Saigon's well-known Hà Tâm gold shop near Bến Thành Market has quietly shut its doors after 21 years, right as Vietnam's new 2026 currency rules tighten enforcement on unlicensed exchange.
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
Phạm Nhật Vượng's net worth reached $34.9 billion in 2026, making him Southeast Asia's richest person and the world's 65th wealthiest, per Forbes.
Vietnam's five tech unicorns from 2021 have shrunk to two, with Tiki's valuation down more than 99% and no new unicorn since MoMo four years ago.
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
Meta's Vietnam chief named 5 social media trends for 2026, with Threads ads joining Facebook and Instagram in the ad toolkit.
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.
Vietnam Economy
Vietnamese households quietly hold 400-500 tonnes of gold — roughly $35-40 billion, close to 8% of GDP. Hanoi wants to mobilize it. The hard part was never the technology.
Vietnam Economy
On April 17, 2026, SJC gold bars in Vietnam traded at 18 million VND per tael above world prices — roughly US$680, or NT$20,000. The 13-year monopoly was officially ended in October 2025. Six months later, the premium is still here. Why?