How innovative is Vietnam? This is a simple question that can be difficult to answer.

On the one hand, Vietnamese people can be incredibly resourceful. How often do you see parts of a presumably out-of-commission truck strapped to an ox to create a new mobile contraption? (The efficiency of this invention, though, seems questionable.)

On the other hand, Vietnam has lax intellectual property right laws that end up promoting brand imitation rather than innovation. Case in point: Google-branded toilet paper. Probably not what the tech giant had in mind when it wanted to expand to new markets.

(more…)

Here’s the second installment of our international development and Vietnam weekly news roundup. This week, we’ve combed through the internet to bring you articles on English teachers in Vietnam, civil conflicts, obesity, macroeconomics and foreign policy. Please check them out below.

(more…)