Steep new fines — more than many people make in a month — have made the streets of Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi less freewheeling than they used to be.

Launched in December 1986, Vietnam’s “reform” era (đổi mới) came to an end in August 2024. Domestic political events in the ensuing months ushered the country into a new era, although the coming period may turn out to be a Gramscian interregnum, when “the old is dying and the new cannot be born.”

Vietnam's e-commerce achieved new records in 2024, driven by the growing habit of online shopping, which boosted livestreaming and attracted new players to the industry.

A typhoon and extreme heat dramatically affected prices for the kumquat trees that are ubiquitous during the holiday.

Thailand: A business visa is required to start a business while a SMART visa is available for startups and professionals in the tech industry. Remote workers can also apply for a digital nomad visa. Overall, Thailand’s visa system is more structured while Vietnam’s offers more flexibility.

After a stellar year in terms of traveller numbers and new products, industry leaders wish to capitalise on the forward momentum. Hoteliers spoke to VIR’s Hoang Dan about their optimism for the sector in 2025.

Communist Party chief To Lam’s unprecedented institutional streamlining is designed to bolster Vietnam’s competitiveness – but it could come at a cost.

One of Vietnam’s largest banks reported surging profits last year, as the Southeast Asian economy turned a corner from the “perfect storm” of 2023. The Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank,

American and European contractors were out in full force for the country's biennial defense expo in Hanoi in December 2024.

From Beijing to Hanoi and Moscow, the holiday — known as the Spring Festival in China, Tet in Vietnam and Seollal in Korea — is a major festival celebrated by diaspora communities around the world. Wednesday marks the start of the Year of the Snake, one of 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac.

Vietnamese families preparing for the Lunar New Year traditionally buy the citrus trees as a symbol of good luck. But extreme weather has hurt this year’s harvest.

Vietnam has set a goal to be among the top 4 Southeast Asian countries and top 10 Asian countries with the best higher education systems.