Vietnam

This is the Chinese president’s second trip to Vietnam in less than 18 months to reboot strategic cooperation with the communist country to deal with US tariffs. The visit is part of a regional tour that includes Malaysia and Cambodia. Meanwhile, Cambodia sent Taiwanese citizens to China accused of working in online scam centres.

China has announced its countermove against US-made goods and new restrictions on the export of rare earths. Meanwhile, 50 years after the end of the Vietnam War, Hanoi deems 46 per cent tariffs imposed by the White House as “unfair”, but it is open to mediation and does not plan to retaliate. In the meantime, however, Tô Lâm could go to Moscow in May for the Victory Parade.

Arrested in the province of Tra Vinh on charges of ‘abusing democratic freedoms’. Almost 1.3 million Khmer Krom live in a part of Vietnam that was once south-eastern Cambodia. Activists tell Radio Free Asia: ‘The Vietnamese government wants to prevent the expression of our cultural identity’.

The Philippines is no longer the top supplier to the Chinese market, with a 32 per cent drop in exports. Vietnam instead consolidated its growth thanks to competitive prices, geographic proximity, and higher production. Meanwhile, the European Union is boosting ties with the communist Southeast Asian country after the US threatens new tariffs.

The environment and the anti-corruption campaign led by the current secretary general Tô Lâm are among the “sensitive” issues that landed him in jail on 7 June of last year. It is not known whether he plans to appeal. International human rights groups are calling for his release.

Southeast Asia expert Bridget Welsh analyses Kuala Lumpur's first steps at the helm of the bloc: the leadership will be successful if it puts ‘the interests of those who live in the region above those of its leaders’. ‘Calling for “inclusive elections” in Myanmar contradicts the real situation on the ground’.

After defeating internal opponents with the "fight against corruption", Vietnam’s Communist Party boss highlights in his writings and statements the goals for next year's Party Congress, i.e. greater technological innovation and economic growth through megaprojects like a US$ 67 billion railroad and restarting the construction of two nuclear power plants. But there is no shortage of challenges, most notably the conflicting agendas of China and the United States.

Tet Nguyen Dan, to be celebrated on 29 January, is increasingly a source of anxiety due to financial pressures and social expectations. Psychotherapy institutes report an increase in requests of up to 30 per cent in the weeks leading up to the holiday. Psychologists highlight the conflict between traditional values and urban lifestyles.

The pact was signed by Russian Prime Minister Mishustin on a visit to the Vietnamese capital. Cooperation agreements also in the digital economy and wireless communications. The aim is to strengthen bilateral trade, which between the two countries amounted to just $3.6 billion in 2023. Moscow seeks new markets to circumvent Western sanctions.

Y Hưng Ayun, pastor of a house church in Tara Puôr, shot in the knee by two men with covered faces in an ambush last Sunday. The government monitors independent churches it does not approve, seizing Bibles and equipment. In September, Y Phô Êban, 57, in Cuê village, was also threatened; he laments that they are “not allowed to gather.”

Decree 147 in force from next month strengthens restrictions on data collection and content removal. Users: the regulation is good for the government and bad for companies. Inmates can be fined for spreading false information and prosecuted for anti-state propaganda.

To meet rising demand, the Vietnamese government has announced that coal-fired plants, which still account for 48.7 per cent of total electricity production in the country, will operate for a record number of hours. In the meantime, the electric vehicle business is growing, with domestic manufacturer VinFast signing partnerships and conquering market shares.