Gold market undergoing changes as 11 entities apply for gold bar production licenses, says NHNN official

At around 5:30 PM on May 5, about a day after facing significant criticism over its recruitment campaign, Oatside Vietnam issued an official reply on its Facebook page, which has about 14K followers. The company said it acknowledged discussions surrounding the recent CMO recruitment and admitted that the campaign deployment…

State Bank of Vietnam receives 11 license applications to produce gold bars

At a press briefing on the afternoon of April 14, Đào Xuân Tuấn, head of the Currency and Foreign Exchange Administration (State Bank of Vietnam), said the central bank has received 11 applications seeking licenses to produce gold bars from enterprises and commercial banks. Licensing applications and capital requirements Mr.…

Government to accelerate allocation and disbursement of public investment capital.

The Prime Minister has instructed ministries, sectors, and localities to tighten discipline and administrative order in the allocation and disbursement of public investment capital in 2026, with the aim of completing 100% of the year’s plan. The directive comes as some agencies are disbursing below the national average. Deputy Prime…

China's semiconductor policy spending about 3.6 times that of the United States in 2014–2023

China’s policy spending to support its semiconductor industry totaled about $142 billion over 2014–2023, according to a report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). That figure is roughly 3.6 times the $39 billion the United States committed over the same period. Scale of investment and international positioning…

IMF downgrades global GDP growth forecast as downside scenario unfolds

The IMF warned that the global economy could enter its weakest growth phase since the Covid-19 pandemic if conflict in the Middle East keeps oil prices around $100 a barrel for the rest of the year. The warning came in the IMF’s World Economic Outlook released on 14 April at…

Hanoi targets 65% of retirees to receive monthly pensions or social insurance benefits during 2026-2030

Hanoi is implementing a plan to strengthen leadership by party committees for social insurance and health insurance in the city for the 2026–2030 period, following Directive 06-CT/TU of the Standing Committee of the Hanoi Municipal Party Committee. The plan frames the development of social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance…

Ho Chi Minh City tightens oversight of health insurance expenditure for medical treatment

The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee has issued Document No. 2951/UBND-VX dated April 13, 2026, on strengthening management and control of health insurance expenditure for medical examination and treatment in the locality. Under the directive, although health insurance expenditure management has made positive progress, there remain risks of abuse…

State to fund up to 3 billion per top science and technology PhD student under the VREF program

The Ministry of Science and Technology has issued Decision 2103/QD-BKHCN dated April 13, 2026, officially approving the “Program to support excellent PhD students, 2026-2030” (VREF). The program is designed to shift policy from supporting training toward direct investment in excellent research, with the goal of forming a young scientific workforce…