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Toward the end of January, the new US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, had a call with Vietnam’s Foreign Minister, Bui Thanh Son, during which he ‘…encouraged Vietnam to address trade imbalances.’ This suggestion comes in the context of a new US administration that is pushing the narrative that trade deficits are a sign the […]

Fifty years ago this month, the citizens of Ho Chi Minh City were watching the skies as US military helicopters evacuated the last of their personnel. Conversely, this month, in 2025, the citizens of Ho Chi Minh City looking skyward are unlikely to see US helicopters and instead more likely to see the VN Pay […]

Just days after the Government of Vietnam announced it had approved a plan to create regional and international financial centres in Vietnam’s Danang and Ho Chi Minh City, the Vietnam Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation announced it had withdrawn from the Global Association of Central Counterparties. This was significant in that a lack of a […]

Vietnam’s path from a command to market-oriented economy has largely been along the same path as that of China. Where China’s ‘opening-up and reform’ kicked-off in the 1970s Vietnam’s ‘renovation’ reforms kicked-off in 1986. Where China joined the World Trade Organisation in 2001 Vietnam followed suit, signing on in 2007. And when China’s housing market […]

Vietnam’s 15th National Assembly wrapped up its 8th session on the weekend bringing to the end a month of debate and discussion with a number of new laws and amendments to existing laws approved. Here’s a few key takeaways for foreign firms doing business in Vietnam. The VAT cut was extendedFirstly, the two percent cut […]

It was reported last week that Google had established an office in Ho Chi Minh City making it one of the first of the big cross-border service providers to do so. This comes five years after the Law on Cybersecurity, which came into force back in 2019, made it a requirement for these firms in […]