🥖 Electric Dreams, Tungsten Schemes, and Tax Nightmares

December 08, 2025

Your weekly business update on Vietnam.
Sharp, crisp, well-crafted - like your favorite bánh mì sandwich.

Good evening,

This is your weekly Bánh Mì Brief coming in hot.

On today‘s menu: Hanoi dangles record subsidies to nudge riders onto electric motorbikes, Huawei and ZTE quietly wire up Vietnam’s 5G future as US tariffs bite, and Berlin looks to a tungsten pit in Vietnam to keep Germany’s factories humming.

Enjoy the read!

MARKETS
Hanoi‘s VND 5m nudge towards electric streets

Hanoi is dangling subsidies of up to VND5 million (about US$190) to convince residents to swap gasoline motorbikes for electric ones, with even larger support for poor and near-poor households. The package also includes cuts to registration fees and interest support on instalment loans, signalling that city leaders want cleaner air as much as quieter streets.

From July 1, 2026, gasoline bikes will be banned during certain hours in downtown districts inside Ring Road 1, with restrictions expanding to Ring Road 2 and 3 in later phases. Commercial operators such as ride-hailing and motorbike taxis face even stricter timelines, pushing them to electrify fleets before the end of the decade.

For everyday riders, the math is starting to tilt toward electric as fuel savings stack on top of subsidies. For Hanoi, the policy cocktail of bans, benefits, and better public transport is a bet that wallet-friendly carrots will make its upcoming sticks a lot easier to swallow.

BUSINESS
Huawei’s Vietnam infrastructure deals

Huawei

Huawei and ZTE have landed new 5G equipment deals in Vietnam worth tens of millions of dollars just months after Washington slapped tariffs on key Vietnamese exports. A Huawei-led consortium secured a roughly US$23 million contract in April, while ZTE has won at least two antenna supply agreements valued above US$20 million.

US officials have quietly warned Hanoi that relying on Chinese kit could complicate access to advanced American technologies and risk sensitive data exposure. Vietnam is exploring ways to isolate certain networks if needed, trying to reassure partners while still pushing ahead with a fast, cost-effective 5G rollout.

The shift also reflects warmer political and economic ties with Beijing as frictions with Washington grow. For Vietnam’s operators, Chinese vendors bring proven gear at aggressive prices; for policymakers, the challenge is turning that advantage into leverage without getting caught in the crossfire of great-power tech rivalry.

QUICK BITES
Have you heard…

Satellites Incoming: Vietnam is close to greenlighting Starlink and Amazon’s Kuiper for satellite internet trials, after both firms updated license applications in late November
Scan in Shanghai, Scan in Sa Pa: Vietnam and China have launched cross-border QR payments so Chinese tourists can scan Vietnamese codes now, with Vietnamese travelers set to scan in China next
Coke vs. Taxman, Round Over: A Ho Chi Minh City court has rejected Coca-Cola Beverages Vietnam’s lawsuit, forcing it to pay more than VND 800 billion in back taxes and penalties
Petrovietnam Cashes Out of PVI: Petrovietnam plans to auction its entire 35 percent stake in non-life insurer PVI, a holding valued at hundreds of millions of dollars at current prices
Battery Burden Lifted (For Now): EV makers in Vietnam are likely to be exempt from battery collection and recycling rules because most electric vehicle packs won’t reach end-of-life for at least a decade

OUTLOOK
Germany digging into Vietnam

Germany is eyeing Vietnam’s Nui Phao mine as it scrambles to diversify critical mineral supply away from China. A recent high-level visit by German officials to Masan High-Tech Materials highlighted tungsten’s importance for defense and high-tech manufacturing.

Nui Phao is one of the largest tungsten deposits outside China and also produces fluorspar, bismuth, and copper, giving Vietnam serious leverage in strategic materials. With Vietnam already supplying a meaningful share of US and European tungsten imports, deeper Berlin–Hanoi cooperation could turn the country into a key node in Europe’s raw-material security map.

For Vietnam, German interest offers not only new buyers but also the chance to move further up the value chain in refining and advanced materials. In an era where minerals can be as political as missiles, this partnership could prove as strategic as any trade deal.

Anything missed, feedback to share, or a topic to cover next week? Just hit reply to this email.

Enjoyed the read? Share it with friends, colleagues, and anyone curious about Vietnam’s growth path.

See you next week! 🥖

🥖 Electric Dreams, Tungsten Schemes, and Tax Nightmares

MARKETSHanoi‘s VND 5m nudge towards electric streets

BUSINESSHuawei’s Vietnam infrastructure deals

QUICK BITESHave you heard…

OUTLOOKGermany digging into Vietnam

MARKETS
Hanoi‘s VND 5m nudge towards electric streets

BUSINESS
Huawei’s Vietnam infrastructure deals

QUICK BITES
Have you heard…

OUTLOOK
Germany digging into Vietnam

🥖 Electric Dreams, Tungsten Schemes, and Tax Nightmares

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