VIDEO: Disney-themed Christmas lights dazzle in Taiwan. Crowds are flocking to Taipei's annual Christmas Land lights festival. Taiwan is one of the few places in the world that has not imposed lockdowns during the pandemic

Dog in Vietnam guards owner’s grave for three years sc.mp/m6bx via South China Morning Post

Tran Dinh Long had no experience in steel when he decided to gatecrash the industry back in the mid-1990s, betting Vietnam was going to need a lot more of it as the country developed. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Vietnam, one of the world’s 5 remaining Communist states, is about to get new leadership. Bloomberg’s Quynh Nguyen reports from the 13th Party Congress in Hanoi, the secretive meeting where the country’s next leaders are selected. More: trib.al/Tmh6GDJ

Fry’s Electronics says it is going out of business permanently // Consumer electronics icon blames coronavirus and online shopping for its demise #economy #jobs #retail #tech #layoffs #unemployment #FrysElectronics mercurynews.com/2021/02/24/fry…

Vietnam’s economic growth below expectations in first quarter bloomberg.com/news/articles/… via Bloomberg Markets

“The new leaders will also have to carefully position Vietnam between the U.S. and China.” Vietnam’s Communist Party nominated Pham Minh Chinh, an ex-security official to be the country’s next PM. Nguyen Xuan Quynh explains the new leadership. More: trib.al/LAxHzlC

AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine has been marked by noble intentions, communication blunders, messy trials, manufacturing nightmares, and political and economic rivalry. How did everything go so wrong? trib.al/zeq1H1J

Why is delta especially problematic trib.al/ZOhM2aR

Update from Singapore: The Vice President JD Vance's departure has been delayed for an unknown reason. We were supposed to take off for Hanoi at 4pm local and after holding in the motorcade for 40 minutes, were told to go back to our hotel rooms we no longer had room keys to. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Made it to the airport. Vice President JD Vance takes a photo with her advance staff. Still waiting for the explanation for the delay.

NEW: Here's what scientists say the next six months of the pandemic will bring. If you're hoping for a light at the end of the tunnel, they've got some bad news. Read The Big Take ➡️ trib.al/rQwD54p

If you're hoping for a light at the end of the Covid tunnel, scientists have some bad news for you.

Ireland is now the best place to be during Covid. See where your country ranks in Bloomberg’s latest Covid Resilience Ranking. bloomberg.com/graphics/covid… via Bloomberg Graphics

China's exporters are hiking prices by as much as 20% — and are not afraid of losing customers trib.al/nDgz8Vp

These are the best places to be during Covid: 🇮🇪 Ireland 🇪🇸 Spain 🇦🇪 UAE trib.al/ZKZT8LG

An omicron outbreak in China is sending jitters through supply chains as manufacturers and shippers brace for disruption inside virus-hit China trib.al/S13V2eR

Happy returns are so last Christmas trib.al/ARmaTSi

Filthy air: 46 of the 50 most polluted cities in the world are in Asia trib.al/n6qDF0l

"We put aside 70% of our rooms to serve Russian tourists." Still hurting from pandemic lockdowns, vacation spots in Vietnam were counting on the big-spending visitors from Russia. That is, until the Ukraine invasion stalled travel, reports Nguyen Xuan Quynh trib.al/3brOq4X