All articles tagged with #vietnam
Two Hermès Birkin bags seized from jailed Vietnamese businesswoman Truong My Lan were sold at a Ho Chi Minh City government auction for over $535,000 — including a $440,144 bag and a $94,858 bag — as part of asset seizures to help recover more than $27 billion in losses from her embezzlement of Saigon Commercial Bank.
A 34-year-old Vietnamese factory worker named Ro Mah J died after his tool got stuck and he was dragged into a large industrial shredder at the Chanh Tay Gia Lai plant; a video captured the moment he was pulled into the machine, with water spurting afterward. He was pronounced dead at the scene and police have opened an investigation into the accident.
The USTR’s 2026 Special 301 Report designates Vietnam as a Priority Foreign Country for IP protection and enforcement, moves Argentina and Mexico to the Watch List, adds the European Union to the Watch List, and removes Bulgaria from the Watch List. Six countries remain on the Priority Watch List and 19 are on the Watch List. USTR will decide within 30 days whether to launch a Section 301 investigation against Vietnam, following public submissions and a hearing with government, industry, and NGO representatives.
A local hunter-explorer Hồ Khanh first found the entrance to Sơn Đoòng in Vietnam’s Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park in 1990 but didn’t enter and lost it for 17 years. After a chance meeting with an international caving team, the cave was rediscovered and, in 2009, confirmed as the largest cave on Earth by volume (about 38.4 million cubic meters), stretching nearly 9 km with sections up to 198 meters wide—large enough to fit a Boeing 747—featuring sunlight shafts and the 70-meter-tall ‘Hope and Vision’ stalagmite, all formed 2–5 million years ago; the surrounding park remains largely unexplored.
Donald Trump told CNBC that he would have won Vietnam very quickly if he had been president, a boast set against his own history of military deferments for bone spurs during the Vietnam era, including a letter from a podiatrist; the piece also covers ongoing Iran-war talks and related policy discussions.
China’s Xi Jinping hosted Vietnam’s To Lam in Beijing and used the visit to push deeper security and economic ties, arguing that defending their shared Communist Party rule is a strategic interest and citing U.S. tariffs and the Strait of Hormuz disruption as reasons to keep trade and supply chains flowing.
Vietnam’s president arrived in Beijing to meet Xi Jinping, signaling a push to strengthen bilateral relations and discuss cooperation on trade, security, and regional issues.
A new study analyzing three preserved teeth from northern Vietnam shows that ancient Vietnamese people deliberately blackened their teeth with an iron-rich paste for at least 2,000 years, using plant tannins and iron salts with a multi-day preparation process. The practice extended from the Iron Age to about 400 years ago, signaling beauty, adulthood, and social identity, and was not simply the result of betel chewing; the findings highlight long cultural continuity in the region.
Vietnam is voting for the National Assembly, with 864 candidates of whom about 93% are Communist Party members and 7.5% independents. The ruling party dominates the 500-seat parliament (and holds about 97% of seats overall). Over 73 million voters are electing National Assembly members and local representatives, with results due March 23 and an early-April opening session to approve top leaders such as the president and prime minister. While many citizens hope for modernization, some express skepticism that the election will alter daily life in this one-party state.
This week’s science highlights include Curiosity’s discovery of spiderweb-like structures on Mars containing tiny egg‑like features, Kazakhstan’s plan to reintroduce tigers by year’s end with a major habitat restoration around Lake Balkhash, and archaeologists’ finding of 2,000‑year‑old skeletons in northern Vietnam showing permanently blackened teeth, a practice tied to ancient beauty trends.
Archaeologists studying 2,000-year-old skulls from Vietnam’s Dong Xa Iron Age site found iron oxide and sulfur in tooth enamel, indicating ancient people dyed their teeth black with an iron–tannin paste—likely using tannins from betel nut. The practice, dating to the Iron Age, was a cosmetic trend that persisted in parts of Southeast Asia and would have required days to weeks of application with periodic touch-ups.
Vietnam's government approved a SpaceX Starlink license to operate fixed and mobile satellite internet in the country, including radio frequency and equipment approvals; the move follows a trial program and comes ahead of a U.S. visit, with no launch date announced.
To Lam, Vietnam’s top leader and a former security chief, solidified power by taking dual roles as party chief and president after the 14th National Congress, breaking from the country’s prior power-sharing norm and signaling a push to move quickly on reforms to make Vietnam richer and more influential; he stressed “action” at a post-congress news conference.
Leaked documents cited by The Times show Vietnam’s defence ministry drafted a 2024 plan for a potential US invasion, even as Hanoi publicly deepened ties with Washington; Project88 says the document exists, and analysts note it reflects deep suspicion of US aims and internal tensions within Vietnam’s leadership.
A 2024 Vietnamese Defense Ministry document obtained by The 88 Project warns of possible U.S. invasion and unconventional warfare, labeling the U.S. as belligerent and raising concerns about color-revolution-style uprisings; the report highlights internal government anxiety despite Hanoi’s Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Washington, reflecting tensions between a conservative military faction and leadership who fear external meddling while balancing ties with China and the U.S.