When the Asean Economic Community was officially launched in 2015, the rhetoric was intoxicating. A single market and production base. The free flow of skilled labor. A region where a Filipino engineer could compete on equal footing with a Singaporean counterpart, where a Filipino nurse could work in a hospital in Kuala Lumpur or Bangkok...
Tag: Vietnam
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Vietnam is making waves in global pageantry
The last quarter of the year is proving to be a significant one for Vietnam in terms of international pageantry, with two global competitions in that country and an international crown for a resident of the capital Ho Chi Minh (or Saigon). It may appear unlikely for a communist country to take part in the...
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A thorny dilemma: Acacia plantations in Vietnam may not be all that green
The country’s embrace of acacia plantations has lifted some smallholder households out of poverty. But it comes at a cost to the environment and even lives. This is part two of a two-part series on the wood pellet industry in Vietnam. For part one, click here. The fast-growing and economical acacia has spread in Central Vietnam...
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Smoke, mirrors, wood pellets: Vietnam clears native forest to supply ‘clean’ energy to Asia
Expansive deforestation in Central Vietnam is being driven by the global demand for wood pellets—a supposedly green alternative to fossil fuels. This is part one of a two-part series on the wood pellet industry in Vietnam. For part two, please click here. Vietnam has supplied wood pellets to Japan and South Korea in their quest to...