TOPIC

/ location

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

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (right) and Vietnamese Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung shake hands in Washington on Thursday. Photo: AFP

Trade

US to remove Vietnam from tech export control list, Hanoi says

Donald Trump’s reported pledge follows a massive US$37 billion spending spree by Vietnamese airlines on US aerospace contracts.

21 Feb 2026 - 12:06PM

South Korea

#SEAbling: the hashtag uniting Southeast Asia against South Korea

21 Feb 2026 - 9:20AM

Bangladesh

Bangladesh faces daunting post-election challenges in economy, garment sector

20 Feb 2026 - 8:29PM

Asean

Opinion | Building Asean ties puts Hong Kong on path to long-term growth

Expanding relations with Southeast Asia can open new markets for the city’s firms, deepen the talent pool and promote greater understanding.

20 Feb 2026 - 9:30AMvideocam

Chief Executive John Lee delivers the keynote address at the Hong Kong-Asean Summit at The Fullerton Ocean Park Hotel in Aberdeen, on September 9, 2025. Photo: May Tse

Indonesia

Indonesia seals ‘great’ US trade deal, agrees to send 8,000 troops to Gaza

A US general said Jakarta will take a deputy commander role in the international stabilisation force in Gaza.

20 Feb 2026 - 10:35AMvideocam

US-China trade war

US trade deficit widens sharply in December, testing Trump tariff claims

Trade with China remains a major driver of the US deficit, even as imports shift towards Southeast Asia and other partners.

20 Feb 2026 - 1:03AMvideocam

China-Asean relations

Chinese missions in Vietnam, Singapore warn citizens to stay away from gambling

Consulate and embassy issue statements after two separate incidents in which Chinese men fell to their deaths, allegedly after gambling.

18 Feb 2026 - 3:21PMvideocam

Beijing has been cracking down on gambling activities and operations involving Chinese citizens. Photo: Shutterstock

Cambodia

Battered Cambodia seeks economic reset after Thailand border war

Shuttered borders have choked trade and sent migrant workers home, forcing Phnom Penh to seek new partners and markets.

17 Feb 2026 - 3:23PMvideocam

Malaysia

Can Malaysia’s ban stop global flow of toxic e-waste?

Malaysian customs recently intercepted nearly 200 tonnes of e-waste, but high shipping volumes make detection a ‘challenge’, officials say.

15 Feb 2026 - 4:00PMvideocam

Bitcoin

‘Everyone became greedy’: how Vietnam’s crypto gold rush ended in ruins

Vietnam’s crypto boom faces a harsh winter as investors lose fortunes, bankruptcies and lay-offs roil the industry.

15 Feb 2026 - 2:26PMvideocam

A Vietnamese cryptocurrency investor looks at the latest bitcoin values on a laptop in Hanoi. Photo: AFP

UAE

‘Surpassing Hong Kong’: UAE challenges Singapore for the global trade crown

With non-oil trade nearly doubling, analysts say the UAE has secured a first-mover advantage that leaves regional rivals trailing behind.

14 Feb 2026 - 2:00PM

A container ship docked at the port of Jebel Ali, operated by the Dubai-based ports operator DP World. Photo: AFP

Asean

Asian Angle | How Asean can resolve its Myanmar dilemma post-election

Asean should not discard the Five-Point Consensus, but translate it into a politically astute strategy of conditional engagement.

14 Feb 2026 - 12:30PMvideocam

Malaysia

Malaysia smashes high-end sex syndicate charging US$900 a session

The suspected ringleader and salesmen are Chinese nationals while a Singaporean and Malaysian have been asked to assist in investigations.

14 Feb 2026 - 11:37AMvideocam

SCMP Highlights

Free Disneyland tickets for helpers; Chen Zhi’s extradition: 7 highlights

From free Disneyland tickets for Hong Kong’s helpers to China’s link to Southeast Asia, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

13 Feb 2026 - 1:12PM

The Li Ka Shing Foundation and the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort are providing 5,000 domestic helpers with a free visit to the theme park. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong tourism

How Hongkongers are using a longer Lunar New Year break for travel

South Korea and Japan also popular as some residents make the most of break by taking two days of leave to enjoy nine consecutive days off.

13 Feb 2026 - 9:27PM

Travellers at Hong Kong International Airport. Photo: Jelly Tse

Scams and swindles

More Southeast Asian human trafficking gangs use crypto to move illegal funds

The transactions are linked to activities such as forced labour recruited by scammers and international escort services, a report says.

16 Feb 2026 - 4:48PMvideocam

Thailand

Why tourists are choosing Vietnam, over Thailand and Cambodia in 2026

At a time when other popular parts of Asia are struggling with dwindling tourist numbers, how is Vietnam ⁠hitting record numbers of visitors?

12 Feb 2026 - 6:00PM

South Korea

South Koreans swap ancestral rites for Japan getaways this Lunar New Year

Short holidays and a weak yen drive the ‘aeroplane instead of the ancestral table’ trend.

11 Feb 2026 - 4:36PMvideocam

Tourists in traditional outfits visit the snow-covered Kanazawa Castle in Japan’s Ishikawa prefecture last month. Photo: AFP

Made in China 2025

Chinese healthcare firms expand overseas to support growing expat community

Privately owned Distinct Healthcare plans to open a clinic in Dubai, while TCM group Gushengtang eyes 50 centres in Southeast Asia.

11 Feb 2026 - 5:08PM

South China Sea

The Philippines wants to seal South China Sea code of conduct. Can it deliver?

As 2026 Asean chair, Manila has highlighted its push to finalise within its term a code of conduct covering the contested waters.

11 Feb 2026 - 6:14AMvideocam

US-China trade war

Opinion | New US-led minerals bloc renews pressure on Asia to pick sides

For Asia’s China-linked economies, the challenge is to remain open to all opportunities while safeguarding supply chains of the future.

11 Feb 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, lower centre, participates in a group photo during the inaugural Critical Minerals Ministerial meeting at the Sate Department in Washington on February 4. Photo: AFP

South China Sea

Why High Seas Treaty could change ‘rules of the game’ in South China Sea row

Effective January 17, the framework protects unique marine biodiversity and ecosystems in areas beyond any individual country’s jurisdiction.

10 Feb 2026 - 9:43AMvideocam

Scientists

Vietnam’s legendary maths genius Ngo Bao Chau to join University of Hong Kong

The Fields Medal winner and his country’s most distinguished mathematician is leaving the US and returning to Asia.

9 Feb 2026 - 5:29PMvideocam

Tourism

Women-only travel tour to Vietnam sparks adventure and sisterhood

Amid growing demand for safe, small-group female travel, 17 women travelled with US-based AdventureWomen to explore Vietnam’s treasures.

9 Feb 2026 - 12:20PM

Belt and Road Initiative

‘Time is ripe’: why China is eyeing another vast canal link to Southeast Asia

China has almost completed the US$10 billion Pinglu Canal connecting its heartlands to Southeast Asia. Now, it is mulling an even larger waterway.

9 Feb 2026 - 9:00AM

Construction continues on the Pinglu Canal in China’s southern Guangxi region in January. The canal is due to open before the end of 2026. Photo: Xinhua

Energy

Opinion | Vietnam’s renewed nuclear power push faces formidable hurdles

Money, corruption, a lack of skilled staff and other factors may derail Hanoi’s goal of building its first nuclear power plant by 2031.

8 Feb 2026 - 11:30AM

A nuclear power plant operating at night. Russia’s state-owned energy company Rosatom has been contracted to build Vietnam’s first nuclear power plant. Photo: Shutterstock

US immigration

‘Deported but not defeated’: the Southeast Asians cast out of Trump’s US

Born in a Thai refugee camp and raised in Texas, Kham Paneboun is now stateless in Laos, one of thousands punished again for old crimes.

8 Feb 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

India

India’s trade blitz seeks to keep afloat a sinking global order

‘Jolted out of its slumber’ by US tariffs, New Delhi is aggressively diversifying trade alliances to act as a bridge in a polarised world.

10 Feb 2026 - 8:54PM

Help preserve 120 years of quality journalism.

SUPPORT NOW