https://www.scmp.com/rss/524026/feed Pham Minh Chinh: Known for his extensive career in public security and party organisation, he served as Head of the Party’s Central Organising Commission before becoming Prime Minister in 2021. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Maria Siow Maria Siow Vietnam is among Southeast Asian countries most hard-hit by the global energy crisis, with Hanoi’s bid to forge deals with Russia this week laying bare its urgency to stem the bleed that may threaten its objective of double-digit economic growth. Observers also say the fallout in fuel supply caused by the Iran war could even chip away at the legitimacy of Hanoi’s new leadership. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Russia this week reportedly saw the signing of several... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3347735/why-vietnam-leaning-russia-weather-energy-turmoil?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3347735/why-vietnam-leaning-russia-weather-energy-turmoil?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 11:12:37 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Vietnam’s prime minister left on Sunday for an official visit to Russia during which the two nations will sign several agreements, including on oil and gas cooperation, Hanoi said. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s trip to the major oil-producing nation from Sunday to Wednesday comes as Vietnam seeks to shore up its fuel reserves amid global supply disruptions due to the war in the Middle East. His visit will focus on deepening ties with Russia and expanding cooperation in trade, investment and... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3347500/vietnam-pm-visits-russia-sign-energy-deal-amid-iran-war-disruption?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3347500/vietnam-pm-visits-russia-sign-energy-deal-amid-iran-war-disruption?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 13:26:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters Vietnamese authorities have warned the country’s aviation industry to prepare for potential flight reductions from April after China and Thailand halted exports of jet fuel due to the Iran war, increasing the likelihood of shortages. Vietnam imports more than two-thirds of its jet fuel needs, with 60 per cent coming from China and Thailand, according to documents from the ‌aviation regulator and importers seen by Reuters. “There are risks of jet fuel shortages for Vietnamese airlines from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346810/vietnam-warns-april-flight-reductions-jet-fuel-shortage-fears-deepen?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3346810/vietnam-warns-april-flight-reductions-jet-fuel-shortage-fears-deepen?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:37:55 +0000 Reuters Reuters South Korean former prime minister Lee Hae-chan, a veteran politician and influential fixture on the country’s road to democracy, died during an official visit to Vietnam’s southern hub of Ho Chi Minh City, both governments said. Lee died on Sunday, after emergency medical aid for a heart attack, a South Korean presidential advisory panel said in a statement. The 73-year-old reportedly complained of flu-like symptoms before his departure to Vietnam and decided to return home one day after his... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3341205/south-korea-mourns-kingmaker-lee-hae-chan-after-fatal-heart-attack-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3341205/south-korea-mourns-kingmaker-lee-hae-chan-after-fatal-heart-attack-vietnam?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jan 2026 03:59:32 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Land-scarce Singapore officially remains non-committal about building a nuclear reactor, but experts say all signs point to the city state turning to atomic energy to meet its net-zero goals by 2050. The discourse around civilian nuclear energy has picked up in recent years, with Singapore studying its deployment, developing expertise and partnering with established companies and nuclear nations such as the United States and France to prepare for a possible shift. The government, however,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3331109/atomic-ambitions-singapore-eyes-nuclear-option-net-zero-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3331109/atomic-ambitions-singapore-eyes-nuclear-option-net-zero-future?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Nov 2025 04:00:14 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Five months after a glitzy groundbreaking ceremony just outside Hanoi, the area where The Trump Organisation-branded US$1.5 billion luxury golf resort was unveiled remains just fields of banana and orange trees as angry farmers challenge the site’s clearance plans. The project in Vietnam’s Hung Yen province is facing land recovery delays as residents contest the amount of compensation being offered by local authorities. It has been set at about 320,000 dong (US$12) per square metre (10 square... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331147/angry-vietnam-farmers-take-swing-trump-branded-us15-billion-golf-resort?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3331147/angry-vietnam-farmers-take-swing-trump-branded-us15-billion-golf-resort?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Nov 2025 03:05:04 +0000 Nikola Mikovic Nikola Mikovic While it has China as its main trade partner and the United States as its primary export destination, Vietnam is strengthening its economic, political and military ties with Russia. The country is carefully balancing its relations with all three powers while trying to get the most economic and strategic benefit from each. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s 2024 visit to Vietnam seems to have been mutually beneficial. On the one hand, it allowed the Kremlin to demonstrate to a Russian audience... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3326571/vietnam-too-important-us-sanction-despite-russia-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3326571/vietnam-too-important-us-sanction-despite-russia-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Sep 2025 12:30:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Vietnam has been hit by an increasing number of outbreaks of African swine fever, with the number of infected pigs more than tripling in just two weeks, state media said on Tuesday. The country has detected 972 African swine fever outbreaks so far this year, up from 514 reported in mid-July, the Tien Phong newspaper reported. The number of pigs infected has risen to more than 100,000 from 30,000 over the same period, the paper said, citing Vietnam’s agriculture ministry. The infected pigs have... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320788/vietnams-swine-fever-infections-triple-2-weeks-over-100000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3320788/vietnams-swine-fever-infections-triple-2-weeks-over-100000?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 Aug 2025 06:56:22 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Vietnam will ban fossil-fuel motorcycles and mopeds in the heart of the capital, Hanoi, starting next July, as part of a nationwide effort to curb air pollution, state media reported. The directive issued by Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh applies to the area inside and along the main ring road that encircles the centre of Hanoi. The local government has been tasked with phasing out the two-wheelers by the deadline. Like the rest of Vietnam, motorcycles are the main mode of transport... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3318213/vietnam-ban-fossil-fuel-motorcycles-hanoi-combat-pollution?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3318213/vietnam-ban-fossil-fuel-motorcycles-hanoi-combat-pollution?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Jul 2025 01:27:54 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Beijing has renewed its warning to other countries not to strike deals with the United States on terms that come at China’s expense – ahead of Washington’s looming deadline to conclude tariff negotiations with most of its trade partners. Chinese officials are concerned that nations from Europe to Southeast Asia may enter into trade agreements with the US that divert supply chains, reduce bilateral trade with China or compel governments to exit Beijing-led projects, analysts said on Monday. “The... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3316406/why-china-sees-us-trade-deals-partners-threat-and-how-it-could-react?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3316406/why-china-sees-us-trade-deals-partners-threat-and-how-it-could-react?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Jun 2025 12:30:15 +0000 Kawala Xie Kawala Xie Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has expressed confidence about “positive” results ahead of the US trade deal deadline in two weeks, while pledging to maintain a “good balance” between the US and China. “I hope that you will see that the result will come earlier than two weeks,” Pham told the World Economic Forum’s summer meeting in the Chinese city of Tianjin on Wednesday. “We have self-confidence. We would arrive at something positive, and that will bring about benefits to the US, to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3315822/vietnams-pham-minh-chinh-says-positive-results-possible-us-tariff-deadline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3315822/vietnams-pham-minh-chinh-says-positive-results-possible-us-tariff-deadline?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Jun 2025 12:38:12 +0000