MH.Yang
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That's not a scam, you'll see. If you're not particularly old.
Vietnam Defense and News forum
- Thread starter Viet
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Viet
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Interesting
CT wants making UAVs like making shoes on a giant scale in the largest drone factory in ASEAN.
www.globenewswire.com
CT wants making UAVs like making shoes on a giant scale in the largest drone factory in ASEAN.
Vietnamese Technology Sends Shockwaves Around the World
HANOI, Vietnam, Jan. 01, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Before the global media, Vietnam’s rapid tech ascent took center stage. CT Group ended 2025 by...
Viet
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Vietnam's coal imports hit record high in 2025
- Market: Coal
- 19/01/26
Vietnam's coal imports reached a new all-time high in 2025, supported by an uptick in economic growth, but a sharp slowdown in demand in the second half of the year capped overall growth.
Imports of all types of coal reached 3.62mn t in December 2025, sending the total for the full year to 65.43mn t, according to Vietnamese preliminary customs data. The year's imports surpassed the previous all time high of 63.82mn t in 2024.
Vietnamese customs data do not differentiate between coking and thermal coal. Overall coal imports were at 4.49mn t in December, data analytics firm Kpler show, with thermal coal accounting for about 69pc of the volume at 3.1mn t.
The imports could have grown more in 2025, but an extended spell of seasonal rains boosted hydropower output, reducing reliance on coal-fired generation and dampening demand for seaborne thermal coal. Receipts slipped for the second straight month in December, declining by 34pc from a year earlier and by 5.2pc from November's 3.82mn t, the data show.
The annual growth in imports on 2025 followed a steady uptick in economic activity. Vietnam led southeast Asian imported coal demand growth, powered by an 8.02pc expansion in its GDP in 2025 compared with 2024. The economy expanded by 8.5pc in October-December from a year earlier, logging four straight quarters of growth. Its industrial production grew for the second straight month in December at 10.1pc from a year earlier, underscoring increase in industrial coal as well as power consumption.
The rise in Vietnamese imports in 2025 also came as international coal prices remained soft, supporting buying decisions by utilities and consumers users in an oversupplied coal market. Argus assessed the widely traded GAR 4,200 kcal/kg coal for Supramax vessels at $44.99/t fob Kalimantan on 24 December 2025 — the last assessment of the year. This was down by 71pc from its all-time high of $154.21/t in October 2021 and 9.9pc from a year earlier. Prices hit a more than four-year low of $39.40/t in June 2025 and have since hovered in a narrow range that some producers said barely covers costs.
Imports could continue to rise this year given that Vietnam targets an economic growth rate of at least 10pc in 2026, which could mean higher power demand. A number of coal-fired utilities are slated to come on line to support the country's growth ambitions, which could also raise imports by utilities. Vietnam's generation capacity increased by 6.4GW in 2025 to 87.6GW from a year earlier. Electricity production and power imports reached 322.8TWh in 2025, up by 4.6pc from a year earlier, but the pace of growth has moderated from 2024. The government has a base case of overall generation reaching around 350TWh in 2026, which could support demand for coal from countries including Indonesia and Australia.
Indonesian coal accounted for the bulk of Vietnam's imports in December at 2.36mn t, but down from 2.83mn t a year earlier. Imports from Australia slipped to 1.25mn t, down from 1.56mnt t a year earlier.
By Saurabh Chaturvedi
Viet
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Vietnam opens crypto exchange licensing with nearly $400 million capital barrier to entry
By Kyle BairdINTERNATIONAL POLICYMAKING•JANUARY 21, 2026, 7:30PM EST
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- The pilot regime favors domestic banks and securities firms, with ownership rules and capital requirements likely limiting participation to a small group.
- The licensing rollout operationalizes last year’s crypto law, moving Vietnam from legal recognition of digital assets to active supervision and enforcement of exchange activity.
Vietnam has begun accepting applications from firms seeking to operate licensed cryptocurrency trading platforms, activating a tightly controlled pilot market framework that sets one of the region's highest capital thresholds for crypto exchanges.
The State Securities Commission said it began accepting applications as of Tuesday under new administrative procedures issued by the Ministry of Finance, implementing 'Resolution No. 05/2025/NQ-CP' on piloting the country's cryptocurrency market.
Under the framework, applicants must have a minimum contributed charter capital of 10 trillion Vietnamese dong, equivalent to nearly $400 million, alongside strict ownership, staffing, and infrastructure requirements. Only Vietnamese enterprises are eligible to apply, while foreign ownership in licensed exchanges is capped at 49%.
This approach differs from other regional Asian hubs such as Hong Kong and Singapore, which impose comparatively modest minimum capital requirements but rely on intensive supervision.
The licensing rollout operationalizes legislation passed by the National Assembly of Vietnam in June 2025, which formally recognized cryptocurrencies as property under civil law and laid the legal foundation for regulating digital assets.
The September resolution translated that recognition into a sandbox-style market structure, with this week's intake marking the start of implementation.
Remitano, a regional exchange that has operated in Vietnam since 2014, said the regulatory shift could strengthen the country's position in Asia over time. "Vietnam's recent regulatory developments are a net positive for the crypto ecosystem, with clear long-term potential to support the country's ambition of becoming a regional blockchain hub," a Remitano spokesperson told The Block. "That said, implementation will be critical."
Gears in motion
According to the Ministry of Finance, at least 10 domestic securities firms and banks have already signaled interest in applying once licensing opens. Several major financial institutions have spent the past two years preparing infrastructure and partnerships in anticipation of regulatory approval.
Viet
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Not a full year published yet but it seems last year 2025 Vietnam has surpassed Germany and became US fifth largest trading partner, only behind Mexico, Canada, China and Taiwan.
The downside: we are screwed if anything happens in the US.
https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/highlights/topcm.html
The downside: we are screwed if anything happens in the US.
https://www.census.gov/foreign-trade/statistics/highlights/topcm.html
Viet
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What happens to Japan and Korea carmakers? Seems their great days are over.
Vietnam carmaker VF gradually occupies the big showrooms across Vietnam which previously hosted Japanese and Korean brands.
But the flood of Chinese cars and Tesla with 0 tariffs coming.
Vietnam carmaker VF gradually occupies the big showrooms across Vietnam which previously hosted Japanese and Korean brands.
But the flood of Chinese cars and Tesla with 0 tariffs coming.
Viet
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Vietnam’s Kim Long partners with BYD on $130M EV battery plant
Source: BYD Europe
Vietnamese automobile manufacturer Kim Long Motor said on Tuesday it will partner with China’s BYD to develop a $130 million facility to produce batteries for commercial electric vehicles in central Vietnam.
Under the cooperation agreement, Kim Long Motor will finance the construction of the plant, while BYD will provide full technical and technological support, the company said in a statement, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
The facility will be built on a 4.4-hectare site and will initially have an annual production capacity of 3 gigawatt-hours (GWh), according to Kim Long Motor.
The company said operations are expected to begin soon, though no specific timeline was disclosed.
In a second phase of development, the plant will expand to cover 10 hectares and double its annual output to 6 GWh. This expansion will also add battery production for electric passenger vehicles.
Initially, the factory will focus on manufacturing batteries for commercial electric vehicles, including buses, trucks, and minibuses.
Vietnam’s electric vehicle market is growing rapidly, driven largely by domestic automaker VinFast, which currently dominates the sector.
VinFast has recently expanded into the commercial vehicle segment with the launch of its electric cargo van, the EC Van, aimed at supporting sustainable urban freight transportation.
