ARTICLES

18 Jan 2022

Vietnam’s New Graft Scandal Sets Back Anti-Corruption Drive

Le Hong Hiep

The recent corruption scandal involving Viet A Corp’s inflation of Covid-19 test-kit prices and payment of kickbacks shows that Vietnam’s intensified anti-corruption efforts have quite some way to go.

7 Jan 2022

Vietnam’s High Vaccination Rates: So What?

Dien Nguyen An Luong

The Vietnamese government can rightly be proud of the great strides made in its vaccine rollout, but needs to do better in addressing the economic fallout of the pandemic.

COVID-19 Vaccine Diplomacy Vietnam Vietnamese Politics

4 Jan 2022

“Adapting to Nature”: A Preliminary Assessment of Vietnam’s Mekong Water Diplomacy since 2017

Truong-Minh Vu|Tram Nguyen

Vietnam’s water diplomacy since November 2017 reflects the country’s concerns over the Mekong Delta Region’s sustainable development prospects. Treating Mekong issues as a national security matter, Vietnam has mobilised resources for the development of the region and promoted regional cooperation towards a sustainable Mekong River Basin.

Climate Change Environment Golden Triangle Mekong River Sustainable Development Vietnam

31 Dec 2021

High Vaccination Rates Bring Hope to Vietnam’s 2022 Economic Outlook

Le Hong Hiep|Phan Xuan Dung

High vaccination rates have given Vietnam some latitude in opening up its economy — and some optimism for better GDP growth in 2022.

COVID-19 Vietnam Vietnamese Economy

28 Dec 2021

Vietnam’s Covid-19 Response: ‘Those above tell, those below do not heed.’

To Minh Son

Vietnam’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic has been affected by tensions between the central government and the provinces. More cooperation between the regions might help.

Communist Party of Vietnam COVID-19 Vietnam Vietnamese Politics

22 Dec 2021

Branding Vietnam: VinFast’s American Auto Debut

Ivan V. Small

Vietnam’s car maker VinFast is by-passing China and launching its electrical vehicles in the highly-competitive United States market instead. In so doing, it hopes to makes its mark as a global brand.

Vietnam Vietnamese Economy

25 Nov 2021

Restoring Public Trust in Vietnam’s Pandemic Response: A Bumpy Road Ahead

Dien Nguyen An Luong

The worst wave of Covid-19 infections to hit Vietnam since late April has threatened to chip away at the hard-earned public trust the government was able to engender last year. That is a major concern for a regime that relies on public support and patriotic nationalism to boost its legitimacy.

COVID-19 Vietnam

18 Oct 2021

Vietnam’s Economic Reopening: Finding the Right Balance

Tuan Ho

As Vietnam slowly eases social restrictions amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the challenge is to find the right balance between opening up the economy and protecting the health of the people.

COVID-19 Vietnam Vietnamese Economy

7 Oct 2021

Nominees and ‘Backyard Companies’: How Vietnamese Officials Conceal Their Illicit Wealth

Le Hong Hiep

Not a single Vietnamese leader or official has been named in the Pandora Papers, which has shed light on global leaders squirrelling their wealth away from the eyes of the taxman. As the saying goes, the absence of evidence does not necessarily mean the evidence of absence.

Corruption Crime Vietnam

1 Oct 2021

Vietnam and Japan Partners Amid Superpower Rivalry

Mateusz Chatys

If two recent high-level visits by China and Japan to Vietnam are of any indication, Tokyo appears to have gained the upper hand over Beijing when it comes to courting one of Southeast Asia’s most important players.

China-Vietnam Relations U.S.-Vietnam Relations Vietnam