Vietnam 20250807
Mekong Memo Vietnam Weekly: Business, politics, finance, trade & legal news.
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Headlines:
Tourism Innovation and Recovery
Energy: Nuclear, Renewables
US-Vietnam Trade
E-commerce Putting Smaller Players at Risk
Regulated Digital Asset Market, CBDC
FDI Shifts From Start‑Ups to Doubling Down
Profit-Based Property Tax to Curb Speculation
Tourism Innovation and Recovery
Technology is changing the way tourism is bought, sold, and experienced. AI tools are reducing costs and personalizing services. Heritage-themed tours and community-based tourism experiences are on the rise, as seen in places like Ca Mau. Quang Ninh is working on improvements to coastal safety with a new warning system after a tragic boat accident. As tourism recovers, different parts of the country are working to craft unique identities in order to carve out a. niche as the industry expands.
Read more: Asia News Network (AI in Tourism), The Investor (Community Tourism), Travel and Tour World (Coastal Safety), VN Economy (Heritage Economy)
Energy: Nuclear, Renewables
Site clearance, legal, safety, resettlement, and funding efforts for the Ninh Thuan 1 and 2 nuclear plants are all getting underway, with EVN and Petrovietnam leading the project. Reportedly, renewables already account for nearly half of the national power output. The country is moving the power market toward auctions, making grid upgrades, and looking into storage, hydrogen, carbon markets, as well as direct solar-wind contracts to support growth.
Read more: VIR (Nuclear), Vietnam News (Renewables), The Investor (Philippine Investment), The Investor (Development)
US-Vietnam Trade
Vietnam and the US have agreed on a 20% reciprocal tariff, bringing the rate down from the threatened 46%. The new tariff policy, although not as bad as it could have been, is still going to upset trade and necessarily result in more negotiations to streamline operations in affected industries. Analysts say that increasing national competitiveness has to remain a top priority.
Read more: The Investor (Tariff Impact), Vietnam News (Trade and Relations), Vietnam+ (Tariff Overview), The Diplomat (New Era for Trade), Modern Diplomacy (Competitiveness)
E-commerce Putting Smaller Players at Risk
E-commerce continues to thrive, though small sellers are feeling the heat of stiff competition. Revenue for top platforms like Shopee continues to rise, but many sellers are struggling to sustain themselves in a market that’s dominated by established brands. Regulatory changes are being considered to support and protect the smaller sellers and create an environment for a diverse and healthy digital commerce ecosystem.
Read more: VN Economy (Small Business Struggles), Vietnam Economy (Regulations)
Regulated Digital Asset Market, CBDC
A controlled digital asset market is expected to get underway with a draft resolution that’ll be put up for review this month. The proposal will allow licensed firms to offer tokenized asset services. Trading will be regulated, though digital assets are not expected to be usable as legal tender (A central bank digital currency is reportedly under development). Individual service providers are expected to be allowed to choose which assets they will make available for trading.
Read more: The Investor (Regulatory), Open Gov Asia (Digital Assets), Vietnam News (Tech and Startups), Vietnam Insider (Digital Economy), VNPlus (Regulatory)
FDI Shifts From Start‑Ups to Doubling Down
The FDI story so far this year has been driven less by new projects and more by rising amounts of money allocated to the ones already in place. In the first seven months, inflows hit nearly $24 billion, with almost $10 billion of that going into adjusted projects (almost twice what it was last year) and capital contributions. Manufacturing and real estate remain top magnets for cash.
Read more: VIR‑VN (investment structure), Vietnam News (investor confidence)
Profit-Based Property Tax to Curb Speculation
A new real estate transfer tax is being weighed to reduce speculation and bring more transparency to the property market. The Ministry of Finance says that it’s considering a 20% tax on net profits or a progressive rate that would be related to the length of ownership, instead of the current 2% flat tax. Supporters of the changes say it would make things more fair by relating the tax amount due to actual financial gains. The change, would require a lot more data collection to protect the taxman from intentional mispricing and allow for enforcement. They say the policy is meant to reign in speculative flippers, not punish end-users, as regulators try to influence and change investment behavior.
Read more: VIR
That’s it for this week!
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