storm toll rises to 155 dead
Read full article: Flash flood sweeps away hamlet as Vietnam's storm toll rises to 155 deadA flash flood swept away a hamlet in northern Vietnam, killing 22 people and leaving dozens missing as deaths from a typhoon and its aftermath climbed to 155.
Death toll from Typhoon Yagi rises to 87 in Vietnam. Dozens remain missing
Read full article: Death toll from Typhoon Yagi rises to 87 in Vietnam. Dozens remain missingThe death toll from Typhoon Yagi and its subsequent rain that triggered floods and landslides has climbed to 87 as 70 others remain missing and hundreds were injured, state media said.
Typhoon Yagi kills 14 in Vietnam as officials warn of heavy rain that can cause flooding
Read full article: Typhoon Yagi kills 14 in Vietnam as officials warn of heavy rain that can cause floodingVietnamese state media say at least 14 people have died and 176 others injured after Typhoon Yagi slammed the country's north, as officials warned of heavy downpours despite its waning power.
Leaders of China and Vietnam pledge to strengthen political and economic ties
Read full article: Leaders of China and Vietnam pledge to strengthen political and economic tiesThe leaders of China and Vietnam have pledged to further their economic ties and gave a nod to their shared communist ideology during the first visit by Vietnam’s new president to Beijing.
Vietnam's coast guard visits Philippines for joint drills as both face maritime tensions with China
Read full article: Vietnam's coast guard visits Philippines for joint drills as both face maritime tensions with ChinaA Vietnamese coast guard ship arrived in Manila on Monday for a four-day goodwill visit and joint exercises as the two countries attempt to put aside their own territorial disputes in the face of rising tensions with China over control of key features in the South China Sea.
Cambodia breaks ground on a China-funded canal and says it will be built 'no matter the cost'
Read full article: Cambodia breaks ground on a China-funded canal and says it will be built 'no matter the cost'Cambodia on Monday broke ground to build a controversial, China-funded canal to link the capital Phnom Penh to the sea despite environmental concerns and the risk of straining ties with neighboring Vietnam.
Vietnam's president is confirmed as the new Communist Party chief — the country's most powerful role
Read full article: Vietnam's president is confirmed as the new Communist Party chief — the country's most powerful roleVietnamese President To Lam has been confirmed as the new chief of the Communist Party after his predecessor died July 19.
Vietnam Communist Party chief's funeral draws thousands of mourners, including world leaders
Read full article: Vietnam Communist Party chief's funeral draws thousands of mourners, including world leadersThousands of mourners gathered in Hanoi for the second day of the funeral of the man who dominated Vietnamese politics for over a decade, Communist Party general secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.
Vietnam Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, the country's most powerful leader, dies at age 80
Read full article: Vietnam Communist Party chief Nguyen Phu Trong, the country's most powerful leader, dies at age 80Nguyen Phu Trong, general secretary of Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party and the country’s most powerful politician, has died following months of ill health.
6 bodies were found in a Bangkok hotel room with no signs of violence. Police think they know why
Read full article: 6 bodies were found in a Bangkok hotel room with no signs of violence. Police think they know whyShould visitors to Thailand be concerned about their safety after six people were found dead in a locked hotel room in Bangkok.
As 'Bachelor' race issues linger, Jenn Tran, its 1st Asian American lead, is ready for her moment
Read full article: As 'Bachelor' race issues linger, Jenn Tran, its 1st Asian American lead, is ready for her momentJenn Tran cannot escape thinking about being the first Asian lead in the history of “The Bachelor” franchise — not that she wants to.
A U.S. envoy visits Hanoi days after Putin, saying US-Vietnam trust is at 'all-time high'
Read full article: A U.S. envoy visits Hanoi days after Putin, saying US-Vietnam trust is at 'all-time high'A senior U.S. diplomat has held talks in Vietnam and said that the trust between the two countries is at an “all-time high,” just days after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to Hanoi.
Rights groups urge Thailand not to extradite Vietnamese activist, saying he's at risk if sent home
Read full article: Rights groups urge Thailand not to extradite Vietnamese activist, saying he's at risk if sent homeHuman rights groups are urging Thailand not to extradite a Vietnamese activist detained in Bangkok.
In Vietnam, farmers reduce methane emissions by changing how they grow rice
Read full article: In Vietnam, farmers reduce methane emissions by changing how they grow riceVietnam aims to transform its rice sector, making it more resilient to climate change while also reducing its emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide.
Vietnamese Tet Festival this weekend in Orlando kicks off Lunar New Year festivities
Read full article: Vietnamese Tet Festival this weekend in Orlando kicks off Lunar New Year festivitiesThis weekend one of the largest festivals celebrating the Lunar New Year in Orlando takes place at the Central Florida Fairgrounds.
Indonesia's president visits Vietnam's EV maker Vinfast and says conditions ready for a car plant
Read full article: Indonesia's president visits Vietnam's EV maker Vinfast and says conditions ready for a car plantIndonesian President Joko Widodo has visited Vietnamese automaker VinFast’s factory and said that he would create the necessary conditions for the multinational to be able to build a plant and invest in Indonesia quickly.
Vietnam's VinFast to build a $2 billion EV plant in India as part of its global expansion
Read full article: Vietnam's VinFast to build a $2 billion EV plant in India as part of its global expansionVietnamese automaker VinFast plans to spend up to $2 billion to build an electric vehicle factory in India, the world's third-largest auto market by sales.
Fire in Vietnam's capital kills at least 56 when it engulfs an apartment building
Read full article: Fire in Vietnam's capital kills at least 56 when it engulfs an apartment buildingAuthorities say a fire in a nine-story apartment building in Vietnam’s capital has killed at least 56 people, including at least four children, while an additional 37 people are being treated for injuries.
Biden says US outreach to Vietnam is about providing global stability, not containing China
Read full article: Biden says US outreach to Vietnam is about providing global stability, not containing ChinaPresident Joe Biden says his visit to Vietnam to showcase stronger ties with Hanoi isn't about trying to start a “cold war” with China.
Biden will visit Hanoi next month as he seeks to strengthen US-Vietnam relations
Read full article: Biden will visit Hanoi next month as he seeks to strengthen US-Vietnam relationsPresident Joe Biden is heading to Vietnam next month to meet with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and other Vietnamese leaders.
Yellen visits Vietnam, seeking to build US ties and supply chains, and offset tensions with China
Read full article: Yellen visits Vietnam, seeking to build US ties and supply chains, and offset tensions with ChinaU.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has told top Vietnamese officials that Washington considers building strong economic and security ties with Vietnam a priority.
Vietnam bans 'Barbie' movie due to an illustration showing China's territorial claim
Read full article: Vietnam bans 'Barbie' movie due to an illustration showing China's territorial claimState media have reported that Vietnam has banned distribution of the popular "Barbie" movie because it includes a view of a map showing disputed Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea.
US aircraft carrier makes Da Nang port call as America looks to strengthen ties with Vietnam
Read full article: US aircraft carrier makes Da Nang port call as America looks to strengthen ties with VietnamA U.S. aircraft carrier and two guided missile cruisers are visiting Vietnam in a rare port call that comes as the United States and China increasingly vie for influence in Southeast Asia.
How Orlando’s Mills 50 district turned into thriving Asian American community
Read full article: How Orlando’s Mills 50 district turned into thriving Asian American communityAfter the Vietnam war ended, hundreds of Vietnamese came to Central Florida through the catholic charities refugee program and found a new home near Mills Avenue and Colonial Drive, an area known today as the Mills 50 District.
Fast-casual restaurant Viet-Nomz opens first location in Seminole County
Read full article: Fast-casual restaurant Viet-Nomz opens first location in Seminole CountyViet-Nomz, the fast-casual Vietnamese restaurant run by three University of Central Florida alums, opened its third location Friday, setting up shop in Lake Mary.
Vietnamese workers at Chinese factory in Serbia cry for help
Read full article: Vietnamese workers at Chinese factory in Serbia cry for helpVietnamese workers helping construct the first Chinese car tire factory in Europe say they're shivering in barracks without heat, going hungry and stuck in a plainland in Serbia because their passports have been taken by their Chinese employer.
Vietnam seeks information from Iran about seized oil tanker
Read full article: Vietnam seeks information from Iran about seized oil tankerVietnam is seeking more information about a Vietnamese oil tanker that was seized at gunpoint last month by Iranian soldiers in the Gulf of Oman, while vowing to ensure the safety and humane treatment of the ship's crew members.
Harris says she urged Vietnam to free political dissidents
Read full article: Harris says she urged Vietnam to free political dissidentsU.S. Vice President Kamala Harris says she raised issues of human rights abuses and restrictions on political activism in her conversations with Vietnamese leaders this week, but offered no indication those talks bore fruit.
Possible Havana syndrome case delays Harris trip to Vietnam
Read full article: Possible Havana syndrome case delays Harris trip to VietnamU.S. Vice President Kamala Harris’ trip from Singapore to Vietnam was delayed several hours Tuesday by an investigation into two possible cases in Hanoi of the so-called Havana Syndrome in Hanoi.
US defense secretary broadens cooperation with Vietnam
Read full article: US defense secretary broadens cooperation with VietnamU.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has met his Vietnamese counterpart to deepen cooperation in security and pandemic recovery, after Washington vowed support for Southeast Asian nations embroiled in territorial rifts with China.
Vietnam finds new virus variant, hybrid of India, UK strains
Read full article: Vietnam finds new virus variant, hybrid of India, UK strainsVietnam says it has discovered a new coronavirus variant that’s a hybrid of strains first found in India and the U.K. The Vietnamese health minister made the announcement Saturday.
Amnesty International: Hackers attacking Vietnam dissidents
Read full article: Amnesty International: Hackers attacking Vietnam dissidentsThe human rights group said Wednesday that Amnesty Tech's Security Lab found evidence of the hacking attempts in phishing emails sent to two dissidents, one in the Philippines and one in Germany. Cybersecurity firms earlier identified hacking attempts by Ocean Lotus targeting dissidents, governments and companies across Southeast Asia. The Amnesty report also said the hacking efforts involved emails pretending to share an important document with a link to download a file. An analysis of the phishing emails indicated they were generated by Ocean Lotus, based on the tools and techniques they used, it said. According to the cybersecurity company Volexity, OceanLotus was identified as a Vietnam-based hacking group in 2015.
Activists back French-Vietnamese woman's Agent Orange case
Read full article: Activists back French-Vietnamese woman's Agent Orange caseTran To Nga, a 78-year-old former journalist, attends a gathering in support of people exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, in Paris, Saturday Jan. 30, 2021. Activists gathered Saturday in Paris in support of people exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, after a French court examined a case opposing a French-Vietnamese woman to 14 companies that produced and sold the toxic chemical. U.S. forces used Agent Orange to defoliate Vietnamese jungles and to destroy Viet Cong crops during the war. Between 1962 and 1971, the U.S. military sprayed roughly 11 million gallons of the chemical agent across large swaths of southern Vietnam. Ad“That’s where lies the crime, the tragedy because with Agent Orange, it doesn’t stop.
Fresh outbreak in Vietnam grows to 82, company closed
Read full article: Fresh outbreak in Vietnam grows to 82, company closedVietnam has reported 84 new cases of local transmission after nearly two months. Vietnam has reported 82 new COVID-19 cases in two clusters, hours after counting its first new local cases in nearly two months. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)HANOI – Vietnam reported 82 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, hours after confirming the first two infections in nearly two months. The company with over 2,200 workers was closed for disinfection and the provincial authority locked down surrounding communities to curb the outbreak. Meanwhile, in neighboring Quang Ninh province, 10 people tested positive after a man working at Van Don International Airport was confirmed to be infected.
Asia Today: Vietnam reports 1st local infection in 89 days
Read full article: Asia Today: Vietnam reports 1st local infection in 89 daysHANOI – Vietnamese authorities are conducting intensive contact tracing after discovering the country's first confirmed local transmission of the coronavirus in 89 days. The new case ended Vietnam’s streak of 89 days without any known local transmission of the virus. The country has reported 1,347 coronavirus cases, including 35 deaths. — Coronavirus quarantine restrictions will continue in the Philippine capital during the Christmas season in Asia’s largest Roman Catholic nation. Duterte lamented that many people still defy social restrictions such as the use of face masks and warned of a possible resurgence of the virus.
Pompeo says AES of US, PetroVietnam to sign $2.8B LNG deal
Read full article: Pompeo says AES of US, PetroVietnam to sign $2.8B LNG dealHANOI – The U.S. energy firm AES and PetroVietnam plan to soon sign an agreement on a $2.8 billion liquefied natural gas project, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Wednesday. Pompeo made the comments in pre-recorded remarks to a business conference hosted both online and in person in Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital. Later Wednesday, the State Department announced that Pompeo had added a stop in Vietnam to his Asia tour this week. Pompeo said Vietnam has approved the project, and that it would “open the door to billions of dollars per year in U.S. LNG exports to Vietnam. Delta Offshore Energy and a consortium that includes Bechtel Infrastructure, GE Power and other companies also recently announced plans for a $4 billion LNG to power project in southern Vietnam's Bac Lieu province.
Japan, Vietnam agree to boost defense ties, resume flights
Read full article: Japan, Vietnam agree to boost defense ties, resume flightsIn talks in Hanoi on Monday, Suga and Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc set a basic agreement allowing Japan to export defense equipment and technology to Vietnam. Japan has been pursuing such pacts in recent years to bolster ties with Southeast Asia and sustain its own defense industry. Phuc said the peace and stability of the South China Sea should be protected by the rule of law, not unilaterally by force or threats. The two sides also agreed to ease entry bans and allow short-term business visits and reopen flights between Vietnam and Japan. The country is seeking to improve its maritime defenses amid China’s continuing development and militarization of artificial islands in contested waters of the South China Sea.
Vietnam reports more than 3 dozen new cases, 3rd death
Read full article: Vietnam reports more than 3 dozen new cases, 3rd deathPeople wait in line for COVID-19 test in Hanoi, Vietnam, Friday, July 31, 2020. Vietnam reported on Friday the country's first ever death of a person with the coronavirus as it struggles with a renewed outbreak after 99 days without any cases. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)HANOI Vietnam reported more than three dozen new cases of the coronavirus on Saturday, while a third person died of COVID-19 complications a day after the country reported its first-ever death from the disease. Da Nang is Vietnams most popular beach destination, and thousands of visitors were in the city for summer vacation. Of the 40 new cases reported Saturday, 32 are from Da Nang hospitals and six are from local community transmissions in the city.
Vietnam reports 3rd death, more cases linked to hospital
Read full article: Vietnam reports 3rd death, more cases linked to hospitalAll three died in a hospital in Da Nang, a hot spot with more than 100 cases in the past week, more than half of them patients. Da Nang is Vietnams most popular beach destination, and thousands of visitors were in the city for summer vacation. On Saturday morning, the Health Ministry confirmed 12 more cases, all linked to the hospital. But a week ago an outbreak began at Da Nang Hospital. It is for me and for the community," said Pham Thuy Hoa, a banking official who recently went to Da Nang for a family vacation.
129 Vietnam virus patients repatriated; local spread widens
Read full article: 129 Vietnam virus patients repatriated; local spread widensA health worker disinfects arriving Vietnamese COVID-19 patients at the national hospital of tropical diseases in Hanoi, Vietnam on Wednesday, July 29, 2020. The 129 patients who were working in Equatorial Guinea were brought home in a repatriation flight for treatment of the coronavirus. For more than three months until recently, all confirmed coronavirus cases in Vietnam have come from overseas, like the Vietnamese repatriated from Africa. But the virus has recently resumed spreading within Vietnam, starting from a hospital in the popular beach city of Da Nang. Prior to the patients' arrival, the hospital cleared out its 500 beds to treat the new cases, state broadcaster VTV said.
Vietnam locks down its 3rd-largest city as virus cases grow
Read full article: Vietnam locks down its 3rd-largest city as virus cases growA woman wearing a mask carries her child on a beach in Vung Tau city, Vietnam, Sunday, July 26, 2020. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)HANOI Vietnam on Tuesday locked down its third-largest city for two weeks after 15 cases of COVID-19 were found in a hospital, the government said. Public transport into and out of the central city of Da Nang was cancelled. Over the weekend, thousands of mostly Vietnamese tourists had to end their summer holidays in the popular beach destination. With the new infections, Vietnam has reported 431 cases of COVID-19 without a death.
Vietnam bans wildlife imports, markets amid new health fears
Read full article: Vietnam bans wildlife imports, markets amid new health fearsVietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Thursday signed a directive to ban wildlife imports and closes illegal wildlife markets as a response to the thread of zoonotic diseases such as COVID-19. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh, File)HANOI Vietnam announced Friday that it was banning wildlife imports and would close wildlife markets in response to renewed concerns about the threat from diseases that can jump from animals to humans, such as the virus that causes COVID-19. An order signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on Thursday bans all imports of wildlife dead or alive and includes eggs and larvae. The move comes amid increased scrutiny of the health risks of the wildlife trade as the world deals with the new coronavirus, which is thought to have jumped from animals to humans. The existence of wildlife markets in many locations has been a big problem in Vietnam for a long time, said Phuong Tham, country director for the Humane Society International Vietnam.
ASEAN virus fund, sea feud in spotlight in virtual summit
Read full article: ASEAN virus fund, sea feud in spotlight in virtual summitVietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc delivers a speech at the opening ceremony of the 36th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi, Vietnam Friday, June 26, 2020. Leaders from the Southeast Asian ten-nation bloc hold the bi-annual summit via online video conference to discuss regional issues. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh)HANOI Southeast Asian leaders are holding an annual summit Friday by video to show unity and discuss a regional emergency fund to tame the immense crisis wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. The long-divisive South China Sea conflicts are also in the spotlight. Vietnam, the current ASEAN chair, had planned face-to-face meetings, but most member states assessed it was still too risky for leaders to travel.