Conversations on Vietnam Development
Lakan Araw, Studied Filipino Language Arts (Graduated 2025), Updated 4y. QUORA
[ From all the articles I’ve written regarding SE Asian economics, here’s how I will arrange the top 5 SE Asian countries that I think will have the most productivity in the next 20 years ]
Starbucks, KFC, Pizza Hut, and McDonald’s suffer sales slumps as Gaza war boycotts continue across Asia, boosting local and Palestinian brands
 "Fast food")
Gaza boycotts batter fast-food chains Starbucks, KFC, Pizza Hut, and McDonald’s and other US brands in Malaysia and Indonesia | Photo: PexelsVasudha Mukherjee New Delhi
In Malaysia and Indonesia, some of the biggest names in fast food — Starbucks, KFC, Pizza Hut, and McDonald’s — are still struggling to recover from the financial hit caused by boycotts sparked by the war in Gaza, according to a report by Nikkei Asia.
In Malaysia, Starbucks operator Berjaya Food reported an 18 per cent year-on-year revenue drop in early 2024, with net losses widening to 37.2 million ringgit (US $9 million). Its share price has fallen another 15 per cent this year. The chain has leaned on heavy localisation efforts — drinks curated by Malaysian baristas, locally designed merchandise, and menu items by a popular local chef — but store managers expect the total number of outlets to shrink from 350 to under 300 by 2026.
QSR Brands, which runs KFC and Pizza Hut, swung from a pre-tax profit of 49.6 million ringgit in 2023 to a 66.2 million ringgit loss in 2024. It has cut prices, pizzas as low as 5 ringgit, stressed its halal credentials, and hired more local staff to appeal to customers.
Tiếp tục đọc “Gaza boycotts batter American fast-food chains in Malaysia, Indonesia”
This five-part series explores how the acceleration of electric vehicle adoption could increase the demand for rubber—a commodity that has historically driven deforestation and land grabbing across the Mekong region. Experts say the EV transition will boost rubber demand, as EVs need specialized tires that can bear heavier vehicle weight and high torque.
This matters to the Mekong region. Our data analysis shows that Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam together supply nearly 50% of the world’s natural rubber. About 70% of global rubber goes into tires. Without effective traceability in place, deforestation and land conflicts, many of which are ongoing and affecting the lives and livelihoods of local communities—are unlikely to be solved.
Part 1: Mekong’s ‘white gold’ rush amid a global EV boom
Part 2: Cash from rubber comes at the cost of Laos’ forests
Part 3: In Cambodia, our land became their rubber plantation
Part 4: Myanmar’s upland plantations worsen border floods
Part 5: Mekong’s push for responsible rubber and tire production
Story by Mekong Eye’s investigation team
This series was produced in partnership with Earth Journalism Network and the Pulitzer Center
Electric vehicles (EVs) are on the rise — from Bangkok to Hanoi to Vientiane — promising a cleaner future as part of the global shift to clean energy, with more than 17 million electric cars sold worldwide in 2024.
But there is still a cost to pay for these ‘green cars’. With their heavier battery weight and higher torque, EVs wear out their tires faster than gasoline-powered cars, and therefore consume more tires throughout their lifetime.
In every tire is natural rubber, the key raw material that ensures durability, elasticity and strength.
The growing demand for EV tires has had significant implications for the Mekong region — Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam — which produces about 50% of the world’s natural rubber and hosts major plants for multinational tire manufacturers and EV makers.
Southeast Asia is facing one of its wettest seasons in recent memory, with record-breaking rain and floods — and a powerful weather combo is driving it.
Đậu Tiến Đạt, 28/10/2025 21:58 GMT+7, VNEpress
Curfews, soldiers in the streets, and a prime minister’s resignation. After a social media blackout and years of corruption claims, Nepal erupted. Security forces fired live rounds, killing at least 19. With demands for mass resignations and new elections, what’s next for Nepal?
Griffith.edu.au May 19, 2025 By Dr Hai Thanh Luong
From fake job offers to cryptocurrency fraud and online romance scams, Southeast Asia has become a global hub for transnational scam operations.
These aren’t isolated crimes, they are organised, cross-border and industrial-scale criminal enterprises that exploit vulnerable people and expose the limits of international law enforcement.
New research shows this surge in scams represents more than just a regional issue. It’s a transnational emergency, and it demands an urgent, coordinated response.
Several factors have turned Southeast Asia into a hotbed for scam syndicates.
The collapse of rule of law in parts of Myanmar has created ungoverned spaces where criminal operations flourish.
Meanwhile, countries like Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines offer a fertile environment for transnational crime due to weak governance, corruption, and limited oversight.
These scam centres don’t just target foreign victims. They also lure and trap workers—many of them young people from poorer nations—under the false promise of legitimate employment. Once inside, many are subjected to forced labour, abuse and trafficking.
This has become a humanitarian crisis as scam compounds across Southeast Asia have held thousands of people against their will, forcing them to commit fraud under threat of violence.
The rise of digital technologies has only made these operations harder to trace and easier to scale. From encrypted messaging to unregulated cryptocurrency, scam networks have globalised rapidly, while enforcement efforts remain stuck behind borders.
One of the key challenges in confronting this crisis is the fragmented nature of law enforcement.
Scams that begin in one country can target victims in another, while using platforms, payment systems, and communication tools hosted across multiple jurisdictions.
But many national police forces are not equipped to act beyond their borders. And transnational criminal syndicates have exploited the lack of international coordination to operate with relative impunity.
Even where political will exists, legal mismatches and diplomatic bottlenecks prevent timely investigations, arrests or prosecutions.
Countries tend to focus inward, launching isolated crackdowns that fail to dismantle the broader networks.
This mismatch between the global nature of the threat and the localised nature of responses is precisely what allows these scams to thrive.
To seriously confront this growing criminal economy, regional governments must prioritise coordinated responses, cross-border investigations, and robust intelligence sharing.
This includes:
ASEAN, Interpol, and UNODC all have a role to play. But meaningful cooperation remains patchy, slow and overly politicised. Tackling scams as a global crisis, not just a regional one, will require serious investment and political leadership.
Scams are often dismissed as digital annoyances or consumer issues.
The response to this crisis cannot be local, slow or siloed. The fight against transnational scams cannot be won in isolation.
Only by working together can states dismantle the criminal networks exploiting the region’s vulnerabilities.
But what we are seeing in Southeast Asia is a complex ecosystem of transnational organised crime, often underpinned by exploitation and violence.
Billions of dollars are being stolen. Thousands of people are being trafficked and abused. And public trust in digital systems is eroding as scams become more sophisticated.
Agency says gangs caused $37bn in losses in Asia as they gain new footholds in Africa, South America, and Middle East.
lowyinstitute.org Elizabeth Thurbon Oliver Yates
A new policy model that removes the risk in clean commodity innovation will put Australia ahead of the pack.
Australia will need to lead as global supply chains pivot towards low-emissions production (Getty Images)
Published 9 Jul 2025 Australia Australian trade, investment & economy
As global supply chains pivot towards low-emissions production, Australia will need to lead, or risk being left behind. The country’s challenge is not a lack of technology, capital, or ambition. It’s a gap in policy architecture. Without bankable demand, Australia’s most promising clean commodity projects – green iron, sustainable aviation fuel, and clean ammonia – remain stuck at the starting line.
To meet that challenge, we propose a new demand-side policy model: the Clean Commodities Trading Initiative (CCTI) – a flagship example of green energy statecraft. At its heart is a new tool for national transformation: Clean Commodity Credits that reward innovation and emissions savings.
A market-friendly mechanism to kickstart large-scale clean production.
Green energy statecraft is a strategic approach to governance that uses the clean energy transition to simultaneously advance a nation’s economic, environmental, social, and geostrategic goals. Unlike conventional industry policy, which focuses on domestic market corrections, statecraft treats clean energy as key to national security and prosperity – used to build alliances, secure supply chains, boost productivity, and shape global rules.
The European Union, China, Japan, and South Korea are all pursuing variations of green energy statecraft. Australia must do the same – on its own terms, with tools suited to its advantages, institutions, and budget.
Tiếp tục đọc “Green energy statecraft and Australia’s clean industry future”
vietnamfinance.com – 21/02/2025 08:30 (GMT+7)
(VNF) – Trong những năm gần đây, các hoạt động lừa đảo xuyên biên giới tại khu vực Đông Nam Á đã gia tăng mạnh mẽ, đặc biệt là những tổ chức lừa đảo có sự tham gia của các nhóm tội phạm Trung Quốc. Những tổ chức này không chỉ gây thiệt hại tài chính mà còn ảnh hưởng nghiêm trọng đến an ninh và trật tự xã hội của các quốc gia trong khu vực.
Các chiến dịch quốc tế nhằm đối phó với tình trạng này, bao gồm việc hồi hương hàng chục nghìn tội phạm lừa đảo về Trung Quốc, đã cho thấy sự tham gia của tội phạm nước này trong các vụ lừa đảo tại Đông Nam Á là rất lớn.
Theo một báo cáo mới đây của Trung tâm nghiên cứu chiến lược và quốc tế (CSIS, Mỹ), những hang ổ lừa đảo cắm rễ sau sự xuống dốc của lĩnh vực kinh doanh cờ bạc tại Đông Nam Á và gắn liền với các băng nhóm tội phạm người Trung Quốc.
Sau phong tỏa trong đại dịch Covid-19, nhiều khu casino và khách sạn bỏ trống đã biến thành các trung tâm lừa đảo qua mạng, nơi các nạn nhân buôn người bị chúng dụ dỗ và cưỡng ép đã lừa hàng tỷ USD từ nhiều người.
There is a human trafficking crisis in Southeast Asia. The UN estimates that 120,000 people have been trafficked to scam centres in Myanmar and another 100,000 in Cambodia. Many of them are brought through the border with Thailand. The victims are often forced to work as scammers, defrauding billions of dollars from unsuspecting targets across the world. These scam syndicates have been linked to the Chinese mafia as well as local rebels in Myanmar.
How do these scam centres operate? Who are the trafficking victims and how did they end up in this predicament? How is Thailand’s economy suffering from these trafficking networks, and what is being done to stamp them out? Insight investigates.
00:00 Introduction
01:22 Chinese victim in Myanmar’s scam factory
03:34 Why Southeast Asia is breeding ground for scams
06:23 High-profile kidnap of Chinese actor
07:52 Why war-torn Myanmar attracts scam kingpins
13:26 Changing demographic of trafficked victims 15:23 What happens inside scam centres
23:47 The voluntary scammers
25:21 How scams work
29:34 Romance gone wrong
34:49 China’s role in scam crackdown
37:21 What’s Thailand doing to fight scammers
Indonesia received the most funding from China over the last decade, according to a new report by Zero Carbon Analytics. But uncertainties caused by US-driven tariff plans could see Southeast Asian countries retract green investments, said an analyst.
By Hannah Alcoseba Fernande June 4, 2025
China is the leading source of public clean energy investments in Southeast Asia over the last decade, channeling over US$ 2.7 billion into projects across the region, according to a report by international research organisation Zero Carbon Analytics.
UNICRI – United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute
NEW UNICRI Report: Crimes Associated with Critical Minerals in Southeast Asia
As Southeast Asia’s role in global critical mineral supply chains grows, so does its exposure to criminal threats like environmental crimes, corruption, and illicit financial flows.
UNICRI’s latest publication analyzes how various actors exploit legal and enforcement gaps across the mineral value chain. It includes case studies on unlawful extraction, smuggling, and corruption-linked offenses.
Key criminal patterns identified:
Recommendations to strengthen regional responses:
UNICRI supports collaboration among Member States and relevant stakeholders to promote secure, transparent, and sustainable mineral supply chains.
Read the report: https://bit.ly/4lHUBf3
South China Morning Post – 28-2-2025
The Tokyo government is set to introduce a four-day work week for its employees starting in April 2025, following a similar move made by Singapore in December. Governments and companies in Asia have generally been slower than their Western counterparts in taking steps to adopt a healthy work-life balance. For decades, Japan’s work culture has been synonymous with gruelling hours and self-sacrifice. Is Tokyo’s introduction of a four-day work week the start of a shift away from a culture of overwork in Japan and across the region, or is it just a pipe dream for Asia?
South China Morning Post – 10-7-2024
Japan and the Philippines have signed a historic defence agreement, allowing both countries to station troops on each other’s soil. The pact is the first of its kind for Japan in the region. At the same time, Tokyo and Manila have been strengthening their alliances with the US and its allies in the region, including South Korea, India and Australia. China, which seeks to extend and maintain its influence in the region, has denounced any alliance-building. Why has the latest agreement sounded alarm bells in Beijing?
CVD 