30th November 2023

Between Agency and Hyperexploitation

Despite pushback from conservatives, Germany requires migrant workers to fill its growing labour gap. To this end, the German government recently revamped some of its immigration laws to attract more migrant workers. Vietnam, along with countries like India, Indonesia, and the Philippines, has been identified as one of the 12 “high-potential partner countries” that can fill the labour gap in Germany.

Al Jazeera • 9th September 2023

US President Biden visits Vietnam: Wartime foes to highest-level partners?

US President Joe Biden and Vietnam’s Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong are expected to agree to new partnership.

Just days ahead of US President Joe Biden’s visit to Vietnam for key talks on trade and closer diplomatic relations, the president paid homage to events from an earlier and very different time – when Washington and Hanoi were at war.

At the White House on Tuesday, Biden presented the Medal of Honor, the United States military’s highest award, to 81-year-old Larry Ta

Al Jazeera • 8th September 2023

Vietnam’s elephant ‘ID cards’ help preserve a diminished species

Conservationists are using visual data from camera traps to create individual ‘ID cards’ for Vietnam’s elusive elephants.

Dong Nai province, Vietnam – Dinh Quan knows just the right spot to hang out on a warm day.

A pool of clean water with fresh grass and some bamboo shoots nearby, preferably with vines hanging within easy reach and showing no signs of being poisonous.

Tailing behind Dinh Quan is his junior, Bien Dong, which means “South Sea” in Vietnamese. He is learning the ropes of jungle

Rest of World • 18th August 2023

Beyond a Barbie ban, Vietnam sets its censors on Netflix

When Barbie was banned from Vietnam’s screens in July, audiences were confused: Why was the country expelling a breezy summer film? The cause turned out to be a set of childishly drawn lines, which Vietnam’s censors interpreted as the movie’s representation of the nine-dash line, China’s territorial claim in the South China Sea.

But it’s not just Barbie that’s hit a nerve. More quietly, around the same time, the government had Netflix remove the Chinese series Flight To You in Vietnam. The culp

Mongabay Environmental News • 24th July 2023

Vietnamese rice farmers go high-tech to anticipate a low-water future

- Since the 1970s, Vietnam’s “rice-first” policy facilitated the construction of an elaborate series of dikes and dams that allowed farmers in the Mekong Delta to flood their fields to allow for multiple harvests per year.
- Now, in the face of climate change impacts, seawater intrusion, upstream dams and new government policies that mandate water conservation, farmers in the delta need to find ways to reduce their water consumption.
- In one pilot project, university researchers have teamed up with local farmers to implement a technique called alternate wetting and drying (AWD), supported by a smartphone application that allows farmers to save water and reduce emissions.

Al Jazeera • 20th July 2023

In Vietnam, risking all in the search for a better life

On a recent visit to Nghe An, Al Jazeera spoke to locals who had mourned the dead from the Essex tragedy, but were making their own plans to work overseas - either legally or illegally. And while they were fully aware of the risks involved, they were also focused more on the potential rewards, which are visible to all living in Nghe An, particularly the residents of the "billionaire village".

South China Morning Post • 26th December 2022

Vietnam’s illegal sand miners cause the mighty Mekong’s banks to crumble

Sand mining is eating away at the Mekong Delta’s foundations, with a recent report finding it had done more to alter sediment flows than upstream dams.
The illegal practice has been linked to tragedies such as bridge collapses elsewhere. Advocates say a lack of oversight in Vietnam is partly to blame

Rosa Luxemburg Foundation • 9th November 2022

A Big Step for Equality

A recent government declaration marks a paradigm shift for the LGBT community in Vietnam, but nuances and ongoing struggles for substantive transformation persist.

South China Morning Post • 10th September 2022

Can a ‘V-culture’ push help the Vietnamese diaspora retain its identity?

Officials have declared September 8 as a day to celebrate the Vietnamese language, amid fears it is ‘at risk of fading’ in communities around the world, from Cambodia to France and the US.

As some overseas-born Vietnamese have grown up shunning the language and culture, ‘what’s at stake is the communication between generations’, a researcher says.

Sumernet | Building research for policy towards sustainable development in the Mekong Region • 11th August 2022

Our media grantee's podcast: Challenging the male status quo in water decisions in the Mekong Delta

This podcast by SUMERNET's media grantees discusses how women are challenging the mostly male-dominated decision-making processes in water management in An Giang province, Vietnam.

South China Morning Post • 24th July 2022

Can Vietnam act fast enough to save its corals from a watery grave?

Just 1 per cent of Vietnam’s corals are in a healthy state while the rest face multiple threats to survival, say scientists. Local activists are leading conservation efforts even as climate change, human activities continue to cause coral bleaching and decay

South China Morning Post • 5th June 2022

The woman fighting Vietnam’s child drowning plague, one free class at a time

Drowning is a leading cause of death among Vietnamese children, with more than 2,000 kids under 16 losing their lives this way each year
Community-led initiatives are making a difference but a lack of swimming facilities and poor water safety literacy hinders progress

South China Morning Post • 23rd April 2022

Vietnam’s millennials and Gen Z defy mental health taboos with TikTok

A recent spate of youth suicides has prompted a wave of activism among Vietnam’s Gen Z, who battle anxiety, depression and loneliness. Pandemic pressures have added to underlying issues, as activists call for more resources and help for overworked social workers

Global Asia • 31st March 2022

A Tale of Many Turns: Lessons from Vietnam’s Pandemic Response

Vietnam’s battle against Covid-19 has been a classic case of rapid government response to the pandemic’s changing demands on the healthcare system. Rather than adhere to a rigid approach throughout the crisis, policy has changed with circumstances.

It has been a difficult and arduous journey, but the country has made significant progress. At the same time, the pandemic has brought to light systemic problems with social inequalities, particularly involving migrant workers

South China Morning Post • 16th March 2022

Vietnamese migrants fill Romania’s worker crunch but face risk of exploitation

Romania’s labour shortage offers jobs for Vietnamese in welding, meatpacking and house painting but they are exposed to harsh conditions and even human smuggling.
Advocates say Bucharest authorities have to fix its labour rights laws, especially if it now wants to take in Ukrainian refugees as workers

South China Morning Post • 21st January 2022

Why Phu Quoc is the billionaire’s choice for a big fat Indian wedding overseas

Vietnam is promoting the idyllic island of Phu Quoc as a place for tourists to tie the knot as it hopes to give its Covid-hit economy a boost.

South China Morning Post • 23rd November 2021

Vietnamese workers in Serbia cite pressure from Chinese tyre firm in dispute

Migrant workers say they face long hours in the cold and substandard living conditions for a job some were allegedly duped into after paying thousands of dollars

Activists and members of the European Parliament have raised concerns about the workers, whose predicament highlights a darker side of the global supply chain

Al Jazeera • 26th October 2021

The young Vietnamese helping tackle the illegal wildlife trade

Trang Nguyen is a rarity in Vietnam where civil society is viewed with scepticism and most young people want more lucrative careers.

South China Morning Post • 25th October 2021

Vietnam’s coal addiction: a window on Asia’s climate pledge struggles?

Coal already accounts for about a third of the country’s operational energy mix and its capacity is set to increase by 2030 under a new draft development plan

South China Morning Post • 11th October 2021

Holiday shopping on the line amid exodus of workers from Vietnam’s factories

This is the latest disruption to global supply chains already roiled by labour shortages and high shipping costs due to the pandemic.

South China Morning Post • 24th September 2021

A tale of two cities: Covid-19 lockdowns in Vietnam are drastically different

As capital Hanoi leaves behind nearly two months of lockdown-like movement restrictions, Ho Chi Minh City residents are still largely confined to their homes.

But the southern business hub, which accounts for almost one-third of Vietnam’s state budget and 80 per cent of its 18,017 virus deaths, is under pressure to reopen.

South China Morning Post • 14th September 2021

US Peace Corps in Vietnam: a sign Hanoi-Washington ties are on the upswing?

Seen as competing with China’s Confucius Institutes, the decades-old American aid programme is finally launching in Vietnam after 17 years of negotiations

South China Morning Post • 27th August 2021

‘We can’t deliver’: Vietnam supply chains break down amid Covid-19 lockdowns

Binh Duong province is the country’s second-largest recipient of accumulated foreign direct investment after nearby Ho Chi Minh City. The government expects 50,000 new cases there in the next fortnight

South China Morning Post • 13th August 2021

Covid-19 is eating into export-dependent Vietnam’s food and agriculture sector

Logistical difficulties amid extended lockdowns mean second-half shipments in the sector are predicted to fall 30 per cent year on year.

The agriculture ministry is looking to prioritise the inoculation of all workers in the sector to ensure domestic food security and help ramp up some exports.