Japan's AEON announced a 2030 plan to triple its Vietnam scale: 100 large-format stores, 200 small supermarkets, and another $1.5 billion of investment — turning Vietnam into a second home market as Japan saturates.
Vietnam Economy
The VN-Index hit 1,900. But does that number still represent Vietnam's economy?
Hà Tâm, the gold shop next to Bến Thành Market that nearly every tourist in Saigon has used, has closed. Its company registration is still active. The bigger story is the new FX penalty law that took effect this February.
Politics
Sanae Takaichi makes her first visit to Vietnam as Japan's prime minister. The 48-hour trip packs both summits and a major foreign-policy speech into a single day. Hanoi has been picked as the launch pad for Japan's reworked FOIP framework.
Vietnam established Dong Nai as its 7th centrally-governed city on April 30 — 38 days after the Politburo's March 23 endorsement. With 4.49 million people, GDP rank #4, and Long Thanh Airport opening this year, the upgrade aligns with Vietnam's southern metropolitan reset.
Mixue closed more than 400 international stores in its latest fiscal year, with Vietnam and Indonesia bearing the brunt. But local brands like Highlands, Phúc Long and Katinat keep expanding. Vietnam's $1.3 billion beverage chain market is not shrinking — it is splitting along consumer preference.
Vietnam Economy
At noon on April 23, Pham Nhat Vuong's net worth reached $34.9 billion, up $2.9 billion in one day. He is now Forbes' 65th richest person and Southeast Asia's wealthiest. When Forbes first recognized him in 2013, he was worth $1.5 billion and ranked 974th.
In 2021 Vietnam seemed to have five unicorns ready to rewrite Southeast Asian tech. By 2026 the official count is two. Tiki crashed below $10M, Sky Mavis tokens fell 99%, VNG posted its fifth straight annual loss, VNPay's valuation is frozen, and MoMo has put IPO plans on hold.
In late 2012, VNG CEO Lê Hồng Minh wrote that Zalo was in an 'extremely fragile position.' He had an easier option: license Tencent's WeChat. He didn't take it.
Vietnam Tech
Vietnam has around 4.65 million monthly Threads users and ranks in the global top 3-5 for traffic. Meta has made Threads ads a 2026 priority for the market.
Vietnam Policy
Vietnam has 80 million motorbikes and Honda holds 80% of the market. A July 2025 prime ministerial directive ordered petrol motorbikes banned from Hanoi's inner ring by July 2026. Nine months later, the pilot covers just 11 streets — about 2% of the original scope.
Startups
HCMC's first state-initiated venture fund, HCM VIF JSC, launched April 17. Charter capital is VND 500 billion (about USD 20 million), with the city at 40% and nine private conglomerates at 60%. The enabling decision includes a 50% risk threshold and a manager liability waiver.