The world heritage site of Halong Bay in northern Vietnam is one of the country's most popular tourist spots. The province is also beginning to attract big manufacturers to its relatively cheap industrial parks. s.nikkei.com/3wekBtD

Vietnam pledges more energy security as chip race heats up Lien Hoang asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tech/… via Nikkei Asia

Vietnam requires facial recognition for digital payments s.nikkei.com/3XPAJNz

U.S. Navy visits former base in Vietnam's strategic Cam Ranh Bay s.nikkei.com/3XWmyq2

A new rule is set to unleash a surge in solar and wind energy in Vietnam, where companies from Apple to H&M are increasingly looking to switch their supply chains to renewable power. s.nikkei.com/4624mgw

Breaking: Vietnam President To Lam takes over party leader Trong's duties; watch for updates asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Vietn… via Nikkei Asia

Born to a farming family when Vietnam was a French colony, Trong was the only Communist party boss to visit the White House. The avuncular Russian speaker's corruption crackdown tried to curb unfettered capitalism as VN became a trade powerhouse: asia.nikkei.com/Life-Arts/Obit…

Vietnam is wading into uncharted territory after losing its longest-ruling postwar leader, Nguyen Phu Trong, with political uncertainty in one of Southeast Asia's key economies a growing concern in Beijing, Washington and beyond. s.nikkei.com/3ymxjrl

There are "striking similarities" in the way India and Vietnam view foreign relations, says Harsh Pant of ORF. "The template is very similar, which is preserving their strategic autonomy and building multi-alignments with major powers." With Lien Hoang: asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Inter…

BOS Semiconductors landed in Vietnam in 2022 to build a support team; seeing the local skills soon convinced it to upgrade the office to R&D. Now VN's become a global magnet for affordable chip design. Nikkei Asia big story: asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/The-…

Vietnam turns chip sector magnet with affordable, quality talent pool Country aims to train at least 50,000 chip engineers and designers by 2030 amid an AI boom, as industry giants look to offset severe staff shortages in their home markets. eu1.hubs.ly/H0bKl3v0

Vietnam state media attacked US-backed university with accusations of “colour revolution.” State media published a report that attacked Fulbright University Vietnam, with accusations saying there are early signs of “colour revolution.” Fulbright University is the first

My love letter to Mr Robot's BD Wong in the coolest role ever, the first Viet to win an Oscar, Steven Yeun crying, Asian bae & more: Golden age for Hollywood's Asian leading men asia.nikkei.com/Editor-s-Picks… v Nikkei Asia

After CEOs from Nvidia's Huang to Intel's Gelsinger visited, Vietnam weighed how to nab chip investment; one result is this draft law w/ grants, tax breaks, visas, land, seizing the opening created by the China-US tech war: asia.nikkei.com/Business/Tech/… v Nikkei Asia

Great story by Lien Hoang about Vietnam's zero tolerance policy for drunk driving becoming more...tolerant. asia.nikkei.com/Business/Food-… via Nikkei Asia

The World Bank forecasts that Vietnam will enjoy by far the strongest growth of any economy in developing East Asia next year. s.nikkei.com/3YiH8zF

Ho Chi Minh in Paris bussed tables, edited photos for money, built up French communist party & was tailed by police. This week Vietnam's pres paid tribute while in France to upgrade ties with former colonizer 70yrs post Dien Bien Phu asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Inter… via Nikkei Asia

A member of Vietnam’s presidential entourage on an official visit to Chile was arrested on allegations of sexual abuse. He has been banned by a Chilean court from returning to Chile for two years, and forced to leave the country within hours.

Did you know Vietnam has 1 of the world's biggest K-Towns? You can do anything in Korean here: pay for stocks, puppies, virtual golf lessons, acupuncture. North & South Korea have unique ties to VN, now booming with FDI & the K-Wave asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/ASEA… v Nikkei Asia

Koreans now run 10,000 businesses in Vietnam, a figure that has doubled in about eight years. Economically, the impact is hard to overstate. eu1.hubs.ly/H0dF64K0