On July 15, the Hanoi People’s Committee officially issued the plan titled “Development of the Night Economy in Hanoi for 2026-2030, With a Vision to 2045”. This marked the execution step of the master plan ratified on May 9 under Decision No. 2419/QD-UBND signed by Vice Chairman Trương Việt Dũng. Just last month on June 15, the administration approved a formal resolution regulating investment, business guidelines and tailored operating hours for late-night zones.
Author: Elisabeth Xaviera
Business and Economy Correspondent, SEA Daily
Malaysia’s Q2 GDP Advance Estimate Beats Forecasts With 5.8% Growth
Malaysia’s economy expanded 5.8% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2026, accelerating from 5.4% in the first quarter and outpacing market expectations, according to advance estimates released by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) on July 17.
Indonesia Begins $20bn Abadi Masela LNG Hub Construction
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto officially launched the groundbreaking of the Abadi Masela Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) National Strategic Project on July 16. He officiated the ceremony virtually via video conference from the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.
Myanmar’s Flawed 100-day Plan Risks Deepening Its Economic and Humanitarian Crisis
Myanmar’s Foreign Minister Tin Maung Swe attended the informal ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting on July 12, marking the country’s first in-person engagement with the bloc since the 2021 military coup.
New Seed Restrictions and Mechanisation Support Announced for Myanmar’s Cotton Sector
On July 16, the Myanmar government issued an official warning prohibiting the sale, distribution and replanting of F2 hybrid cotton seeds, while simultaneously rolling out new agricultural mechanisation support for cotton farmers.
South China Sea Ruling Still Worth Defending, Experts Tell Jakarta Conference
July 12 of this year marks a decade of the Arbitral Award, where the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague found no legal basis for China’s nine-dash line claim, a statement it handed down under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on 2016. Beijing rejected it then and ignores it now, leaving Southeast Asia to manage a verdict that is binding in law but unbacked by any mechanism to compel compliance.
In the South China Sea, US$5.3 Trillion in Trade Rides on An Unsettled Dispute
Around 5.3 trillion US dollar in trade transits the South China Sea each year, a waterway whose legal status remains unsettled. A decade ago, precisely on July 12, 2016, the Arbitral Award issued by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in the Hague rejected Beijing’s claims over the sea. However, China’s refusal to recognise it leaves the rules governing one of the world’s busiest trade channels continuously contested. For the region’s economies, that ambiguity is not an abstraction but a durable risk to supply chains, energy flows and food security.
Vietnam Conglomerates to Invest US$200bn in Mega Infrastructure Projects
Six leading Vietnamese conglomerates, including Vingroup and Sun Group, reportedly plan to invest a combined 4.9 quadrillion Vietnamese dong (200 billion US dollars) in 40 mega-projects.
World Bank Forecasts Modest 3.8% Growth for Laos in 2026
On July 9, the World Bank published the June 2026 Laos Economic Monitor, revealing that the country’s economy will grow modestly at 3.8% in 2026.
Indonesia Targets 1.3 GW Data Centre Growth to Fuel AI and Tech Talent
Global tech investors are preparing a massive 20 billion US dollar investment pipeline to build 1.3 gigawatts (GW) of new data centre capacity in Indonesia.