US technology companies have warned Vietnam’s government that a draft law to tighten information-protection rules and limit data transfers abroad would hamper social media platforms and data centre operators from growing their businesses in the Southeast Asian country. The draft law, being discussed in the country’s parliament, is also designed to ease authorities’ access to … Read more
This is the latest instalment in a feature series reflecting on instances of East meets West in world cinema, including China-US co-productions. In the mid-1980s, Jackie Chan was one of the biggest stars in Asia. But while his films regularly topped the Hong Kong box office, he just could not crack America. After the disappointments … Read more
HANOI: Oil giant Saudi Aramco wants to invest in the oil refinery sector and petroleum distribution in Vietnam, the Southeast Asian country’s government said late on Tuesday (Oct 29). The announcement came after a meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Saudi Aramco’s chief executive officer Amin Al-Nasser in Riyadh during Chinh’s visit to … Read more
China aims to scale up infrastructure construction in uniquely strategic Laos to accelerate trade and investment throughout Southeast Asia as Chinese businesses scout for space to grow offshore, analysts said. Laos, relatively undeveloped and small at just 7.4 million people, matters to Beijing because it shares borders not only with China, but also with the … Read more
Chocolate is universally loved, and possesses the power to lift one’s mood by releasing the feel-good chemical dopamine. In 2022 more than eight million tonnes (7.8 million tons) of chocolate was consumed globally and it is a US$120 billion industry, one dominated by Germany, Belgium, Italy and Poland. While Europeans eat the most chocolate and … Read more
SINGAPORE: President Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Friday (Oct 25) congratulated Mr Luong Cuong on his appointment as president of Vietnam. The 67-year-old military general is Vietnam’s fourth president in the past three years, following a period of political upheaval. He replaced Mr To Lam, who became president in May after his two predecessors were ousted in an anti-graft fight. In a letter, Mr Tharman extended … Read more
TikTok owner ByteDance has been losing momentum in 2024, with slower revenue growth and narrower profit margins for the first three quarters compared with last year, according to local media. Revenue growth “significantly” slowed for the first nine months of the year, while profit margins slimmed for the first time since 2022, Chinese tech media … Read more
The week before Sam Aisbett opened Akuna in Ho Chi Minh City, in southern Vietnam, he panicked. “I said, ‘What the hell am I doing? What an idiot,’” recalled the Australian chef of the July 2023 opening. There was no way his restaurant, with a menu price of 3.9 million dong (US$155) – at least … Read more
“LOSING MY MIND” Around 36,000 people who bought bonds issued by SCB have been identified as victims of the fraud. Lan was ordered to compensate all the victims, according to state media, but no detail was given on how or when it would happen. Huong told AFP she wanted to die after losing US$20,000, her … Read more
Chef Ken Wan grew up behind the counter of a Chinese restaurant in a Boston suburb. He watched his parents serve General Tso’s chicken and beef and broccoli to the masses who came through the doors of New China Garden in West Roxbury, Mass. Wan understands the appeal of those dishes to American eaters. But … Read more
