Many traditional areas such as oil and gas, consumer goods, food and beverages, and retail have seen an increase in mergers and acquisitions investment in Vietnam. Stefano Pellegrino and Kent Wong from EuroCham’s Legal Sector Committee talked to VIR’s Bich Thuy about how the improvements in the legal framework motivate the trend amidst the upcoming enforcement of the landmark EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.

Vietnam M&A Forum 2019 will see the participation of 500 representatives from enterprises as well as domestic and international investment funds who contributed 85 per cent of Vietnam’s deal value to discuss issues at the forum themed “Going for Breakthrough”.

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) is proposing a regulation that exempts micro and small enterprises from corporate income tax for two years after they have sufficient income subject to taxation.

Exports by HCM City-based enterprises in the first six months of the year topped US$19.6 billion, a 9.2 per cent increase year-on-year, according to the city People’s Committee.

Along with its rapid economic growth, Viet Nam’s electricity demand is also increasing strongly, at around 10 per cent a year, causing huge pressure on the energy sector, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Private equity investors see Vietnam as a destination with a lot in its favor.

HCM City’s economy grew by 7.86 per cent year-on-year in the first half of the year to VND611.5 trillion (US$26.3 billion).

Being listed among the top ten by the  HSBC’s latest global Expat ­Explorer Report has gone some way to prove the significant advances in Vietnam’s investment and living environment.

Valuation of intellectual property remains a grey area in Viet Nam and can be improved only with support from authorities, experts have told a recent workshop held in HCM City.

Developers of ­condotels and second home properties are providing more options for buyers by offering alternative incentives rather than the vanilla profit commitment.

The southern province of Dong Nai completed its full-year target for foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction in the first half of the year, according to the provincial Statistics Office.

The State Bank of Viet Nam (SBV) has warned Vietnamese credit institutions and foreign banks in the country to be cautious before working with peer-to-peer (P2P) lending companies as there are many risks related to the service.

As the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has ordered tight control over real estate loans by credit institutions, property firms and developers have to seek alternative ways to raise their capital, and many of them have decided to issue bonds to fund their business.

With comprehensive commitments and more balance in investment protection, the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement are expected to give Vietnam a push towards attracting higher-quality foreign investment. Nguyen Chi Dung, Minister of Planning and Investment, discussed with VIR how the new agreements with the EU are different from others and how they will transform the EU investment picture. 

Ministries and sectors by the end of the year need to complete legal documents promptly clear obstacles that are hindering the equitisation of State-owned enterprises, Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue said at a meeting of the Steering Committee for Innovation and Development of Businesses held in Ha Noi on July 8.

Although US developers are not in the leading position in Vietnam’s property market yet, many have been indirectly ­investing in the market, ­especially within the industrial segment. Bich Ngoc reports.

The EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) will have a positive impact on Viet Nam's real estate market, especially the industrial real estate, experts said.

A series of polices on statutory pay rate for public officials and public employees and armed forces' personnel, penalties for administrative violations against regulations on fisheries and pension, social insurance allowance and monthly allowance will come into force since July 2019.

Improving corporate governance capacity is a major challenge for businesses, especially small-and-medium sized enterprises (SMEs) when joining the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), requiring the Government to have policies and mechanisms to facilitate their operation.

The EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) to be signed on June 30 in Hanoi will bring both opportunities and challenges to Vietnam, so domestic enterprises should be really prepared to take full advantages of benefits from the deal, said Sebastian Eckardt, lead economist of the World Bank (WB) in Vietnam.