Tag: Vietnam

Ahead of the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War this week, the chief of the ruling communist party To Lam struck a reconciliatory tone toward people from former South Vietnam. His lengthy commentary, published in state media two days ahead of the anniversary, won praise at home and some cautious hope, mixed with skepticism, among those who fled the country after 1975. The April 30 anniversary is most commonly celebrated domestically as the reunification of the communist North and the U.S.-allied South Vietnam, and this was the…

Vietnam marked the 50th anniversary of the end the Vietnam War on Wednesday with jubilation and a grand military parade – but also with a message of reconciliation. Flag-waving crowds teemed the streets of Ho Chi Minh City, once known as Saigon, where the decades-long conflict against U.S.-backed forces that had divided the nation came to an end April 30, 1975. vietnam-50th-anniversary-war-us Vietnamese troops march during a parade to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, April 30, 2025. (Minh Nguyen/Reuters) Vietnamese…

UPDATED 28 April, 2025, 11:15 a.m. ET BANGKOK – Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has been talking up the benefits of free trade, in the face of a China-U.S. tariff war that threatens the global economy, during a meeting with Vietnam’s top leader To Lam in Hanoi. The Trump administration’s decision to tax Chinese imports 145% and China’s 125% retaliation on U.S. goods has created what Ishiba called “a complex and multifaceted crisis,” in an article for Vietnam’s Tuoi Tre newspaper. Cooperation between Japan and Vietnam would contribute to regional…

BANGKOK – The Vietnamese government says it is expecting a sizable U.S. presence when it marks the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War on April 30, despite media reports that the Trump administration told diplomats to stay away from events. Ceremonies in Ho Chi Minh City will be attended by “delegations led by high-level leaders, political parties, international organizations, peace movements and anti-war movements, including those from the U.S.,” according to Vietnam’s foreign ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang. The New York Times cited four anonymous U.S. officials…

Authorities have barred a Vietnamese Buddhist monk from continuing a barefoot pilgrimage through Sri Lanka so he’s departing instead for his final destination, India, a source told Radio Free Asia. Thich Minh Tue, who departed on a multi-nation journey from Vietnam four months ago, was stopped in his tracks by Sri Lankan police last week who cited a letter from Vietnam’s state-sanctioned Buddhist sangha – or Buddhist religious association – describing him as posing a threat to public order. His group, which also includes 10 volunteers, has since been provided…

BANGKOK – An appeals court in Ho Chi Minh City has reduced the life sentence of Vietnam’s biggest corporate fraudster to 30 years in prison after she paid millions of dollars in compensation to buyers of bogus bonds, state media reported Monday. Truong My Lan, the 68-year old chairwoman of property company Van Thinh Phat, was separately sentenced to death in April last year for embezzling US$27 billion from Saigon Commercial Bank in which she held a more-than-90% stake. Her appeal against the death penalty was rejected in December, but…

Updated April 21, 2025, 03:40 a.m. EDT BANGKOK – Vietnam has reached an agreement with the United States to buy F-16 fighter jets, a defense website said, citing industry representatives and a former U.S. government official. Hanoi will acquire at least 24 of the Lockheed Martin single-engine fighters which, combined with other U.S. military ware, could add up to the biggest ever defense deal between two countries, 19FortyFive said Saturday. It is likely Hanoi will opt for the F-16 V model, which Lockheed calls the most advanced fourth-generation fighter, the…

Sri Lankan police on Thursday blocked Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Minh Tue from continuing his barefoot journey around the South Asian island until he changes his visa, a witness told Radio Free Asia. About 30 police descended on Tue and his group of 37 monks as they had finished eating and were preparing to depart from Narammala, a town about 40 miles (65 kilometers) northeast of the capital Colombo. “They waved a document sent from Vietnam, stating that this group was not a group of real monks, so walking like…

Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party approved plans to nearly halve the number of provinces, a crucial step toward enabling top leader To Lam, who faces a party congress in January, to stay in power. The reduction in the number of provinces to 34 from 63 was approved on Monday by the Communist Party’s central committee. The same day, the Politburo, the party’s highest decision-making body, issued a directive for the appointment of new provincial leaders under the guidance of a close Lam ally. Lam, who became secretary general of the Communist…

Chinese President Xi Jinping sought stronger trade ties with neighboring Vietnam at the start of a five-day swing through Southeast Asia where Beijing presents itself as a source of economic stability amid uncertainty over U.S. tariffs. Xi was welcomed in Hanoi on Monday by Vietnam’s top leader To Lam. He also held talks with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. The two countries signed 45 agreements including on enhancing supply chains and on cooperation over railways, Reuters reported. vietnam-china-xi-jinping Vietnamese General Secretary of the Communist Party To Lam and Chinese President…