Vietnam M&A forum to be held in Ho Chi Minh City

The Vietnam Merger & Acquisition (M&A) Forum 2016, the eighth of its kind, will take place in Ho Chi Minh City on August 18, as heard a conference in Hanoi on July 25.

Vietnam M&A forum to be held in Ho Chi Minh City

The forum themed “M&A in open economic space”, co-organised by the Investment paper and AVM Vietnam company, is expected to attract 500 representatives from domestic and foreign businesses and investment funds, which contribute to 85% of M&A value in Vietnam.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Dang Huy Dong said this year’s forum will assess new opportunities and challenges and put forward specific proposals to refine the legal framework for M&A activities while serving as a bridge to connect domestic and foreign investors.

Le Trong Minh, Editor-in-Chief of Dau Tu (Investment) paper, head of the organising board, said M&A has emerged as an effective capital mobilisation channel over the past decade, contributing to accelerating economic restructuring, equitisation of State-owned enterprises and improving governance capacity of domestic firms.

In 2015, M&A deals matched the record high of US$5.2 billion reached in 2012. The figure for the first six months of 2016 surpassed US$3 billion, up 28% year-on-year.

The year 2015 marked an important milestone when Vietnam made progresses in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations and the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) was established. Once acquiring or merging businesses in an ASEAN member state, investors are able to access a market with a population of more than 600 million people and a supply of young workforce.

The forum will feature investment connectivity programmes, an M&A deal award, and a training course on M&A strategy.

Three major sessions will focus on reviewing the M&A market in Vietnam for 2015-2016 and prospects for 2016-2020, the impacts of AEC and TPP on the M&A market, and analysis of M&A and investment opportunities in Vietnam in an open economic space.