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☆ What it’s really like to live in Macao
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Macao, the Chinese special administrative region (SAR) often twinned with Hong Kong, is known as the Las Vegas of Asia. But travelers who are willing to dig in a little deeper can explore Macanese culture, which mixes Portuguese, Chinese and Southeast Asian heritages. Macao is comprised of two islands – the north one, Macao itself, and its southern neighbor Taipa. “In Asia, [people] think that Macao is full of casinos, and I think they do not understand the other parts of Macao,” says Lai. That means that they can live in Macao without a work visa and do not need a company sponsoring them.

Persons: CNN — “, ”, Vivian Lai, Taipa, Lai, ” Marina Fernandes, Michael Maslan, “, it’s, Uber, Fernandes, Eduardo Leal, Ricardo Balocas, Balocas, Don’t Organizations: CNN, Las, Macanese Association, Bloomberg, Macao International Airport, Joseph’s University, Macao, Henley Locations: Macao, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, Asia, China, Taipa, “, ”, Europe, Portuguese, Zhuhai, Macao’s, Singapore, Jakarta, Hanoi, Bangkok, Beijing, North America, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Bay Area, Portugal, Macao's, Lisbon, St, Philippines, ‘ Little Lisbon, it’s

☆ Why Apple is betting big on India
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +26 min

I think one estimate put, at one point, I think China was producing something like 90% of the world's iPhones. So when we talk about, you know, Apple manufacturing elsewhere, it's going take a long time to significantly ramp up iPhone production elsewhere. And you know, opening a physical Apple store often for Apple is a sign of a big deal. But you know, Apple looking at India going, wow, we've only got 7% of market share there, we could grow huge amounts. And of course, as we know, with Apple, the hardware is the, you know, one side of the equation, but also, you know, Apple makes billions of dollars off of its services business, which includes things like its App Store fees, it's Apple Pay, Apple TV, all of those other products and services.

Persons: Tim Cook, Apple, it's, It's, Tom Chitty, we've, Arjun Kharpal, Arjun, they're, let's, hasn't, We've, they've, Apple's, that's, we're, There's, Narendra Modi, Arjun Kharpal It's, Tom Chitty Huawei, Kharpal Huawei, Tim Cook's, I've, haven't, He's, They've, Arjun Kharpal There's, Tom Chitty Oppo, Tom Chitty Xiaomi, Tom Chitty Samsung, You've, They're, Transsion, Tom, Tom Chitty I'm, Kharpal, Tom Chitty We'll Organizations: Apple, Bloomberg, CNBC, U.S, Arjun Kharpal It's Samsung, Samsung, China, Apple Watch, Huawei, IDC Locations: India, Foxconn, China, beyondthevalley@cnbc.com, Covid, Zhengzhou, Vietnam, Asia, Thailand, Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Mumbai, New Delhi, Xiaomi, Europe, U.S, Arjun Kharpal Vietnam, Hanoi , Vietnam, Hanoi, Taiwan, Beijing, America, Africa, The

☆ What stalled this year’s seemingly infallible stock market rally
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Krystal Hur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Investors had hoped that corporate earnings would help revive the stalled rally, but a strong start to the season hasn’t been enough to excite investors. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 7.10% in the week ending April 18, up from 6.88% the previous week, according to Freddie Mac data released Thursday. Mortgage rates are climbing based on expectations that the Federal Reserve won’t cut interest rates anytime soon. The Fed doesn’t directly set mortgage rates, but its actions do influence them, and persistently hot inflation readings are keeping the Fed on hold. If inflation stalls any further, or even worsens, mortgage rates could climb higher this year.

Persons: —, hasn’t, Jerome Powell, “, ”, Michael Landsberg, Pierre, Olivier Gourinchas, Israel, Brent, Bryan Mena, Freddie Mac, Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s, Read, Anna Cooban, Tim Cook, Pham Minh Chinh, Cook, Apple “ Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Dow Jones, Nasdaq, Federal Reserve, Data, Employers, Fed, Landsberg Bennett, Wealth Management, Monetary Fund, Treasury, Investors, CNN, Federal, China Apple, Vietnamese, Apple Locations: New York, East, Iran, Israel, Syria, Vietnam, China, Hanoi, Beijing

☆ Apple plans to spend more in Vietnam as it looks beyond China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Apple (AAPL) has already spent almost $16 billion through its supply chain in the country since 2019, the government quoted Cook as saying. According to the statement, Cook said Apple “stands ready … to enhance cooperation and investment activities” in the Southeast Asian country. Nguyen, whose firm manages $6 billion in assets, told CNN that labor costs in Vietnam’s manufacturing sector are about half those in neighboring China. That’s a big draw for foreign tech companies looking to hire workers for their factories, and find consumers for their products. Still, Vietnam represents a far smaller market than India, which has also been wooing large foreign companies, including Tesla (TSLA), to set up factories in the country.

Persons: Tim Cook, Pham Minh Chinh, Cook, Apple “, Thuy Anh, Nguyen, Dan Ives, “ We’re, ”, “, Tuan Hung, Ho, That’s, Ives, Juliana Liu Organizations: London CNN, Apple, Vietnamese, Dragon, CNN, country’s Ministry of Planning, Investment, Wedbush Securities, Intel, Consumer, Monetary Fund Locations: Vietnam, China, Hanoi, Beijing, India, United States, Ho Chi Minh City, Washington, That’s, Europe

☆ Tim Cook has arrived in Vietnam for a two-day trip, as Apple boosts ties with its key manufacturing hub
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Alexandra Bacon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The Apple CEO has arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam to meet with Apple suppliers and content creators. Vietnamese manufacturing has been important for Apple as it moves away from dependence on China. AdvertisementTim Cook has arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam, to start a two-day trip to one of Apple's top manufacturing hubs. Apple also plans to boost its ties with local suppliers during the trip as well as help fund clean water projects and education opportunities, local newspaper VietnamNet wrote. The statement added that Apple supports the jobs of 200,000 people in Vietnam through direct employment, via suppliers, and as app developers.

Persons: —, Tim Cook, he's, Apple, VietnamNet, Foxconn Organizations: Apple, Service Locations: Hanoi, Vietnam, China

☆ Apple CEO Tim Cook visits Vietnam — one of the iPhone giant's most important manufacturing hubs
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-15 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Cook will meet with Apple users, developers and content creators during the two-day visit, local media reported. In December, the Nikkei reported Apple was moving some of its key iPad engineering resources to Vietnam. Apple CEO Tim Cook (C) walks near Hoan Kiem lake in downtown Hanoi during his visit to Vietnam on April 15, 2024. India has also emerged as a key hub for iPhone manufacturing. Cook's visit to Vietnam comes after 61 environmental and human rights groups called on Apple to oppose the country's detention of climate activists.

Persons: Tim Cook, Cook, Bryan Ma Organizations: Apple, International Data Corporation, IDC, Samsung, Nikkei, Apple Watch, Getty, CNBC, Bloomberg Locations: Hanoi, Vietnam, U.S, China, Cupertino, Hoan, Giang Huy, Afp, India, iPhones

☆ Vietnam wants to take China's place as a new factory of the world — but a $12 billion financial fraud case is getting in the way
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Huileng Tan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Vietnamese real-estate tycoon Truong My Lan was sentenced to death for her role in a $12.5 billion fraud case. Lan's fraud case is part of Communist Party Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's corruption crackdown. Lan, the chairwoman of real-estate developer Van Thinh Phat Group, was arrested in 2022 over the fraud case. AdvertisementThe high-profile fraud case has scandalized the country and is raising questions about the one-party state. For context on the scale of the Vietnam fraud case, consider the 1MDB case, which rocked Malaysia and the world when it started to unravel in 2015.

Persons: Truong, Lan, Communist Party Secretary Nguyen Phu, —, Van Thinh, Zachary Abuza, Trang Bui, Bui Organizations: Communist Party Secretary, Service, Prosecutors, Vietnamese Communist Party, National War College, Washington DC, Bloomberg, Cushman, Nikkei Locations: Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Malaysian, Hanoi, Washington, Wakefield

☆ Tycoon’s death penalty in $12.5 billion fraud case highlights Vietnam’s corruption crisis
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The scale of the fraud was said to be equivalent to roughly 3% of Vietnam’s economy. Though widely considered ceremonial, the presidency is one of the top three positions in Vietnam’s political hierarchy after the CPV’s Secretary General, currently Nguyen Phu Trong. In fact, the International Monetary Fund expects Vietnam’s economy to grow by 5.8% this year, compared to 4.6% for China. Their fate remains unclear, given the highly secretive nature of Vietnam’s political system. But Vietnamese political experts said a permanent appointment would not end the instability.

Persons: Truong My Lan, Van Thinh, siphoned, “, Eric Chu, Vietnam’s, Vo Van, Trong, Thuong, Vo Van Thuong, Richard A, Brooks, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Pham Binh, Le Hong Hiep, Yusof, ” Hiep, ”, Thu, General Trong, Xi Jinping, ” Zachary Abuza, Salt Bae, Lam, ” Abuza, Nguyen Phu Trong, Evelyn Hockstein, Abuza, Bui Thanh Soh, ” Soh, Vo, Xuan, Thuong’s, Le Hong Organizations: CNN, Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, Stock Commercial Bank, Reuters, SCB, Express, Communist Party, Institute, Crisis Group, National War College, Vietnamese Communist Party, Public Security, Vietnam, International Monetary Fund, Companies, Apple, Intel, Vietnam's Communist Party General, Yusof, Brookings Institution, “, Crisis Locations: Vietnam, Saigon, People’s, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Duc, Singapore, Asia, China, Washington, “, London, Turkish, Hanoi, Bangkok

☆ Truong My Lan: Vietnam tycoon sentenced to death in $12 billion fraud case
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Story Reuters | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Hanoi CNN —A court in Vietnam sentenced real estate tycoon Truong My Lan Thursday to death over her role in a 304 trillion dong ($12.46 billion) financial fraud case, the country’s biggest on record, state media reported. The crackdown, dubbed “blazing furnace,” has seen hundreds of senior state officials and high-profile business executives prosecuted or forced to step down. Lan and her accomplices were accused of siphoning off more than 304 trillion dong from Saigon Joint Stock Commercial Bank, or SCB, which she effectively controlled through dozens of proxies, according to investigators. From early 2018 through October 2022, when the state bailed out SCB after a run on its deposits, Lan appropriated large sums by arranging unlawful loans to shell companies, investigators said. Lan will appeal the verdict, a family member told Reuters before it was issued.

Persons: Hanoi CNN —, Truong, Van Thinh, Vietnam’s, Nguyen Phu Trong, ”, Lan Organizations: Hanoi CNN, Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, Communist Party, Stock Commercial Bank, Reuters Locations: Hanoi, Vietnam, Chi Minh City, Saigon

☆ Vietnam aims to start work on high-speed rail lines to China by 2030
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) bids farewell to China's President Xi Jinping after their meeting at the Government Office in Hanoi on Dec. 13, 2023. Vietnam aims to start building two high-speed railway lines linking its capital Hanoi with China before 2030, the Ministry of Planning and Investment said, another sign of a recent warming of ties between the two Communist-ruled neighbors. China is Vietnam's largest trading partner and a vital source of imports for its manufacturing sector. The two countries are already connected via a system of highways and two railway lines that are old and need upgrading on the Vietnam side. One of the planned high-speed lines would run from Vietnam's port cities of Haiphong and Quang Ninh through Hanoi to Lao Cai province, which borders China's Yunan province, the ministry said in a statement released late on Tuesday.

Persons: Pham Minh Chinh, Xi Jinping, Lao Cai Organizations: Vietnam's, Government, Ministry of Planning, Investment Locations: Hanoi, Vietnam, China, Vietnam's, Haiphong, Quang Ninh, Lao, China's Yunan, Lang Son, China's Guangxi

☆ Vietnam is planning high-speed rail connections with China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Vietnam aims to start building two high-speed railway lines linking its capital Hanoi with China before 2030, the Ministry of Planning and Investment said, another sign of a recent warming of ties between the two Communist-ruled neighbors. The two countries are already connected via a system of highways and two railway lines that are old and need upgrading on the Vietnam side. Earlier this month, Vietnam said it was seeking to learn from China to develop its first high-speed railway network and had sent its officials to work with Chinese railway companies. A massive high-speed railway line linking capital Hanoi with business hub Ho Chi Minh City is also being planned in the country. Trade between Vietnam and China in the first quarter of this year rose 22% from a year earlier to $43.6 billion, according to Vietnamese government data.

Persons: Lao Cai, Vuong Dinh Hue, Xi Jinping Organizations: Ministry of Planning, Investment, National Locations: Vietnam, Hanoi, China, Vietnam’s, Haiphong, Quang Ninh, Lao, China’s Yunnan, Lang Son, China’s Guangxi, Chi Minh City, Beijing, South China

☆ Photographer steps inside Vietnam’s shadowy ‘click farms’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-08 | by ( Bibek Bhandari | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

“With social media, our attention is a product for advertisers and marketers.”Jack Latham’s project took him to five click farms in Vietnam. Though it is unclear when click farms began proliferating, tech experts warned about “virtual gang masters” operating them from low-income countries as early as 2007. In the following decades, click farms exploded in number — particularly in Asia, where they can be found across India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines and beyond. The photographer added that TikTok is now the most popular platform at the click farms he visited. He included them in the book to represent the kind of content he saw being boosted by click farms.

Persons: Jack Latham, Vietnam —, ” Latham, Jack Latham’s, Latham, ”, Cambodia’s, Hun Sen, Donald Trump, — Organizations: CNN, Facebook, Twitter, China Advertising Association, “, BBC, Here Locations: Vietnam, Hanoi, Asia, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Silicon, Hong Kong, —, North Macedonia, Vevey, Switzerland

☆ Vietnam Lists Overseas Political Groups as 'Terrorist Organisations'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( March | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: 1 min

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam's government on Wednesday listed two political groups operating in the United States as "terrorist organisations" and accused them of orchestrating attacks and trying to create their own states in the Southeast Asian country's Central Highlands. The groups include North Carolina-headquartered Montagnard Support Group Inc (MSGI) and Montagnard Stand for Justice (MSFJ), which was established in Thailand, the Ministry of Public Security said in a statement. Both operate in the United States, it said.

Organizations: Justice, Ministry of Public Security Locations: HANOI, United States, Central Highlands, North Carolina, Thailand

☆ ‘Geisha paparazzi’ are back in Kyoto – and the city is ready to take action
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Lilit Marcus | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

As a result, an unfortunate nickname has even been given to these tourists: “geisha paparazzi.”Foreign tourists have sometimes struggled to understand Japanese customs and etiquette. In 2015, Kyoto created pamphlets and paper handouts that used pictograms to illustrate travel “nuisance activities” like littering, using selfie sticks, smoking in prohibited areas, and taking photos of geisha and maiko. Plenty of rules, little enforcementToday, signs in three languages also explain that geisha photography is not allowed without a permit, and that violators could be charged up to ¥10,000 ($67). Most maiko and geisha (these words are both singular and plural in Japanese) use this road, making it the prime spot for “paparazzi” to gather. Still, Ota and other Gion residents are looking for ways to curb the “geisha paparazzi” issues.

Persons: women’s kimonos, Gion, Isokazu Ota, Kike Calvo, ”, Ota, maiko Organizations: CNN, Theatre Locations: Gion, Kyoto, women’s, Side, Japan, Ota, ”, Easter

☆ Asia markets poised to fall as investors await key U.S., China economic data
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Shreyashi Sanyal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

An investor watching share prices at the securities trading floor of Asia Commercial Bank in Hanoi, Vietnam. Asia-Pacific stocks were set to decline Thursday as investors awaited U.S. personal consumption expenditures price index data for clues on the Federal Reserve's interest rate cut path. The U.S. personal consumption expenditures price index — the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge — is due later in the day, while China's manufacturing purchasing managers' index reading is scheduled to be released Friday. Futures for Hong Kong's Hang Seng index stood at 16,564, pointing to a marginally higher open compared to the HSI's close of 16,536.85 . The combined entity was valued at roughly $8.5 billion on a post-money basis, excluding synergies.

Persons: Walt Disney Organizations: Asia Commercial Bank, Reliance Locations: Asia, Hanoi , Vietnam, Pacific, Hong Kong

☆ Are these the most beautiful coffee shops in the world?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( David Tran | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The Budapest Café is one of many eye-catching businesses featured in “Designing Coffee: New Coffee Places and Branding,” a coffee table book — no pun intended — that puts the world’s most photogenic, eccentric cafés and roasters on display. Its "bright, playful design and color palette transform a former dental office into a bustling and vibrant bakery café," Kingston writes in "Designing Coffee." In an increasingly competitive coffee industry, coffee shop owners are putting thoughts into how their spaces are designed. Across its ambience and menu, the Genovese Coffee House in Sydney offers Australian consumers an "espresso" ticket to Mediterranean café culture. Anson Smart/Genovese Coffee House/Courtesy gestaltenElsewhere, Genovese Coffee House (pictured above) in Sydney, Australia drew inspiration from Italian coffee culture.

Persons: James Morgan, they’re, Wes Anderson, Lani Kingston, Kingston, Mikhail Loskutov, Yuh Nguyen, Luca Rinaldi, Jamie Yelo, Urbain, Jin Weiqi, Marco Pinarelli, Julius, Damir Otegen, Karin Pasterer, Hernan Taboada, Carlos Artalejo, Xavier Alexander, Alexander, ”, “, ” Alexander, ” Kingston, David Dworkind, ” “, ’ ”, Fritz, K Kim, Angela Wijaya, Fritz Coffee, Ben Hamilton, Anson Smart, “ It’s Organizations: Budapest Cafe, CNN, Portland State University, Melrose, Rupertinum, Salzburg's Museum of Modern Art, Kingston, Fritz Coffee Company, Coffee House, Genovese Coffee, Coffee Locations: Budapest, Chengdu, China, Odessa, Ukraine, Hanoi, Vietnam, Milan, Italy, Taipei, Taiwan, Montréal, Canada, Beijing, Ho Chi Minh City, Central Highlands, Kyiv, Ukraine's, Hong Kong, Forme, Beirut, Lebanon, Almaty, Kazakhstan, Salzburg, Austria, 220GRAD, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Caffettiera, Montreal, Asia, Seoul, South Korea, Belfast, Los Angeles, California, Sydney, Australia

☆ Vietnam to Hold Arms Fair in December as Its Seeks to Diversify Supplies
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam's defence ministry said on Friday it will organise an international arms fair in December, as it seeks to diversify its arms supplies and expand cooperation in arms production and exports. Vietnam held its first international arms fair in December 2022, which attracted 174 exhibitors from 30 countries, including all large arms-making nations except China. The ministry on Friday said "several deals were reached" at that arms fair, without giving further details. The Southeast Asian country has an annual military expenditure of above 2% of its gross domestic product, according to the ministry. Vietnam is producing among other weapons small weapons, ammunitions, drones and armoured vehicles.

Persons: Khanh Vu, Francesco Guarascio, Michael Perry Locations: HANOI, Gia Lam, Hanoi, China, Vietnam

☆ After a rough run, North Korea could at last find itself 'sitting pretty' in the new year with both Russia and China courting it, Korea watcher says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The result could be a very fortunate 2024 for North Korea, one in which Russia and China are both chasing after its attention. In that case, North Korea could be "sitting pretty," a top Korea watcher said last week. North Korea leader Kim Jong Un observes artillery fire competition in North Korea. North Korean military cadets hold a North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il's flag during a perform of the Arirang festival which is a part of commemorations marking the 60th anniversary of the Workers' Party of North Korea on October 6, 2005, in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korea, on the other hand, has criticized, sometimes openly, China's disapproval of its testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Victor Cha, Cha, Kim Jong Un, Vladimir Putin, Kim, North, Kim Jong, SAUL LOEB, Chung Sung, there's, Xi Jinping, Xi, Donald Trump's, Trump, Putin, MIKHAIL METZEL Organizations: Service, Business, Democratic People's, Center for Strategic, International Studies, CSIS, The Capital, North, Trump, Asian Affairs, White, National Security Council, REUTERS, Metropole, Getty, White House, Putin, Korean, Workers ' Party of North, Vostochny Locations: Russia, Ukraine, North Korea, China, Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, COVID, Asia, Hanoi, North, Korean, Workers ' Party of North Korea, Pyongyang, Beijing, Amur

☆ Vietnam Communist Party Chief Attends Parliament Session After Health Concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

HANOI (Reuters) - The head of Vietnam's Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, on Monday attended a session of the National Assembly after concerns were raised over the health of the country's most powerful leader. Diplomats had raised concerns over his health and several officials could not confirm the status of his health. Trong has been at the helm of the ruling Communist Party since 2011 and holds the top job in Vietnam's one-party political system. The National Assembly is convening to discuss banking and land reforms. Shortly after the chair's opening speech, Trong was seen walking out of the session with the help of aides, according to a Reuters witness.

Persons: Nguyen Phu Trong, Trong, Joko Widodo, Sonexay Siphandone, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: Vietnam's Communist Party, Monday, National, Diplomats, Communist Party, National Assembly, Reuters Locations: HANOI, Laos, Vietnam's

On a trip to the sprawling factory in the port city of Haiphong in northern Vietnam, Widodo also sat behind the wheel of a VinFast electric car before wrapping up his three-day visit to Vietnam. The Vietnamese EV maker has said it will invest $1.2 billion in Indonesia and build a factory with the potential to make up to 50,000 vehicles every year. Green SM, an EV taxi operator that is mostly owned by VinFast’s founder, also announced an investment plan of $900 million in Indonesia. VinFast's plans to expand in Indonesia are part of their global goal of selling EVs in 50 markets worldwide. It is exporting EVs to the U.S. and also building a $4 billion EV factory in North Carolina, where production is slated to begin this year.

Persons: Joko Widodo, Widodo, GoTo, Tokopedia Tbk, Pham Nhat Vuong Organizations: Green SM, EV, VinFast’s, Group, AP Locations: HANOI, Vietnam, Indonesia, Haiphong, Vietnamese, Indonesian, North Carolina, India, Vingroup, Ukraine

☆ I traveled to over 7 countries in 2023. Here are 4 of the most affordable cities I visited.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Dominique Mills | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

I traveled to over seven countries in 2023, and some places stood out for being budget-friendly. Porto, Portugal, and Chiang Mai, Thailand, offered affordable accommodations and fun activities. Here are the four most affordable places I visited in 2023. Chiang Mai, Thailand, was culture-rich and inexpensiveChiang Mai, Thailand, was inexpensive but beautiful. Dominique MillsNestled in the lush greenery of Northern Thailand, Chiang Mai is one of my favorite cities to visit.

Persons: Chiang, —, Dominique Mills, Chiang Mai, Koh Samui, Dominique Mills I've Organizations: Service, UNESCO, US Department of State Locations: Porto, Portugal, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Hanoi, Vietnam, Douro, Northern Thailand, Bangkok, Old City, Soi, Prabang, Laos, Luang Prabang, Asia, Vientiane, Indochina

☆ US DFC considers $500 mln loan to Vietnamese EV maker VinFast
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A Vinfast electric vehicle store is shown at one of the company's retail locations in San Diego, California, U.S.,October 20, 2023. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsHANOI, Dec 4 (Reuters) - The United States International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) has signed a letter of interest with electric vehicles maker VinFast to consider the Vietnamese company's application for a $500 million loan for expansion, VinFast said on Monday. The loan, which will be used to support VinFast's establishment of lithium-ion battery manufacturing facilities in Vietnam, is subject to a comprehensive review and approval process by DFC, the carmaker said in a statement. DFC said on X, formerly Twitter, that it had signed the letter of interest to support VinFast's lithium-ion battery facilities in Vietnam, but did not provide details. The project will be the first in a series of initiatives actively discussed by the two parties, VinFast said.

Persons: Mike Blake, VinFast, Phuong Nguyen, Kanupriya Kapoor Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United States International Development Finance Corporation, Vietnam's, Nasdaq, Thomson Locations: San Diego , California, U.S, Rights HANOI, Vietnam, California, Southeast Asia

Vietnam has already rail connections to China, but the system is old with limited capacity on the Vietnam side. The upgraded railway would pass through the region where Vietnam has its largest deposits of rare earths, of which China is by far the world's biggest refiner. Chinese and Vietnamese rare earths industry experts discussed last week stronger cooperation on processing the minerals, according to Vietnamese state media. It is unclear how much China would contribute to the upgraded railway track in Vietnam and whether Hanoi would accept sizeable financing from Beijing on this. A strengthened railway link could also boost Vietnam's export to China, mostly of agriculture products, boost Chinese tourism to northern Vietnam and further integrate the two countries' manufacturing industries, which experts already consider as symbiotic, with factories in Vietnam largely assembling components produced in China.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Vietnam's, Wang Yi, Tran, Pham Minh Chinh, Wang Wentao, Francesco Guarascio, Khanh Vu, Phuong Nguyen, Stephen Coates Organizations: Vietnam's, China's Commerce, Initiative, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Hanoi, China, Haiphong China, Vietnam, HANOI, United States, Tran Luu Quang, Kunming, Haiphong, Beijing, China . China, Hong Kong, Washington, South

☆ Kissinger’s Legacy Still Ripples Through Vietnam and Cambodia
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Mike Ives | More About Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

Mr. Kissinger, who died on Wednesday, shared the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the peace accords that ended American involvement in the Vietnam War. The fighting between North Vietnam and U.S.-backed South Vietnam did not end until the North’s victory in 1975. Mr. Kissinger defended his wartime decisions for years afterward. Within Vietnam, Mr. Kissinger’s role in the war was contentious well before the fighting ended. When President Barack Obama visited in Hanoi in 2016, he said the United States would rescind a decades-old ban on sales of lethal military equipment to Vietnam.

Persons: Henry A, Kissinger, Mr, Lyndon, Richard M, Le Duc Tho, Duong Quoc, Hun Sen, ”, “, Pen, Sok, Hun Sen’s, Barack Obama, Biden’s, Chau Doan, Sun Narin, Lee Wee Organizations: Communist, Johnson Library, Museum, Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University, Vietnamese Foreign Ministry, U.S, Cambodian People’s Party, Vietnam’s Communist Party Locations: Cambodia, Vietnam, U.S, China, Southeast Asia, North Vietnam, Saigon, United States, America, Austin , Texas, Vietnamese, Hanoi, “, Khmer, Khmer Rouge, ” Vietnam, Washington, United, Russia

☆ China, Vietnam Consider Rail Link Through Rare Earths Heartland
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Francesco Guarascio and Khanh VuHANOI (Reuters) - China and Vietnam are working on a possible significant upgrade of their underdeveloped rail links to boost a line that crosses Vietnam's rare earths heartland and reaches the country's top port in the north, senior officials and diplomats said. Vietnam has already rail connections to China, but the system is old with limited capacity on the Vietnam side. The upgraded railway would pass through the region where Vietnam has its largest deposits of rare earths, of which China is by far the world's biggest refiner. Chinese and Vietnamese rare earths industry experts discussed last week stronger cooperation on processing the minerals, according to Vietnamese state media. It is unclear how much China would contribute to the upgraded railway track in Vietnam and whether Hanoi would accept sizeable financing from Beijing on this.

Persons: Francesco Guarascio, Khanh Vu, Xi Jinping, Vietnam's, Wang Yi, Tran, Pham Minh Chinh, Wang Wentao, Phuong Nguyen, Stephen Coates Organizations: Vietnam's, China's Commerce, Initiative Locations: Khanh, Khanh Vu HANOI, China, Vietnam, Hanoi, United States, Tran Luu Quang, Kunming, Haiphong, Beijing, China . China, Hong Kong, Washington, South

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