Vietnam

Việt Nam đã làm chủ công nghệ lõi của chuỗi giá trị ô tô

Bao Dien Tu | Local Language | News | Dec. 11, 2025 | UndeterminedTech Development/Adoption

On December 5, 2025, Kim Long Motor Huế Joint Stock Company inaugurated the Yuchai engine production plant in Huế City, marking a significant milestone for Vietnam’s automotive industry. The plant, with over 90% automation and data traceability by engine code, represents Vietnam’s shift from assembling imported components to mastering core engine manufacturing, which includes engines blocks, crankshafts, and cylinder heads. This development is crucial for increasing localization, reducing trade deficits, enhancing added value, and building the foundation for precision mechanical engineering in Vietnam.

Located in the strategic Chân Mây-Lăng Cô Economic Zone, the factory is positioned to become a catalyst for a new automotive and mechanical industrial cluster in Central Vietnam. This cluster is expected to attract precision mechanical enterprises, foundry-forging-processing companies, R&D centers, industrial logistics, vocational training, and urban development, thus balancing the region’s economic focus and advancing deeper manufacturing value chains.

Vietnam’s entry into engine production coincides with favorable shifts in global supply chains and ASEAN automotive industry dynamics. Leveraging its intermediary location within ASEAN, growing industrial capabilities, and an extensive network of free trade agreements, Vietnam is poised to advance beyond its traditional follower role to become a key player in complex automotive value chains. The Kim Long Engine Factory can serve as a technology anchor, attract high-value foreign direct investment, and foster Vietnam’s design and manufacturing capabilities essential for regional leadership.

However, several challenges remain. Vietnam must achieve substantive localization through technology transfer and domestic enterprise capability improvements, prepare for the global shift toward green automotive technologies, develop a robust supporting ecosystem of mechanical and material suppliers, and cultivate a highly skilled workforce through university and vocational training cooperation. Addressing these challenges is critical to transforming the inauguration milestone into a sustainable industrial advancement.

To capitalize on this opportunity, a comprehensive strategy is required involving binding localization policies, incentives to attract supporting industries to the Chân Mây-Lăng Cô zone, and investments in human capital development. Regional infrastructure upgrades, including seaport, transportation, and smart industrial urban planning, are necessary for long-term growth. Additionally, Vietnam must proactively develop national standards and regulations to support green automotive technology innovation.

The establishment of the Kim Long Engine Factory marks a historic moment for Vietnam’s mechanical and automotive sectors. Realizing its full potential depends on visionary policies, ecosystem development, technology upgrades, skilled workforce training, and strategic regional planning, positioning Vietnam to rise as a confident, sustainable player in the global automotive value chain.

Vietnam Net - E | English | News | Dec. 11, 2025 | UndeterminedEmployment

From June 1 to December 3, the government issued over 170 legal documents to support the new two-tier local government model. In November, Resolution 374 approved a budget of VND 2,615 billion to aid 27 localities in upgrading commune-level administrative units. The government has provided guidance, training, and addressed issues to ensure unified operation across localities. Most localities have filled leadership roles in people’s committees and councils, with only five still completing cadre assignments. A total of 466 provincial specialized agencies and 9,916 commune-level professional offices are now operational.

Several localities, including Hanoi, An Giang, Can Tho, Bac Ninh, and Phu Tho, have conducted large-scale reassignments of officials, with Hanoi transferring about 1,200 civil servants to commune levels. Training programs are being strengthened to meet workforce needs. In terms of finance and assets, 178 commune units in four provinces lacking equipment have been fully supplied, and all have opened treasury accounts. Public asset management has seen 17,496 housing and land facilities processed, with 9,056 under review. Only 89 communes lack operational vehicles. Budgets are allocated for procurement and public housing is distributed based on needs.

Challenges remain with 355 tasks awaiting guidance and 10 tasks needing authority adjustments. Some regulations conflict with the new government model, including licensing medical activities, industrial zone management boards, public service units under provincial committees, recruiting education staff at commune level, and certain administrative fines. Administrative procedures require simplification, especially in population management and judicial records, with issues in online service suitability, inconsistent databases, and slow telecommunications and electricity coverage in some areas.

To address these challenges, the Minister of Home Affairs called on ministries to promptly issue guidance, propose authority adjustments, and amend related laws. Ministries must cut administrative procedures, expand digital transformation, and improve data connectivity. Localities are tasked with consolidating agricultural and land offices, arranging commune-level employees, establishing general service units, completing organizational structures, and replacing underperforming officials. According to reports from 30 localities and 12 ministries, 61.54 percent of 949 delegated tasks are feasible; 37.41 percent require guidance; and 1.05 percent need authority adjustments.

Between July 1 and November 30, 34 localities processed 21.8 million administrative requests, with 18.4 million submitted online and a 92.78 percent on-time processing rate. As of December 1, 47 out of 129 remote villages without electricity were connected to the national grid, leaving 82 still unconnected.

Vietnam Net - E | English | News | Dec. 11, 2025 | Pollution

As of 2 PM on December 9, 2025, Hanoi's Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 174, ranking it ninth among the world's most polluted cities. The city's core experienced a significant surge in fine particulate matter (PM2.5), causing thick haze that obscured the skyline despite sunny weather conditions. At that time, Kolkata, India, recorded the worst air quality globally.

The Northern Environmental Monitoring Center, part of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, reported Hanoi's AQI levels as hazardous—the highest in the region for the day. The center projected that air quality would remain "very unhealthy" for the next 48 hours in Hanoi and neighboring provinces including Hung Yen, Hai Phong, and Ninh Binh.

In response, the Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health issued a public advisory. Citizens were urged to wear certified masks outdoors, avoid tobacco smoke, and smokers were encouraged to reduce or quit smoking. Individuals sensitive to air pollution were advised to avoid emission sources and seek immediate medical attention if experiencing symptoms such as coughing, difficulty breathing, or chest pain.

Earlier on the morning of December 9, Hanoi's AQI peaked at 283, classified as "very unhealthy." The dense smog significantly reduced visibility, making even nearby skyscrapers difficult to see.