Lam Le
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Southeast Asia reporter @restofworld
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Articles by Lam Le
Vietnam’s Gig Workers Are Finding New Ways to Push Back
GrabFood delivery riders outside a Burger King restaurant at Tampines Mall. (Singapore Press via AP Images) In early September, Facebook groups for drivers with ride-hailing and food delivery platform Grab in Vietnam were flooded with calls to boycott the app over excessive commissions and a lack of fare transparency.
Workers in Asia Are Fighting for Protections as AI Threatens Jobs
A group of shareholders of Samsung Electronics Co. hold a rally criticizing a tentative wage agreement struck between the company and its labor union near the home of Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, May 21, 2026.
Vietnam moves its dead for Trump golf course
In a small cemetery nestled between fruit farms in northern Vietnam, farmers who for decades buried their dead near family plantations...
How Platform Labor Laws are Shaping Gig Work in Singapore and Malaysia
Lam Le is a fellow at Tech Policy Press. A GrabFood delivery rider on a bicycle. (Singapore Press via AP Images) One year after Singapore’s Platform Workers Act came into effect in January 2025, Carmen Ortega, a ride-hailing driver, and Hayyan, a delivery worker, are both clocking more hours every week to make up for lower take-home pay. A portion of their monthly earnings now goes into their social security accounts.
Vietnam’s New AI Law Balances Innovation Push With Tight State Control
Lam Le is a fellow at Tech Policy Press. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, left, speaks to Apple CEO Tim Cook, right, before their meeting in Hanoi, Vietnam, in April 2024. (Duong Van Giang/VNA via AP) On March 1, Vietnam became the first country in Southeast Asia to have a comprehensive AI law come into effect. The Law on Artificial Intelligence draws on preceding legislation, notably the EU’s AI Act, which includes risk-based management of AI.
Phim Tết có từ bao giờ?
Có bao giờ bạn tự hỏi, ông bà, cha mẹ hoặc các thế hệ trước xem phim Tết như thế nào không? Phim Tết ngày xưa khác gì phim Tết hôm nay? Phim Tết Việt và phim Tết Hồng Kông, Trung Quốc có gì giống và khác nhau? Hãy cùng Vietcetera quay ngược dòng quá khứ để lần theo hương vị của phim Tết từ 7 thập niên trước cho đến ngày hôm nay. Phim Tết xưa: Ông bà, cha mẹ chúng ta xem phim Tết như thế nào?
How Vietnam and the US Differ in Using State Power to Regulate TikTok
Lam Le is a fellow at Tech Policy Press. The TikTok logo is displayed through a magnifying glass in this photo illustration in Ontario, Canada, on February 5, 2026. (Photo by Thomas Fuller/NurPhoto via AP) As TikTok finalized a sale to United States investors in January, the platform was penalized in Vietnam, where authorities fined it 880 million dong ($33,800) for misleading users about data practices. Both countries had threatened to ban TikTok over user safety.
Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant Activities of Methanolic Helicteres hirsuta Leaf Extract
Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Supporting Information Filename Description cbdv70515-sup-0001-SuppMat.docx289.7 KB Supporting File 1: cbdv70515-sup-0001-SuppMat.docx References 1, , and , “Free Radicals, Oxidative Stress-Related Diseases and Antioxidant Supplementation,” Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine 28 (2022): 114–128.
How Vietnam’s military built one of the hottest tech companies in Southeast Asia
A Vietnamese military-owned company has quietly become one of the most ambitious state-backed technology firms in the world. Viettel, launched by Vietnam’s Ministry of National Defense in 1989 to build antenna towers, is now the country’s largest telecommunications firm. Its businesses include 5G hardware, surveillance technologies, affordable mobile phones, and even robotics. In 2024, its revenue was $7.2 billion.
US-China tech rivalry spurs semiconductor ambitions
This article was originally published in Rest of World, which covers technology’s impact outside the West. In February, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum unveiled Kutsari Center, a national chip design hub – the first step in an ambitious plan to develop a homegrown semiconductor industry. Dozens of scientists and researchers stood by the president as she described the “very important” project.
[HCMC | Business Briefing] 2025 Tax Changes in Vietnam: Key Impacts and Actions
Skip to content Back Eurocham Phone (84-28) 3827 2715 Website Eurocham Website EuroCham and RSM Vietnam jointly invite you to join us at a special seminar on the topic: “2025 Tax Changes in Vietnam: Key Impacts and Actions”. This in-depth session will bring together distinguished tax experts to share insights on the latest legislative changes and their implications for businesses.
India, Mexico, and Malaysia want to be the world’s next chip hubs
In February, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum unveiled Kutsari Center, a national chip design hub — the first step in an ambitious plan to develop a homegrown semiconductor industry. Dozens of scientists and researchers stood by the president as she described the “very important” project. The center, due to open next year, is key to a semiconductor factory which could reduce the country’s $24 billion annual spend on importing chips for its electronic and automotive industries.
The surprise winner in the U.S.-China tech war? Vietnam’s chip industry
U.S. President Donald Trump’s onslaught of tariffs has given Vietnam an opportunity to stake its claim in the global semiconductor chip race. Vietnamese companies that manufacture chip components — such as circuit boards and wafers — have had a surge in demand as clients place orders before the tariffs kick in and Washington steps up pressure to reduce its reliance on Chinese products.
The surprise winner in the U.S.-China tech war? Vietnam’s chip industry
The Country Where 76% of Cars Sold Are Electric Subsidies, hydroelectricity and a manufacturing powerhouse neighbor are moving the cars into Nepal faster than almost anywhere else. The narrow streets of Kathmandu — sized for pedestrians and rickshaws — are choked with engines. Buses, motorbikes, small trucks and taxis fill the sprawling valley …
J&T Express brought Chinese-style logistics to Southeast Asia’s Amazon gap
A courier firm that conquered Southeast Asia’s logistics industry and scaled globally riding the Chinese e-commerce wave is now grappling with new pressures. Broken roads, chaotic traffic, nameless alleys, and fragmented island provinces make Southeast Asia a tough terrain for online deliveries – tough enough that even Amazon has struggled to expand there. Yet, a Chinese entrepreneur saw an opportunity in the region, launching J&T Express in Jakarta in 2015.
Viêm dạ dày hay tái phát, để lâu có bị ung thư?
Câu hỏi Thưa bác sĩ. Em 18 tuổi, em bị đau dạ dày từ năm 12 tuổi, và đã điều trị xong HP năm ngoái (C=27). Nhưng mà dạo gần đây em bị đau lại, vì lí do riêng nên chưa thể đi nội soi nên nếu đau thì em uống 2 liều thuốc theo đơn cũ (esomeprazol, barudon, tributel, azintal) là giảm liền. Nhưng cứ cách 1 tháng lại đau và cứ 1 tháng là em lại uống vài liều như vậy. Bác sĩ cho em hỏi, uống như vậy có bị nhờn thuốc hay ảnh hưởng gì không, đến tháng sau em mới đi khám được.
How do you compete with Chinese e-commerce giants? A Vietnamese company is deploying housewives
Vietnam’s e-commerce platform Sendo, once seen as a homegrown rival to deep-pocketed foreign competitors, shut down its core marketplace on April 15. While Sendo’s closure stemmed from the dominance of ShopeeiShopeeSingapore-based Shopee, a subsidiary of Sea Ltd., is a major e-commerce platform that operates across Southeast Asia.READ MORE, TikTok Shop, and Lazada, it’s not a full surrender yet.
Why Vietnam is in the middle of the U.S.-China trade war
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ongoing tour of Vietnam, Malaysia, and Cambodia has drawn U.S. ire as he promotes free trade in a region facing some of the stiffest American tariffs. During Xi’s stop in Vietnam, the two countries signed agreements on supply chains and a joint railway.
Trump’s tariffs test Vietnam’s role as manufacturing alternative to China
Vietnam remains on edge, even though Donald Trump has put sweeping tariffs on hold, granting the Southeast Asian country a 90-day window for negotiations. As Trump announced 46% tariffs on Vietnamese imports last week — the highest among Southeast Asia’s six largest economies — the country’s manufacturing hub of Bac Ninh was gripped by uncertainty.
2024 Impact Report — Rest of World
Message from our Founder & Publisher and Editor-in-Chief Anup Kaphle Editor-in-Chief Sophie Schmidt Founder & Publisher Dear readers: 2024 was a year of acceleration, disruption, and reinvention. From the rapid deployment of AI tools to the evolution of electric and autonomous vehicles, technology surged ahead — often outpacing regulation, governance, and even (occasionally) our collective understanding of its consequences. At the same time, global fault lines deepened.
Emotional Shifts and Recovery in the Post-COVID-19 Era: A Retrospective Survey Among Adolescents in Vietnam
1. Introduction 1.1. Mental Health Challenges of COVID-19 The widespread outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 disrupted normal life globally in 2020 (Ng et al. 2020). In efforts to slow the virus’s spread, governments implemented varying levels of social restrictions. In addition to the physical health complications caused by the pandemic, it also presented significant mental, emotional, and social challenges (Baloran 2020; Cao et al. 2020).
Myanmar’s internet blackout is costing lives in earthquake-hit areas
As Myanmar remains shaken by last week’s devastating earthquake, which has claimed more than 3,000 lives, a lack of connectivity is proving to be an obstacle to relief and rescue work. Htaike Htaike Aung, a leading digital rights advocate, is monitoring the situation in the most-affected areas. Myanmar’s Sagaing region, the quake’s epicenter and a battleground between the military and resistance forces, remains under a strict communications blockade.
After U.S. failure, Vietnam’s EV leader turns to markets dominated by Tesla and BYD
Vietnam’s leading automaker remains undeterred despite a botched U.S. expansion and $9.8 billion in accumulated losses. VinFast shipped its first electric vehicles to the U.S. in 2022, and has been reeling under poor sales and disappointing reviews in the country. Ithas now turned its focus to Southeast Asia, India, and the Middle East.
China’s SpaceSail is expanding where Elon Musk faces friction
China’s satellite internet upstart seems to be taking aim at Starlink. SpaceSail, a Chinese space company backed by the Shanghai municipal government, has been entering markets where Elon Musk has faced friction. SpaceSail has launched around 90 satellites since last year. It is in talks with over 30 countries, with plans to have 648 satellites launched by the end of 2025, and 15,000 by 2030. Currently, Musk’s Starlink has more than 7,000 satellites in orbit.
Shutting down 2G networks leaves millions of phones obsolete
Last November, Nguyen Thi Que’s mobile phone suddenly stopped working as telecom companies in Vietnam permanently shut down the 2G network. “I thought of buying a new phone, but I don’t have money,” the 73-year-old, who sells iced tea at a bus stop in Hanoi, told Rest of World in late January. Vietnam’s plan was simple: Offer free 4G feature phones to help low-income 2G consumers adapt to the change.
Why most countries are struggling to shut down 2G
6 hours ago 0742 GMT – Universal Music Group’s fourth-quarter results exceeded expectations and consensus estimates on revenue and profitability, Deutsche Bank Research analyst Silvia Cuneo says in a research note. The analyst maintains a positive long-term view for the record label, but lowers the more …
Explicit CSR Communication Among Trade and Subcontractor SMEs in the Construction Industry
1 Introduction Enterprises operate within an implicit social contract due to the broader social, environmental and economic impacts of their business activities (Manuel and Herron 2020). Corporate social responsibility (CSR) arises from this contract, emphasising the need for businesses to consider the long-term needs of society, enhance the benefits of their actions and reduce any negative impacts (Latapí Agudelo et al. 2019).
Vietnam’s military-run postal service is building robots to deliver on the country’s e-commerce boom
Vietnam’s military-run postal service is building robots to deliver on the country’s e-commerce boom
The most unlikely innovator in Vietnam: the post office
On Christmas Eve in 2024, a warehouse in suburban Hanoi kept pace with the festive season frenzy. Thousands of packages intended for Shopee and TikTok Shop customers were off-loaded, sorted, and dispatched to an unceasing rhythm. On the warehouse floor, however, there were barely any people in sight. Instead, about 200 beetle-shaped robots whirred across the facility, moving concave trays loaded with packages.
YouTube Shopping partners with Shopee to target TikTok Shop in Southeast Asia
Every other day for the past couple of months, Indonesian YouTuber Amanda Static has been sharing a one-minute video reviewing lip tints and eye shadow palettes with her 500,000 followers. As she demonstrates a product, a caption entices viewers with a discount offer, and a link takes them to the brand’s page on e-commerce site ShopeeiShopeeSingapore-based Shopee, a subsidiary of Sea Ltd., is a major e-commerce platform that operates across Southeast Asia.READ MORE.
The unexpected global tech winners of 2024
Lesser-known tech companies were rewarded by changing headwinds outside the West this year. India’s homegrown EV industry, a Chinese video game that became a soft power success, and a U.S.-based walkie-talkie app that proved unexpectedly popular in Kenya are some of Rest of World’s most surprising winners in global tech in 2024.
Vietnam’s EV charging network expands thanks to local landowners
Fed up with having to frequently travel several kilometers to charge his electric car, taxi driver Lam Tan Tai installed three charging ports at his homes in Trang Bom in southern Vietnam. He set up the ports to also make some money from other EV owners who struggle with the sparse charging network in the country’s rural areas. Tai is one of a growing number of individual investors helping expand Vietnam’s charging network.
How 2024 tech trends changed lives around the world
In 2024, Rest of World covered some of the biggest shifts in the tech industry that have changed lives around the world: the rise of AI, Chinese companies expanding overseas, the widespread adoption of EVs, the evolving creator economy, more startups becoming regional champions, and growing scrutiny of the activities of Silicon Valley tech giants around the world. Our reporters have spoken with people who experienced these changes firsthand.
How 2024’s tech trends changed our lives
1 day ago Attorneys for tech billionaire Elon Musk have filed for a preliminary injunction against OpenAI, several of its co-founders, and its investor and close collaborator, Microsoft, to prevent OpenAI and other named defendants from engaging in what Musk’s counsel claims is anticompetitive behavior. The …
Lam Le on LinkedIn: Editor, Asia
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Vietnam’s traditional markets try e-commerce, but some sellers are wary
In Hanoi’s historic Dong Xuan Market, stalls are filled with clothes, shoes and souvenirs. Sellers sit around chatting, or play on their phones as an occasional tourist wanders about, a far cry from the bustling center of trade it once was. “It’s 12 p.m., no one has come in to buy a single thing,” Phung Mai Hung, a wholesale clothes merchant, told Rest of World.
Apple manufacturers moved from China to Vietnam. Now they’re desperate for workers
For Apple suppliers in Vietnam, the end of summer is recruitment season. In the months ahead of the busy holiday shopping rush, companies like Luxshare and Foxconn try to fill thousands of permanent and temporary assembly jobs, building products like AirPods and iPads. Competition for these jobs was once fierce. But in the past couple of years, as more manufacturers relocate from China to Vietnam, the benefit of choice has shifted to the workers.
Vietnam’s “TikTok monk” gives wisdom on life and love to millions of followers
“If you put too much milk into coffee, it will become bac xiu,” Vietnamese monk Giac Minh Luat says in a TikTok clip, referring to a popular local beverage that uses condensed milk. “In love, if one side gives too much, it’s no longer love.” Luat then picks up a lotus flower, calming music playing in the background. “Sacrifice is not a responsibility, my friends,” he concludes. The clip, posted in May this year, has been viewed 2.6 million times.
Extreme weather is punishing delivery drivers in Vietnam
This series is a collaboration with Rest of World. Northern Vietnam has just been hit by super typhoon Yagi, the strongest storm in decades. That followed the longest heat wave in 30 years in Ho Chi Minh City. Temperatures in the city consistently exceeded 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), reaching a high of 39 degrees Celsius. People retreated to their homes and air-conditioned offices.
Scams, growing debt as users desperate for cash tap into credit from buy-now-pay-later platforms
This article was originally published in Rest of World, which covers technology’s impact outside the West. Dang Thi Han, who works at a spa in southern Vietnam, was short of cash in early June. So she turned to a Facebook group she had heard of – “Shopee SPayLater wallet community”. She found someone willing to transfer cash to her if she used the buy-now-pay-later option on the Shopee e-commerce platform to pay his utility bills. Han did so, only to never hear from him again.
Buy-now-pay-later plans lead to rampant scams and bad debt across Southeast Asia
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Vietnam is the latest battleground in BYD’s bid to dominate Southeast Asia’s EV market
Photography by Linh Pham for Rest of World On a hot July afternoon, Nguyen Thanh Hai waited his turn to test drive BYD models in Vietnam’s Bac Giang province. For Hai, a self-professed car enthusiast, this would be his first electric vehicle, and he was eager to check out the big Chinese EV brand that is taking on homegrown VinFast. “In fact, two relatives bought VinFast cars about a month ago,” Hai, who is over 70, told Rest of World.
Elderly gig workers struggle with age limits on Grab, ShopeeFood and more
When Rasamany Vettivelu opened her Grab Driver app on her 75th birthday, three years ago, she was not met with a congratulatory note. Instead, the super-app announced it was terminating her contract: She was now too old to work on the platform. In fact, she’d been too old for years. Grab’s age limit for its drivers in Malaysia is 69; Vettivelu joined the platform when she was 70.
What we learned in a year of reporting on labor and technology
Exactly a year ago, we embarked on a journey with Rest of World to report and write stories about tech labor from our respective corners of the world: Kimberly in Africa, Laís in Latin America, Lam in Southeast Asia, and Zuha in South Asia. As we started working on our first stories, we quickly realized we were on to something unprecedented.
Women battle discrimination to fight for gig worker rights in Thailand
When a 19-year-old food delivery rider died in a road accident last year in Bangkok, Supaporn “Ja” Panprasit, another gig worker, demanded compensation from the Line Man app. She spent months following up with the police and even raised about $500 for the deceased worker’s family from the riders’ aid group she had founded. Supaporn, 37, who herself was hit by a car last summer, then petitioned the Thai labor ministry for a government compensation fund for gig workers.
Lam Le
Portraits of gig workers in rare moments off the clock Rest of World shadowed workers in São Paulo, Lagos, Dhaka, and Jakarta to get an intimate look at how they spend their breaks between orders.
"Lật mặt 7: Một điều ước" - Nguồn năng lượng sạch và lành từ Lý Hải
Ngay từ khi mới xem suất đầu, tôi đã dự đoán phim này sẽ chạm mốc từ 400 đến 500 tỷ đồng. Điều khiến tôi ngạc nhiên và tin rằng phim này sẽ tiếp tục lập kỷ lục, là Lý Hải sao có thể làm được một bộ phim "sạch" và "lành" như vậy, chạm vào cảm xúc của đại chúng đến vậy, dù vẫn còn nhiều khuôn mẫu và không phải là phim xuất sắc. Cho đến giờ phút này, Lý Hải và Trấn Thành đã trở thành hai "thương hiệu" bất bại tại phòng vé phim Việt.
Cone Beam CT Assessment of Mandibular Foramen and Mental Foramen Positions as Essential Anatomical Landmarks: A Retrospective Study in Vietnam
Specialty Please choose I'm not a medical professional. Allergy and Immunology Anatomy Anesthesiology Cardiac/Thoracic/Vascular Surgery Cardiology Critical Care Dentistry Dermatology Diabetes and Endocrinology Emergency Medicine Epidemiology and Public Health Family Medicine Forensic Medicine Gastroenterology General Practice Genetics Geriatrics Health Policy Hematology HIV/AIDS Hospital-based Medicine I'm not a medical professional.
Taiwan’s semiconductor jobs draw Southeast Asian students
When Hans Juliano was looking to go abroad for a master’s degree in semiconductors, the Indonesian student initially considered Japan and South Korea. But he wasn’t eligible for a scholarship because he didn’t know the language. His friends studying in Taiwan connected him to their professors, who offered him a scholarship. “It’s quite easy to get a scholarship in Taiwan. You just need your English proficiency test,” Juliano, 23, told Rest of World.
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