Vietnam News and Discussions

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Vietnam ‘Ramps Up’ Island Building In South China Sea
November 18, 2023

Introduction:

(Eurasia Review) Vietnam has actively pursued its major expansion plan in the disputed South China Sea, nearly doubling newly-reclaimed areas in one year, a new report said.

Since December 2022, “Vietnam has created another 330 acres [133.5 hectares] of land” on rocks and reefs within the Spratly archipelago, according to the report by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, or AMTI, at the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies, or CSIS, think tank.

That was in addition to the 420 acres (170 hectares) reclaimed in 2022.

“By contrast, Vietnam had created just 120 acres [48 hectares] of land in the Spratlys between 2012 and 2022,” the report said.

“This all adds up to about a quarter of the more than 3,200 acres [1,295 hectares] of land created by China from 2013 to 2016, but it is far more island expansion than any other claimant besides China has undertaken.”

Read more here: https://www.eurasiareview.com/18112023 ... ina-sea/

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Advancing Reproductive Health in Vietnam: GENOLIFE and BGI Genomics Join Forces
December 27, 2023

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) On October 16, 2023, BGI Genomics completed the first-ever NIFTY® technology transfer program in Vietnam. NIFTY®, its proprietary non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) product, will be utilized by the GENOLIFE Genetic Technology Institute laboratory based in Hanoi.
Covering an area of over 1,000 square meters, GENOLIFE is the country's largest gene sequencing laboratory and leading provider of genetic analysis tests, including hereditary cancer gene testing. All equipment systems for performing CE-IVD compliant NIFTY® testing are directly installed by BGI Genomics experts accompanied by a rigorous training program.

In line with Vietnam’s Health Ministry recommendation to replace or supplement pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) and free beta human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) tests with NIPT, this cooperation between GENOLIFE and BGI Genomics will provide Vietnamese women with NIFTY® tests which are a non-invasive method to screen for trisomies such as trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome), trisomy 18 (Edwards Syndrome) and trisomy 13 (Patau Syndrome).

Oraphan Wanacharoen, a BGI Genomics Field Application Scientist involved in training GENOLIFE, commented, “We are committed to make genetic testing affordable and accessible to all of Vietnam. Our NIFTY® technology is highly accurate and fast. This will greatly enhance the detection of trisomies and boost reproductive health in the nation.”

This technology transfer enhances reproductive health outcomes in the country and enables Vietnamese women to access one of the most comprehensive NIPT on the market, with the ability to screen 118 chromosomal abnormality syndromes for the fetus while optimizing time and testing costs.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1029863

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Truong My Lan: Vietnamese billionaire sentenced to death for $44bn fraud

1 hour ago

It was the most spectacular trial ever held in Vietnam, befitting one of the greatest bank frauds the world has ever seen.

Behind the stately yellow portico of the colonial-era courthouse in Ho Chi Minh City, a 67-year-old Vietnamese property developer was sentenced to death on Thursday for looting one of the country's largest banks over a period of 11 years.

It's a rare verdict - she is one of very few women in Vietnam to be sentenced to death for a white collar crime.

The decision is a reflection of the dizzying scale of the fraud. Truong My Lan was convicted of taking out $44bn (£35bn) in loans from the Saigon Commercial Bank. The verdict requires her to return $27bn, a sum prosecutors said may never be recovered. Some believe the death penalty is the court's way of trying to encourage her to return some of the missing billions.

The habitually secretive communist authorities were uncharacteristically forthright about this case, going into minute detail for the media. They said 2,700 people were summoned to testify, while 10 state prosecutors and around 200 lawyers were involved.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-68778636



EPA

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To Lam Becomes New State President
May 21, 2024

Entire article (less photograph):

(Vietnam+) Hanoi – The 15th National Assembly (NA) on May 22 elected To Lam as the President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

After listening to a draft resolution on the election of To Lam, Politburo member, Minister of Public Security and deputy to the 15th NA as the State President for the 2021-2026 tenure, which was delivered by NA General Secretary and Chairman of the NA Office Bui Van Cuong, NA deputies voted to approve the resolution using the electronic voting system.

With 472 “yes” votes out of 473 attending deputies, or 96.92% of the total number of NA deputies, the NA approved the resolution.

The resolution takes effect right after its approval./.

Source: https://en.vietnamplus.vn/to-lam-becom ... 7368.vnp

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World Media Spotlights Russian President’s Vietnam Visit
June 19, 2024


Introduction:

(Al Jazeera) Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday held talks with Vietnam’s leaders, hours after flying into Hanoi for a visit to an old ally that has positioned itself as an increasingly influential geopolitical player, wooed by most major nations. Putin flew to Vietnam from North Korea, where he met that country’s leader, Kim Jong Un, on Wednesday.

The visit to Vietnam, among other things, is Russia’s way of showcasing that while Putin is treated as a pariah by the West, he still holds political clout in the East, experts have said. Communist-led Vietnam will welcome Putin for a two-day visit, the Kremlin said.

Read more of the Al Jazeera article here: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/6/ ... rth-korea

Naturally, Vietnam+ also covered this development:

Introduction:

Hanoi (Vietnam+) – The international media continued their articles on the state visit to Vietnam by Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 19-20.

British daily newspaper The Guardian.com posted an article titled “Russia and Vietnam agree to strengthen ties during Putin state visit”. It wrote that during the visit, Putin and Vietnamese President To Lam signed 11 memorandums for cooperation in areas including civil nuclear projects, energy and petrol cooperation, education, and disease prevention. Putin told reporters the talks were constructive and that both sides had “identical or very close” positions on key international issues.

The France24.com site also provided the similar content in the article “Putin signs cooperation deals with Vietnam as he seeks to bolster Asia ties”.

Meanwhile, German broadcaster DW quoted Putin as saying that strengthening its comprehensive strategic partnership with Vietnam was one of Moscow's priorities, and Russia was ready to cooperate with Vietnam on energy and security. Its article wrote that Vietnam is the third country Putin has visited since being sworn in for his fifth term in May, after China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

China's South China Morning Post also ran an article on the love that the Vietnamese people have for the Russian leader.

Read more here: https://en.vietnamplus.vn/world-media- ... 8954.vnp

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Beware of Vietnam’s New Authoritarian President
by Elaine Pearson
June 19, 2024

Introduction:

(Al Jazeera) A rare internal power struggle in Vietnam over the past few months resulted in the ousting of several major leaders for corruption and the appointment of a new president, former police general To Lam.

But democratic governments courting Vietnam as an attractive market and alternative to China should be wary. Rather than a hopeful sign, Lam’s rise to power is indicative of the Vietnam government’s worsening repression, its complete intolerance of criticism, and utter hostility to basic civil and political rights.

As head of Vietnam’s abusive Ministry of Public Security since April 2016, Lam is no stranger to notoriety. In November 2021 – while Vietnam was struggling through a COVID-19 lockdown – a video surfaced of the celebrity chef “Salt Bae” feeding a $2,000 gold-encrusted steak to Lam in London.

The video went viral. To make matters worse, Lam was enjoying the carbon-emitting feast while leading an official delegation to the United Nations COP26 climate summit in Glasgow.

Shortly afterwards, the rights activist Bui Tuan Lam, who parodied the feast on social media, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison.
But eating a $2,000 steak when per capita income in Vietnam was only $3,756 in 2021 is the least of Lam’s misdeeds. He’s done much worse.

Read more here: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/202 ... president

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According to Vietnam's Ministry of Planning and Investment, the first six months of 2024 saw investments from other countries as follows:

Singapore 5.5799 billion in U.S. dollars
Japan 1.731
Hong Kong 1.730
The Republic of Korea (South Korea) 1.411
China 1.299

Notice how the capitalist countries of Singapore, Japan, and South Korea invested a total of 8.721 billion in U.S. dollars in comparison to Communist China and Hong Kong with investments totaling only 3.029 billion in U.S. dollars.

The Vietnamese government may remain Communist, but the economy would seem to be trending capitalist.

Source of investment data: https://en.vietnamplus.vn/fdi-inflow- ... 9543.vnp

Any thoughts on that?

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Singapore and Vietnam Join Forces to Advance Regional Healthcare Collaboration


Introduction:

(Eurekalert) Hanoi, Vietnam, 13 March 2025 – Singapore and Vietnam are deepening their commitment to regional healthcare collaboration with the launch of a new Regional Collaborating Centre (RCC) in Hanoi. A joint initiative by the SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute (SDGHI) and Hanoi Medical University (HMU), the centre will serve as a vital hub for academic partnerships, medical research and healthcare innovation, strengthening the shared vision of improving health outcomes across Southeast Asia.

Building on years of collaboration, the Hanoi RCC formalises and expands partnerships between SingHealth institutions, Duke-NUS Medical School, HMU, and other national stakeholders. To date, Vietnam-Singapore clinical and academic projects have focused on key areas such as mental health, non-communicable diseases, pathogen genomics, early childhood development, innovation and health system. The new centre will further strengthen cooperation, foster mutual learning, and enhance knowledge exchange in three ways:

• Supporting student and researcher exchanges to foster cross-border collaboration.
• Providing local resources for Vietnam-based research and global health initiatives.
• Acting as a key facilitator for regional healthcare partnerships and innovations.

“The new Hanoi RCC reinforces key cross-border partnerships that are vital to improving healthcare in the region. With 34 clinical and academic projects in Vietnam to date, our institutions will continue fostering knowledge exchange, talent development and resource-sharing that will be mutually beneficial to both Vietnam and Singapore as we work together to advance health systems, research, and education,” said Prof Ooi Peng Jin London Lucien, Director, SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute.

The Hanoi RCC is the latest addition to SDGHI’s expanding network of regional hubs, following the successful establishment of centres in Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Notably, the Jaffna RCC has fostered advancements in trauma care, cancer research, and neuroscience, underscoring the tangible benefits of such partnerships. This milestone reinforces the growing Vietnam-Singapore partnership in healthcare, supporting efforts to build resilient health systems and improve health outcomes across Asia and beyond.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1076807

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Trump Administration Halted an Agent Orange Cleanup. That Puts Hundreds of Thousands at Risk for Poisoning.
by Anna Maria Barry-Jester, Brett Murphy, and Le Van
March 17, 2025

Introduction:

(Pro Publica) In mid-February, Trump administration leaders received a desperate warning from their diplomats posted in Vietnam, one of the most important American partners in Asia.

Workers were in the middle of cleaning up the site of an enormous chemical spill, the Bien Hoa air base, when Secretary of State Marco Rubio abruptly halted all foreign aid funding. The shutdown left exposed open pits of soil contaminated with dioxin, the deadly byproduct of Agent Orange, which the American military sprayed across large swaths of the country during the Vietnam War. After Rubio’s orders to stop work, the cleanup crews were forced to abandon the site, and, for weeks, all that was covering the contaminated dirt were tarps, which at one point blew off in the wind.

And even more pressing, the officials warned in a Feb. 14 letter obtained by ProPublica, Vietnam is on the verge of its rainy season, when torrential downpours are common. With enough rain, they said, soil contaminated with dioxin could flood into nearby communities, poisoning their food supplies.

Hundreds of thousands of people live around the Bien Hoa air base, and some of their homes abut the site’s perimeter fence, just yards from the contaminated areas. And less than 1,500 feet away is a major river that flows into Ho Chi Minh City, population 9 million.

Additional extract:

After terminating the contracts, Rubio, Musk and Marocco reversed several of their decisions in Vietnam, designating the Bien Hoa project as one of the few programs to survive, at least for now.

Read more here: https://www.propublica.org/article/tru ... on-risk

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Vietnam’s Food Environment is Changing Fast. Policy Needs to Catch Up
September 26, 2025

Introduction:

(Eurekalert) More than half of the world’s population could be living with overweightedness or obesity by 2035, with a rapidly growing share in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It is also estimated that the global economic impact could top US$4 trillion by that time. These trends are closely tied to the rise of obesogenic food environments; settings where unhealthy food options are cheap, ubiquitous, and heavily promoted.

Walk into any Hanoi convenience store and you will see “Mua 1 tặng 1” (buy-one-get-one) banners on sugary drinks. These promotions are not background noise; they shape habits. In Ho Chi Minh City, over a third of adolescents report drinking at least one sugary beverage every day.

Meanwhile, childhood overweightedness in Vietnam has risen quickly: among children aged 5–19, prevalence more than doubled between 2010 and 2020. These are not just isolated statistics; they reflect what kids actually face in stores, schools, streets, and on screens every day.

“When the default (food) choice is ultra-processed and aggressively marketed, asking families to ‘try harder’ is not good policy," said Brice Even, a food environment specialist at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT. "We must reshape the places where choices are made”

Vietnam’s food environments are transforming. Modern retail is expanding, foods are becoming more processed and packaged, and unhealthy food marketing is pervasive across physical and digital spaces. These shifts delivered convenience and (in some cases) safer handling, but they also made less healthy options easier to find and harder to avoid; just as in many LMICs. A new study by the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and colleagues maps these changes and the policy response to date.

Read more here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1099989