Vietnamese Culture
The Country That Celebrates Women's Day Twice a Year
Vietnam celebrates Women's Day twice a year. Flower prices triple, tens of thousands join an ao dai flash mob, and the scale of celebration is hard to find anywhere else.
Latest
Vietnam
VietCharm: A 90-Minute Dining Show Inside Saigon's Independence Palace
Ho Chi Minh City's Independence Palace has a new act — VietCharm, a 90-minute dining show pairing 9 traditional performances with 8 Vietnamese fusion courses. Its first three days sold out completely.
Vietnam
Smuggling Gold Into Vietnam Carries Up to 10 Years in Prison. People Keep Trying.
Four Vietnamese passengers hid 31 suspected gold bars in their bras and underwear on a flight from Taiwan. Hanoi customs caught them using X-rays and risk profiling. Bringing gold bars into Vietnam is illegal — the maximum sentence is 10 years.
Vietnam
Vovinam: The Vietnamese Martial Art Practiced in 70 Countries
Born in 1938 in colonial Hanoi, Vovinam has grown from an underground resistance art to a global sport practiced in over 70 countries — complete with a signature flying scissor kick, an inverted belt ranking, and a UN partnership.
Technology
Qualcomm's Vietnam Chief Says 2026 Is the Country's 'Golden Moment' for Tech. What Do the Numbers Say?
Qualcomm's Vietnam GM calls 2026 the golden moment for tech. Foreign money is flowing in, local players are breaking ground, and FTSE is upgrading Vietnam. The data is moving — but the talent gap and production timeline are the biggest unknowns.
Guest Column
Guest Column | Thinking About an Expat Job in Vietnam? Four Risk Checks Before You Go
Vietnam expat roles sound appealing, but over 60% of postings are in manufacturing. Career coach Sunny shares four risk checks to think through before you go.
Vietnam
U.S.-Iran War and the Strait of Hormuz Blockade: What It Means for Vietnam
With the Strait of Hormuz blocked, Vietnam's crude oil imports, aviation routes, and shipping costs are taking simultaneous hits.
Vietnam
Starbucks Has Been in Vietnam for 13 Years. Why Can't It Win?
In January 2026, Starbucks opened its 150th store in Vietnam. Sounds like a milestone — until you compare it to Highlands Coffee's 928 stores and the country's 500,000 coffee shops. The world's biggest coffee chain is still a bit player in the world's second-largest coffee-producing nation.
Vietnam
Vietnam Wants to Build a 99-Story, 500-Meter Skyscraper
Ho Chi Minh City has proposed a 99-story tower for its Thủ Thiêm district — taller than Landmark 81 and the centerpiece of Vietnam's new International Financial Center. But Thủ Thiêm's track record tells a more complicated story.
Taiwanese Business
Giant Founder King Liu Dies at 93 — His Bicycle Empire Had Already Bet Big on Vietnam
King Liu went from a washed-out eel farm to building the world's largest bicycle company. He was 93 when he died on February 16. Giant's two factories in Bình Dương, Vietnam — nearly $180 million invested — are the latest chapter of the empire he started with 38 employees.
Semiconductors
Getting Into a Semiconductor Program in Vietnam Is Now Almost as Hard as Medical School
At Hanoi University of Science and Technology, the admission score for semiconductor design is 28.07 out of 30. The medical school across town requires 28.13. The difference is rounding error. Vietnam's chip fever has reached the classroom.
Stock Market
Vietnam's Biggest Companies Are Racing to IPO — and the Timing Isn't Accidental
Less than two months into 2026, Vietnam's IPO pipeline is the fullest it has ever been. Điện Máy Xanh, Hòa Phát Agriculture, Highlands Coffee — they're all in motion. The catalyst: FTSE Russell's September upgrade could funnel billions of dollars into Vietnamese equities.