Foreign firms control 75 per cent of mergers and acquisitions (M&A), Nguyen Quoc Viet, deputy general director of AVM Viet Nam Company, said yesterday.

New strategies to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) must strengthen linkages with domestic enterprises as a lacuna that cannot be ignored anymore, experts say.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Legislation Department has clarified that all commercial processing activities of foreign firms in Vietnam are subject to Decree No.23/2007/ND-CP issued in February 2007, detailing the Commercial Law regarding goods purchase and sale activities and other related activities of foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs)—not to a circular issued two months later.

The People’s Committee of Ben Tre Province has approved the proposal of Nexif Energy, an independent power producer in Asia and Australia, to develop a wind power project with 80MW capacity in the southern locality.

Vietnam has lost thousands of billions of dong in taxes as foreign enterprises, especially large-scale ones, refuse to pay based on the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement.

The new law on securities should allow full foreign ownership at public companies and investment funds, according to members of the Viet Nam Business Forum’s (VBF) working group on capital market.

E-commerce giant Amazon is proceeding with its ambitious business plan in Viet Nam, following Alibaba’s footsteps, said Nguyen Thanh Hung, chairman of the Viet Nam E-commerce Association (VECOM).

The Ministry of Construction is preparing to propose huge changes in construction regulations in order to improve the climate for construction and real estate business.

The Vietnamese government has expressed strong intent to continue supporting enterprises to seize new business and investment opportunities in the country by creating more favourable policies.

The Office of the State President convened a press conference to announce the State President’s orders to publicize six new laws which were passed at the recent fourth session of the 14th National Assembly.

Viet Nam has made significant progress in aligning its policies on foreign arbitral awards with international standards, but it needs to foster enforcement capacity to enhance trust and confidence of foreign businesses.

After the government’s Decision No. 11/2017/QD-TT on supporting the development of solar power was issued in April, Vietnam witnessed a trend of successfully registered and licensed projects, though challenges still await potential investors. Nguyen Duong Tuan, CEO of SolarBK, the only Vietnamese firm invited to the Future of Energy Summit, talks with VIR’s Phuong Thu about SolarBK’s ambitions in Vietnam.

In the framework of Vietnam Business Forum (VBF) 2017, representatives of foreign investors complained that they still face difficulties in investing and manufacturing in Vietnam due to the lackluster taxation policies.

Dr Mai Liem Truc, former deputy minister of Post and Communications, talks to the newspaper Nong thon ngay nay (Countryside Today) about the need to finalise the draft Law on Cyber Security.

As the world in general and Vietnam in particular are seeing strong increases in power demand, coupled with the growing complexity of requirements on safety and sustainability, the prospects of solar power producers all over the world are looking bright.

The State Bank of Việt Nam is collecting feedback for a decree on gold trading, which will include a monopoly for the central bank on accepting gold deposits.

Experts have urged simplifying the procedures to receive refunds on value-added tax (VAT) for foreign tourists.

Although foreign direct investment (FDI) has played an important role in boosting Viet Nam’s economic growth, recent changes in policies and regulations, which are not consistent with international best practices, have exposed many foreign investors to considerable risks and obstacles in executing their investments.

Foreign investors from Russia, Kazakhstan, Germany and Norway want to develop mini hydropower plants in Vietnam into a renewable energy source.

Vietnam Retail Banking Forum 2017 hears of opportunities and challenges presented to retail banking by fourth industrial revolution.