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☆ 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

☆ Vietnam mounts ‘unprecedented’ $24 billion rescue for bank engulfed in giant fraud, documents show
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Foreign reserves were around $100 billion at the end of the year, according to the central bank. The central bank did not reply to requests for comment about the rescue effort. The finance ministry referred a question to the central bank. The central bank placed SCB under its supervision to stem a run on the bank sparked by the October 2022 arrest of real estate tycoon Truong My Lan. That was up from 478 trillion dong at the end of October, according to the SCB document that was sent to the central bank.

Persons: Truong My, Truong, Lan Organizations: AFP, Getty, Stock Commercial Bank, Reuters, ASEAN, Research, SCB, State Bank of, Bank Locations: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, Saigon, State Bank of Vietnam's, People's

☆ 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, a Vietnamese real estate tycoon, was sentenced to death on Thursday for her role in a financial fraud case, in a major display of the ruling Communist Party’s resolve to crack down on corruption. The trial for Ms. Lan, who was the chairwoman of the real estate developer Van Thinh Phat Group, was part of the government’s campaign against corruption. The leader of Vietnam’s Communist Party, Nguyen Phu Trong, has sought for years to stamp out corruption as the nation emerges as a major manufacturing hub and as one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies. Mr. Trong launched the anti-corruption drive in 2016, saying that graft could threaten the survival of the Communist Party, which has governed the country for nearly half a century. The campaign has led to the downfall of many business leaders and top officials, including former President Vo Van Tong, who resigned in March amid corruption allegations.

Persons: Truong, Lan, Van Thinh, Nguyen Phu Trong, Trong, Vo Van Tong Organizations: Vietnam’s Communist Party, Communist Party Locations: Vietnamese, Ho Chi Minh City

☆ Vietnamese property tycoon sentenced to death in country’s biggest ever financial fraud, state media reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Vietnamese property tycoon Truong My Lan (C) looks on at a court in Ho Chi Minh city on April 11, 2024. The Vietnamese property tycoon Truong My Lan was sentenced to death on Thursday for her involvement in the country's biggest ever financial fraud case, state media outlet Thanh Nien reported. She was sentenced to death for the embezzlement charges and to 20 years in prison for each of the other two accusations, according to state media. Around $12.3 billion were allegedly funnelled to Van Thinh Phat while other funds were used privately. Alongside Lan, more than 80 other people including central bank officials have been charged in the case for damaging SCB, state media reported.

Persons: Truong, Lan, Van Thinh, Van Thinh Phat, Vietnam's Organizations: Thanh, Van Thinh Phat Holdings Group, Stock Commercial Bank, Reuters, CNBC, Communist Locations: Ho Chi Minh, Saigon

☆ A Vietnamese real-estate exec embezzled so much money it equalled 3% of the country's GDP. Her punishment is death.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Real estate tycoon Truong My Lan was sentenced to death by a court in Vietnam. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementA Vietnamese real estate tycoon was sentenced to death on Thursday by a Ho Chi Minh City court over her role in a multibillion-dollar financial fraud case. Truong My Lan, the chairwoman of real estate developer Van Thinh Phat Group, was arrested in 2022. The fraud trial, which began on March 5, was Vietnam's largest ever, and among Southeast Asia's most significant corruption scandals.

Persons: Truong, Lan, Prosecutors, —, Van Thinh Organizations: Service Locations: Vietnam, Chi Minh City

☆ 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

☆ Asia’s 50 best restaurants for 2024 revealed
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Karla Cripps | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —After losing the number one spot to Bangkok in 2023, Tokyo has reclaimed its crown as the city with the top eatery in the region at the annual Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards, which were announced in Seoul, South Korea on Tuesday evening. The list – part of the global “World’s 50 Best” brand – is compiled by the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, which is made up of more than 300 food critics, writers, chefs and restaurateurs, all selected for their knowledge of Asia’s restaurant scene. Though Singapore didn’t have any restaurants in the top five, nine of its venues made the top 50 list – more than any other city. Courtesy The World's 50 BestThe “Asia’s Best Female Chef” award went to Pichaya ‘Pam’ Soontornyanakij, owner of Bangkok restaurant Potong, which came in at 17 on this year’s list. Mineko Kato of restaurant Faro in Tokyo won the Asia’s Best Pastry Chef award and Kevin Lu of Logy, in Taipei, was voted Asia’s Best Sommelier.

Persons: Daniel Calvert, Calvert, “, ”, Sézanne, I’ve, we’d, Gaggan, Seroja, Gaggan Anand, Thitid “, Sühring, Le Du –, Ton, Bangkok –, Odette, Pichaya, Pam ’ Soontornyanakij, Ton’s Nusara, Mineko Kato, Kevin Lu, Logy, Sung Anh, Mosu, Danny Yip, Hong, Le, Fu, Hui, Samrub, Villa, Ling Long, Ando, Les Amis, Baan, Goh, Anan, Tam’s Organizations: CNN, Marunouchi, Restaurants Academy, Hospitality, Toyo, Meta, Studio, Bund Locations: Bangkok, Tokyo, Seoul, South Korea, Japan, France’s Champagne, Maronouchi, Asia, ”, Kolkata, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thai, ” Singapore, Faro, Taipei, Nusara, Suhring, Osaka, Odette, Sorn, Le Du, Potong, Shanghai, Logy, Masque, Mumbai, Manila, Delhi, Seroja, Taichung, Taiwan, Mume, Wakayama, Lolla, Avartana, Chennai, India, Fukuoka, Jakarta, Kyoto, Anan Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City, Macao

☆ A global gold rush for buried hydrogen is underway — as hype builds over its clean energy potential
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Sam Meredith | In Samuelmeredith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Geologic hydrogen, sometimes referred to as white, gold or natural hydrogen, refers to hydrogen gas that is found in its natural form beneath Earth's surface. Last year, researchers found what may be the world's largest geologic hydrogen deposit to date in France's eastern Lorraine region. The unexpected discovery further boosted interest in its clean energy potential. Some have expressed skepticism about the clean energy potential of natural hydrogen. Grey hydrogen — produced using natural gas and the most common form of hydrogen production — leads to large greenhouse gas emissions.

Persons: Alex Halada, Le, Canada's Hydroma, Ousmane Makaveli, Geoffrey Ellis, Ellis, we've, Minh, Energy's Le, Ana Maria Jaller, Makarewicz, Sebastien Salom Organizations: Geological Agency of, Ministry of Energy, Mineral Resources, Nurphoto, Afp, Getty, Research, Rystad Energy, CNBC, Energy Resources Program, . Geological Survey, U.S . Department of Energy, Institute for Energy Economics, videoconference, Carbon Trust Locations: Pute Jaya, Morowali Regency, Central Sulawesi Province, Indonesia, U.S, Canada, Australia, France, Spain, Colombia, South Korea, Gampern, Upper Austria, Mali's, Bamako, Malian, Bourakébougou, France's, Lorraine, Niger, Mali, gomis

☆ 'Quiet luxury' was once all about fashion — but now it describes how the top 1% travel too
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Helen Iatrou | Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Big-ticket travel experiences like those are indicative of the "quiet luxury" trend which began in the world of fashion, with timeless lines trumping brand-blaring outfits. Less limelight, more connectionJaclyn Sienna India, the founder of the ultra-luxury travel company Sienna Charles, said she considers herself a longtime quiet luxury disciple. Monaco has long been a playground for the elite, but wealthy travelers are increasingly opting for more remote locations, say luxury travel advisors. But another important aspect of the quiet luxury movement concerns security. For them, quiet luxury travel is about exclusivity and privacy, she said.

Persons: Jaclyn Sienna India, Sienna Charles, Vietnam's, Alexander Spatari, It's, Sean De Burca, George W, Bush, Erica, Erica Jackowitz, Jackowitz, Sienna India, Thomas Barwick, Roger Federer, Erica's Erica Jackowitz, Anastasiia Organizations: Monaco, Bank, Getty, Digitalvision, Henley, Partners Locations: Antarctica, Svalbard, Paris, Monaco, Chi Minh City, India, Brazil, Ethiopia, New York City, Africa

☆ Australia and Vietnam upgrade relations, to begin talks on critical minerals
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his wife Tran (R) stand with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (2nd L) and his fiancee Jodie Haydon (L) during an official welcoming ceremony at Parliament House in Canberra on March 7, 2024. "Elevating our ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership today places Australia and Vietnam among each other's significant partners," Albanese told a news conference in Canberra. Albanese and Chinh on Thursday also witnessed the exchanges of 12 cooperation documents on areas including energy, minerals, agriculture, banking and finance, according to the Vietnamese government. Australia is a major producer of critical minerals that are used in everything from smartphones to automobiles, while Vietnam has some of the largest untapped deposits in the world. "An annual ministerial dialogue on energy and minerals will drive cooperation in our energy and resources sectors, including critical minerals supply chains," the statement said.

Persons: Pham Minh Chinh, Tran, Anthony Albanese, Jodie Haydon, Albanese, Chinh Organizations: Vietnam, Australian, House, Communist, Mutual, Vietnam News Agency Locations: Canberra, Vietnam, China, Australia

☆ The real story behind Coco Chanel's collaboration with the Nazis, as featured in 'The New Look'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Eve Crosbie | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Apple TV+ "The New Look" shines a light on Coco Chanel's murky history as a Nazi informant and spy. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Juliette Binoche and Emily Mortimer as Coco Chanel and Elsa Lombardi in "The New Look." Roger Do Minh/Apple TVHow deep the fashion icon's Nazi collaboration ran was made public for the first time in "Sleeping with the Enemy: Coco Chanel's Secret War," by Hal Vaughan, published in 2011. AdvertisementChanel, who died in 1971 at 87, continued her relationship with Von Dincklage after the war for several years.

Persons: —, France's, Coco Chanel that's, Chanel, Todd A, Christian Dior, Juliette Binoche, Emily Mortimer, Coco Chanel, Elsa Lombardi, Roger Do Minh, Hal Vaughan, Vaughan, Dreyfus, Alfred Dreyfus, Hulton, Baron Hans Günther Von Dincklage, Von Dincklage, Spatz, André Palasse, Pierre, Paul Wertheimer, Chanel didn't, Parfums Chanel, Modelhut Coco Chanel, Winston Churchill, Bettmann, Duke of Westminster, Walter Schellenberg, Schellenberg, Vera Bate Lombardi, Lombardi —, Chanel's, Churchill, Baron Louis de Vaufreland, Per Vaughan, Wertheimer, James Andanson, Dincklage, Baron von Dincklage Organizations: Apple, Nazi, Service, Deutsch, Hotel Ritz, Abwehr, AFP, Getty, British, Paris, Chanel Locations: Nazi, Paris, German, British, Germany, French, Britain, Madrid, Churchill, Switzerland

☆ Finding Great Coffee in Ho Chi Minh City
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-23 | by ( Seth Sherwood | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Other than Brazil, no nation produces more coffee than Vietnam. Introduced by French colonists in the 19th century, the country’s coffee crop is now a $3 billion business and accounts for nearly 15 percent of the global market, making Vietnam the java giant of Southeast Asia. Quality, however, has only recently begun to catch up with quantity, mainly because farmers have begun augmenting Vietnam’s longtime cultivation of cheaper, easy-to-grow robusta beans with a connoisseur’s favorite, arabica. A major beneficiary has been the cafe scene in the country’s largest metropolis, Ho Chi Minh City (a.k.a. Thanks to direct crop-to-shop supplies, the retail business of coffee is booming as increasing numbers of indie roasteries and specialty coffeehouses sprout up around the city’s French colonial opera house, amid the megamalls and boutiques of fashionable Dong Khoi Boulevard, and in the shadows of the high-rise towers in District 2.

Locations: Brazil, Vietnam, Southeast Asia, Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon, Dong, District

☆ 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

☆ How to recreate the most famous fashion collection of all time? New series ‘The New Look’ dives into Dior
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Scarlett Harris | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Dior’s unveiling of his “New Look” collection signified the return of Paris as the fashion capital of the world after the Second World War. Roger Do Minh/Apple TV+Apple TV+'s series "The New Look" includes detailed recreations of many of the collection's 70 looks. Somehow they’ll always find a way to create,” Muller Serreau told CNN Style. Set during and in the immediate aftermath of World War II, “The New Look” and its visuals more broadly reflect the austerity of the time. As Dior was still in possession of the look’s fabric, Muller Serreau was able to faithfully recreate the entire ensemble.

Persons: Karen Muller Serreau, Christian Dior’s, ”, Dior’s, Roger Do Minh, Ben Mendelsohn, Pierre Balmain, Thomas Poitevin, Cristóbal Balenciaga, Nuno Lopes, Coco Chanel, Juliette Binoche, Dior, Lucien Lelong, John Malkovich, Chanel’s, ” Chanel, “, they’ll, ” Muller Serreau, Muller, Muller Serreau, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, revolutionizing womenswear Organizations: CNN, Apple, Getty Locations: Paris, France, AFP

☆ Confiscated Motorbikes Pile Up as Vietnam Goes After Drunken Driving
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-14 | by ( Mike Ives | Chau Doan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Motorbikes — the preferred mode of transport in Vietnam — are piling up in impound lots in Ho Chi Minh City as it becomes more cost effective for some owners to abandon them than to pay the fines to get them back. The city, Vietnam’s financial center, has gotten more aggressive in targeting drunken driving in recent years by raising fines and confiscating vehicles. Those fines are now often higher than the value of the vehicles, which many drivers are not reclaiming, officials say. Now the police are wondering what to do with them.

Locations: Vietnam, Chi Minh

☆ What is catfishing and what can you do if you are catfished?
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( Sen Nguyen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

In the US, romance scams resulting from catfishing have among the highest reported financial losses of internet crimes as a whole. A 2019 study found that young LGBTQ+ men in rural America experiencing catfishing on dating apps felt angry and fearful. She also emphasized the need to recognize today’s loneliness epidemic, which “leads people to perhaps be more susceptible to catfishing scams,” she said. Catfishing is not explicitly a crime, but the actions that often accompany catfishing, such as extortion for money, gifts or sexual images are crimes in many places. In the US, romance scams resulting from catfishing have among the highest reported financial losses of internet crimes as a whole.

Persons: CNN —, Nev Schulman, “ Megan ”, Schulman, Evita, scammers, Catfishing, Snapchat, ”, Ngo Minh Hieu, Chong, Hieu, Wang, “, It’s, Fangzhou Wang, ” Wang, Maryna, WeChat Organizations: CNN, Cybersmile Foundation, Federation University, Fraud Intelligence, INTERPOL, Research, US Federal Trade Commission, SMS, University of Texas, Arlington, Getty, Facebook, UNICEF Locations: Alaska, Australia, Singapore, Southeast Asia, France, Germany, India, cryptocurrency, Vietnamese, America, catfishing, China, Cybersecurity, Australian

DAVOS, Switzerland (AP) — Business and political elites descended on the Swiss Alpine snows of Davos to suss out “rebuilding trust” in a splintering world. If there’s any takeaway from the World Economic Forum's annual meeting — boldly touting that theme — it’s that we still have a long way to go. The idea is getting people together, and big announcements are often just a byproduct — not the aim. “It’s unrealistic to think that Davos — or any meeting, anywhere in the world — in one meeting can rebuild trust when it’s fragmented on so many dimensions," said Rich Lesser, chairman of Boston Consulting Group. But thousands of conversations between the social, private and public sectors help create "a starting point for rebuilding trust,” he said.

Persons: —, Rich Lesser, ”, bigwigs, Bill Gates, Agnès Callamard, craziness, Long, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ” Zelenskyy, ” Pham Minh Chinh, vociferously, Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, wasn't, Antonio Guterres, Masha Macpherson, David Keyton, Courtney Bonnell, Kelvin Chan Organizations: —, Boston Consulting, Nature Energy, “ Cooperation, Security, Amnesty, European Union, U.S, Israeli, ” Locations: DAVOS, Switzerland, Swiss, Davos, suss, Ukraine, U.S, India, South Africa, UKRAINE, Kyiv, Europe, United States, Britain, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Saudi Arabia, London

☆ After racist threats forced a Southeast Asian restaurant to close down, the owner reopened a new restaurant as an homage to his immigrant parents
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Yoonji Han | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

A Southeast Asian restaurant closed down last year after facing false accusations of serving dog meat. Anna Le Nguyen and Minh Rasavong Oriyavong help out in the kitchen of Love & Thai. Rallying togetherIn November, Rasavong reopened his restaurant under a new name: Love & Thai. The mural by Hana Luna Her at Love & Thai pays homage to Rasavong's family's journey to America. Customers have flocked to Love & Thai and shown their support, and Rasavong wants to share that support with others in the community.

Persons: —, David Rasavong, Rasavong, Anna Le Nguyen, Minh Rasavong, Richard Vogel, Louis, Yelp, David Rasavong Rasavong, Hana Luna, Rasavong's Organizations: Service, Google, Facebook, Business, Thai, &, US, Philippine -, People, Local, Love &, Customers Locations: Fresno, Laos, Thailand, United States, St, Philippines, Oregon, America

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

☆ 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

Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends the retreat session of the 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, September 5, 2023. The document, known as Resource Mobilisation Plan, has to be agreed with investors ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) which begins on Thursday in Dubai. Vietnam's Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh will attend the COP28 from Nov 30 to Dec 3, the government portal said, raising expectations that the plan could be announced there. A second foreign official said there was no major issue pending, and approval of the final version "is very nearly there." There is no certainty that Vietnam would actually take the loans on offer, and the communist government has been reluctant to take foreign loans in the past.

Persons: Pham Minh Chinh, Mast, Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio, Khanh Vu, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Vietnam's, 43rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, Rights, Change, Reuters, of, Thomson Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia, Rights HANOI, Vietnam, Dubai, Hanoi

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