One of Vietnam’s largest banks reported surging profits last year, as the Southeast Asian economy turned a corner from the “perfect storm” of 2023. The Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank,

Southeast Asia’s economic growth is expected to go into overdrive in 2025, with Asean markets leading the way. According to an Asia House report, Vietnam and Philippines will remain key growth drivers.

Southeast Asian foreign ministers are gathering for their first meeting this year under the regional bloc’s new chair, Malaysia, seeking a breakthrough over Myanmar’s drawn-out civil war and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

The survey shows that regional elites prefer ASEAN to lead Southeast Asia over China or the United States. Most respondents regard ASEAN as more influential and higher ranking than either of the two major powers. Though Chinese influence is substantial, it is not preeminent, with only Thai respondents regarding China as most influential.

The escalating trade tensions between the U.S. and China have triggered a strategic recalibration of supply chains. As highlighted by Singapore’s former Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, “Southeast Asia will be a natural beneficiary of any realignment in global trade dynamics caused by geopolitical shifts.”

The country’s recent ASEAN football championship success could soon be matched by achievements in the economic realm.

Czech’s biggest automaker Skoda is set to complete its $500 million factory in northern Vietnam, its first in Southeast Asia, by the end of March.

In a country where the average monthly income is around 7.7 million dong, running a red light can now cost more than 6 million dong.

Nguyen Hoai Thuong, 39, the owner of the Lolita restaurant in District 1 in Ho Chi Minh City, has been charged with procurement after a police raid at a hotel on Cao Ba Quat Street uncovered two couples allegedly involved in prostitution.

HO CHI MINH CITY -- Czech automaker Skoda will complete a half-billion-dollar factory in Vietnam this quarter, producing internal combustion engine cars -- before introducing electric vehicles -- with plans to export around Southeast Asia, the government said.

Passengers in Singapore and Thailand can select Grab's “eco-friendly ride” option, which will prioritise allocating green vehicles, and at no extra charge.

Singaporean and Vietnamese youths are also the most optimistic and satisfied about their countries’ political systems, law enforcement and economic future than their peers in four other Southeast Asian countries,