Vietnam
Saigon Sentinel · Section
Reporting from and about Vietnam — politics, economy, civil society, and the diaspora's connection to home.
- Vietnam
Commune and Village Restructuring in 40 Days: Unprecedented Administrative Speed and Overlooked Risks
The mass merger of villages within less than 40 days poses significant challenges to social governance and community trust. This analysis explores the risks of prioritizing administrative speed over cultural nuances, eth…
- Vietnam
GTEL Falls Under Ministry of Public Security: When the State Securitizes Telecommunications Infrastructure
The transfer of GTEL to the Ministry of Public Security marks a turning point in Vietnam's strategy to securitize digital infrastructure. This shift is more than an administrative reshuffle; it introduces direct surveill…
- Vietnam
1,350 workers, 9,000 square meters of ash: The Dong Nai fire exposes structural risks in Vietnam's textile manufacturing model
The Uniwin fire serves as a stark warning about the lack of fire safety infrastructure within FDI industrial zones. As 1,350 workers face potential unemployment, the Vietnamese-American community once again finds itself …
- Vietnam
HCMC's pilot program teaching subjects in English: Integration ambition or burden of educational stratification?
Beyond treating English as a mere subject, HCMC aims to make it a medium of instruction in 10% of schools by 2030. This structural shift promises integration but risks widening the educational divide between the urban el…
- Vietnam
HCMC Electronic Court: Real Reform or Just Another Layer of Digitization on an Old System
When Chief Judge of the Supreme People's Court Nguyễn Văn Quảng stood at the headquarters of the Regional People's Court 1 in Saigon on April 29, 2026 and announced plans to expand the electronic court model across HCMC …
- Vietnam
Fatal accident on Tien River: When Mekong Delta waterway tourism operates outside the law
The tour boat carrying 12 people on the Tien River on the afternoon of April 18, 2026 was not a legally licensed passenger transport vessel.…
- Vietnam
The 2026 High School Graduation Exam: A Revolution in Subject Selection and Its Far-Reaching Consequences for Millions of Test-Takers
2026 marks the first time Vietnam's high school graduation exam will operate under the 2018 General Education Program — and this shift in exam structure is far more than a technical matter.…
- Vietnam
National Food Safety Inspection: When 300 Tons of Diseased Pork Entered Schools and the Three-Ministry Management System Collapsed
On the afternoon of April 1, 2026, during a session of the National Assembly's Standing Committee, Lê Thị Nga — Vice Chair of the Standing Committee on Petitions and Supervision — put forward an unusual proposal: request…
- Vietnam
Dong Nai Becomes a Central-Level City: Major Administrative Overhaul or Genuine Economic Leap?
The Vietnamese government has just set an extremely tight deadline: complete all documentation for the proposal to establish Dong Nai as a central-level city before April 4, 2026.…