Vietnam Roundup: Bilateral trade with Laos, human trafficking, Southeast Asia's busiest routes

Missing boy found in forest after four days

A six-year-old boy was found alive in a northern Vietnam forest after being missing for four days. He disappeared while returning home from a celebration with siblings in Yen Bai province. More than 200 people participated in the search, which included draining a pond out of concern he might have fallen in. The boy was discovered in a cassava bush, exhausted but safe. According to the Star, he survived by drinking from a stream and eating familiar leaves and wild fruits. His mother expressed immense relief upon his return, noting he appeared thinner and weaker.

Bilateral trade with Laos using local currencies

Vietnam and Laos are collaborating to enhance the use of their domestic currencies in bilateral trade to mitigate external risks. The State Bank of Vietnam and the Bank of Laos hosted a conference to share experiences and initiate a joint cross-border retail payment system, managed by the Vietnam National Payment Corporation and the Lao National Payment Network Co. Ltd. The Vietnam-Laos cross-border payment project, which will utilise QR codes, is in preparation, with a planned launch in September involving nine Vietnamese banks and 13 Lao banks. This initiative aligns with broader ASEAN efforts to use domestic currencies in trade to guard against political and financial instability, the Nation Thailand reports.

Anti-human trafficking campaign

Nghệ An Province in north-central Vietnam has launched an intensified campaign against human trafficking, coinciding with "National Day Against Human Trafficking." The initiative focuses on raising awareness and combating trafficking, particularly targeting vulnerable populations in remote areas with high unemployment rates, such as women and children. Local police report that traffickers exploit social connections and social media to lure victims with false job offers, often involving sham marriages. Victims are frequently trafficked to countries like Laos and Cambodia, where they face abuse, forced labour, or coercion into illegal activities, Vietnam News reports.

Severe coastal erosion

Severe coastal erosion in Hoang Hoa District, Thanh Hoa Province, north-central Vietnam, has led to the sea encroaching up to 100 metres inland, particularly affecting the communes of Hoang Truong, Hoang Thanh, and Hoang Phu. Affected areas have lost 15-20 metres of land since late July, impacting 25 hectares of farmland, 205 homes, and public infrastructure, local media Tuoitre reports. The provincial administration has declared a state of emergency and proposed building a coastal embankment to combat further erosion. Warning signs have been erected to keep people away from dangerous areas, and plans for disaster prevention and evacuation are being developed.

Domestic routes among Southeast Asia's busiest

In August, the Hanoi-HCMC route emerged as the busiest in Southeast Asia, with over 949,000 passengers. It outpaced other major routes like Jakarta-Makassar and Cebu-Manila. The Da Nang-HCMC route ranked fifth with over 427,700 passengers, while the Da Nang-Hanoi route was seventh, serving over 410,000 passengers. Other notable routes included Surabaya-Makassar and Jakarta-Medan, as VN Express reports.