The Southeast Asian ecommerce market is on a strong upward trajectory, with potential to increase 85.4% to 289.8 billion by 2029, according to a study recently conducted by 2C2P, according to a study recently conducted by payments platform 2C2P by Antom.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has described Vietnam as a dynamic partner with an increasingly important role in Southeast Asia during a ceremony in Jerusalem on May 18 to receive the credentials from Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen Ky Son.

Thai Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives Suriyas Junrungreangkit recently visited Chanthaburi province to inspect durian export activities and fruit quality control, reaffirming the country’s target of pushing durian export revenue beyond 150 billion THB (4.6 billion USD) in 2026.

Japan has become the first overseas venue to host a Vietnamese language proficiency test based on unified standards issued by Vietnam’s Ministry of Education and Training (MoET), marking a new step in the internationalisation of the language.

Palaeontologists from Thailand and the UK have announced the discovery of a new species of long-necked dinosaur, named Nagatitan Chaiyaphumensis, believed to be the largest dinosaur ever identified in Thailand and across Southeast Asia.

Vietnam Customs, in collaboration with the Global Rapid Interdiction of Dangerous Substances (GRIDS) Programme under the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), on May 13 held a ceremony to hand over equipment to the Narcotics Targeting Centre (NTC) and officially launch the centre’s new office.

Vietnamese Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Lam Thi Phuong Thanh held talks with Lao Minister of Culture and Tourism Suonsavan Vignaket in Vientiane, Laos on May 12 to review their 2021–2025 partnership and set the agenda for 2026–2030.

Vietnam and Cambodia are seeking to strengthen supply chain connectivity and promote sustainable border trade at a trade promotion conference in Vietnam's Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap on May 15, as the two neighbours work toward boosting bilateral trade to 20 billion USD by 2030.

Indonesia is projected to become the world’s fourth-largest aviation market by 2030 amid continued strong growth in global air transport demand, according to its Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita.

ASEAN is committed to strengthening intra-regional trade, including increasing intra-bloc trade to at least 30% by 2030, according to Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on May 8 that leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) had agreed to strengthen intra-bloc trade and reinforce regional food security mechanisms amid rising energy prices and disruptions to global shipping routes caused by conflict in the Middle East.

Thai agricultural authorities have stepped up inspections of durian packing houses in Chanthaburi after finding 1.4 tonnes of immature or storm-fallen durians, as the Government moves to protect the quality and export reputation of Thai durians.

Malaysia loses an estimated 700 million MYR (about 177 million USD) annually due to electricity theft linked to illegal bitcoin mining, said Malaysian Deputy Minister of Energy Transition and Water Transformation Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Mohamad.

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung will lead a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation to the 48th ASEAN Summit in Cebu, the Philippines, from May 7-8, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Vietnamese students in Singapore marked the 51st anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification with a cultural programme that celebrated national identity while strengthening bonds within the overseas Vietnamese community.

Former Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung were presented with the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun at a ceremony in Hanoi on May 2.

Vietnam’s coffee exports to Thailand rose rapidly in early 2026, driven by growing demand for roasted and processed products, even as global coffee prices eased in mid-April.

Vietnamese Ambassador to Argentina and Uruguay Ngo Minh Nguyet recently met in Montevideo with Juan Castillo, a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Uruguay (PCU) and Uruguay’s Minister of Labour, to advance bilateral cooperation and discuss ties between the two communist parties.

Vietnam transferred one set of remains believed to belong to a US serviceman missing in action (MIA) during the war at the 172nd repatriation ceremony held in central Da Nang city on April 29.

The Philippines’ Department of Agriculture (DA) is seeking to mobilise up to 500 million USD to develop its engineered bamboo industry by 2027, as the country steps up efforts to harness bio-based materials for construction and sustainable development.