Binh Dinh: German Investors Want to Build A Wind Farm, Korean Businesses Interested in Assembling Cars

  In the last days of August and early September 2020, many potential investors from Korea and Germany have come to study opportunities to set up company and invest in Vietnam and specifically Binh Dinh province to explore investment opportunities, with billion USD projects.

At the meeting of the departments of Binh Dinh province with leaders of Hyundai Aluminum Vina Company and Cammsys Company of Korea coming to explore investment opportunities in this province, according to representatives of Cammsys Company, the company wants to find a suitable partner to develop and assemble electric cars and ready to transfer production technology to develop electric car in Vietnam market.

Through a field survey in Binh DinBinh Dinh: German Investors Want to Build A Wind Farm, Korean Businesses Interested in Assembling Carsh, the Company highly appreciates the infrastructure, traffic connection of the province with the region and the world, and wishes to cooperate with the development of projects to supply electric cars for the regions, tourist resort and production association of this vehicle in the province.

Meanwhile, the representative of Hyundai Aluminum Vina Company with the cooperation in Vietnam has been 14 years now; Total investment capital of the Company’s projects in Vietnam is up to 5 billion USD in many different fields. On this occasion, when coming to Binh Dinh province, Hyundai Aluminum Vina Company hopes to find a clean space with an area of about 200 hectares to invest in the infrastructure of the high-tech industrial park. If found a suitable position and approved for investment, the company will call and attract about 60 Korean investors to come and do business.

Binh Dinh has Quy Nhon Port which is the most convenient international trade gateway of the Central Highlands region and the province of southern Laos, northeastern Cambodia to countries around the world. In addition, the province also has a complete transportation system and infrastructure connecting air, road and railway, with direct flights to Korea. In addition, Binh Dinh is always and ready to support and create favorable conditions for mechanisms and policies, reform of administrative procedures, and support for investors.

In terms of German investor, Director of the High-Level Offshore Wind Power Project – PNE Group proposed to develop an offshore wind power park in Binh Dinh province with a total investment of 1.5 billion USD. This is one of the investors with more than 20 years of experience developing onshore and offshore wind power projects in Germany. At the same time, learning about mechanisms and policies to encourage wind energy development in Binh Dinh and the process of developing and approving wind power projects in Vietnam.

The group’s leaders believe that the implementation of the wind power park project in Binh Dinh province will make Vietnam become a competitive wind power supplier in the region and globally, contributing to the completion of sustainable development goals and the goals set out in the Vietnam Renewable Energy Development Strategy to 2030, with a vision to 2050, approved by the Prime Minister.

Vice Chairman of Binh Dinh Provincial People’s Committee welcomed the PNE Group for their interest in researching and proposing project investment in the province; At the same time, commiting to create the most favorable conditions for investors during the project implementation.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/binh-dinh-german-investors-want-to-build-a-wind-farm-korean-businesses-interested-in-assembling-cars.html

Set up business in Vietnam or invest in contractual forms?

 

Foreign investors could make direct investment in Vietnam through different ways.  They could set up business in Vietnam or invest in the contractual forms of: BCC, BO, BTO, and BT.

Types of enterprise for foreign investors to invest and set up business in Vietnam are as following:

Set up Limited Liability Company in Vietnam

Limited Liability Company is a form of enterprise which is established by contributing of members.  A member shall be liable for the debts and other property obligations of the enterprise within the amount of capital that it has undertaken to contribute to the enterprise.

Limited liability companies are regulated by two types:

–    One member Limited Liability Company is an enterprise owned by one organization or individual;

–   Limited Liability Company with two or more members is an enterprise owned by organizations or individuals, in which the number of members shall not less than two members and not exceed fifty.

Organizational and management structure of Limited Liability Company normally comprise of a Member’s Council, General Director or Director.

Set up Joint Stock Company in Vietnam

Joint Stock Company is an enterprise which has charter capital divided into equal portions called shares.   The minimum number of shareholders shall be three and there shall be no restriction on the maximum number.

Shareholders shall be liable for the debts and other property obligations of the enterprise only within the amount of capital contributed to the enterprise.

Joint Stock Companies may issue all types of securities to raise funds.  Founding shareholders must together register to subscribe at least twenty per cent (20%) of the number of ordinary shares which may be offered for sale.

The main difference between Joint Stock Company and Limited Liability Company is the Joint Stock Company can raise funds by offering shares or securities.  In addition, an enterprise tends to join the Stock exchanges or public company must be a Joint Stock Company. Management system of Joint Stock Company is more complicated than Liability Company.

Set up Partnership in Vietnam

A partnership is an enterprise which must be at least two members being co-owners of the company jointly conducting business under one common name.  In addition to unlimited liability partners, there may be limited liability partners.

Unlimited liability partners must be individuals who shall be liable for the obligations of the company to the extent of all of their assets.  Limited liability partners shall only be liable for the debts of the company to the extent of the amount of capital they have contributed to the company.

Set up Representative Office of Foreign Trader in Vietnam

A foreign business entity or a foreign trader is allowed to establish Representative Office in Vietnam.

Representative office of a foreign business entity in Vietnam (referred as “Representative Office”) means a subsidiary unit of the foreign business entity, established in accordance with the law of Vietnam in order to survey markets and to undertake a number of commercial enhancement activities permitted by the law of Vietnam.

Representative Office will need to apply and obtain the establishment license; and have a seal bearing the name of the representative office.

Representative Office is not allowed to directly conduct profit making activities in Vietnam (i.e: the execution of contracts, direct payment or receipt of funds, sale or purchase of goods, or provision of services), but the representative Office is permitted to

• To operate strictly in accordance with the purposes, scope and duration stated in the license for establishment of such representative office;
• To rent offices and to lease or purchase the equipment and facilities necessary for the operation of the Representative Office;
• To recruit Vietnamese and foreign employees to work for the Representative Office in accordance with the law of Vietnam;
• To open accounts in foreign currency and in Vietnamese Dong sourced from foreign currency at banks which are licensed to operate in Vietnam, and to use such accounts solely for the operation of the Representative Office.

Set up Branch of Foreign Trader in Vietnam

The Branch of a foreign business entity in Vietnam (referred as “The Branch”) means a subsidiary unit of the foreign business entity, established in accordance with the law of Vietnam in order to enter into contracts in Vietnam and conduct activities being the purchase and sale of goods and other commercial activities consistent with its license for establishment in accordance with the law of Vietnam and any international treaty to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a member.

The Branch will need to apply and obtain the establishment license; and have a seal bearing the name of the Branch.

The Branch is permitted to conduct activities being the purchase and sale of goods and other commercial activities consistent with its license for establishment in accordance with the law of Vietnam and any international treaty to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a member.

Investment by Signing Contracts in Vietnam

Beside having the options to set up business in Vietnam, investors could also choose to invest by not setting up a new entity.  Business co-operation contract (BCC) means the investment form signed between investors in order to co-operate in business and to share profits or products without creating a legal entity.

Build-operate-transfer contract (BOT) means the investment form signed by a competent State body and an investor in order to construct and operate commercially an infrastructure facility for a fixed duration; and, upon expiry of the duration, the investor shall, without compensation, transfer such facility to the State of Vietnam.

Build-transfer-operate contract (BTO) means the investment form signed by a competent State body and an investor in order to construct an infrastructure facility; and, upon completion of construction, the investor shall transfer the facility to the State of Vietnam and the Government shall grant the investor the right to operate commercially such facility for a fixed duration in order to recover the invested capital and gain profits.

Build-transfer contract (BT) means the investment form signed by a competent State body and an investor in order to construct an infrastructure facility; and, upon completion of construction, the investor shall transfer the facility to the State of Vietnam and the Government shall create conditions for the investor to implement another project in order to recover the invested capital and gain profits or to make a payment to the investor in accordance with an agreement in the BT contract.

Foreign investors may sign BOT, BT and BTO contracts with a competent State body to implement infrastructure construction projects in Vietnam. Typically, the contracts are for projects in the fields of transportation, electricity production, water supply, drainage and waste treatment.

The rights and obligations of the foreign investor will be regulated by the signed BOT, BT and BTO contract. The Government encourages both public- and private-sector investors to participate in BOT, BTO and BT in the following sectors:

(i)  Construction, operation and management of brand-new infrastructure facilities; and

(ii) Renovation, expansion, modernization, operation and management of the existing infrastructure facilities such as:

•     Roads, bridges, tunnels, and ferry landings;

•     Railway bridges and railway tunnels;

•     Airports, seaports and river ports;

•     Clean water supply systems; sewage systems;

•     Wastewater, waste collecting and handling systems;

•     Power plants and power transmission lines;

•     Infrastructure works of health service, education, training, career training, culture, sport and offices of State agencies; and

•     Other projects as may be determined by the Prime Minister

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/set-up-business-in-vietnam.html

Indian Businesses Consider Vietnam as a New Investment Destination

 On the occasion of the 45^th anniversary of Vietnam - India diplomatic relations and 10 years of strategic cooperation between the two countries, Mr P. Harish, Ambassador of India to Vietnam said that the two countries' cooperation is very nice, many Indian businesses are considering Vietnam as a new investment destination in the region and choose to set up business in Vietnam.

India and Vietnam relationship have been developing very strongly since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1972. The two countries advanced their relationship into strategic partnership in 2007 and then became comprehensive strategy in September 2016, when the Prime Minister of India visited Vietnam. This cooperation framework includes security, defense, economic and cultural cooperation, high-level delegation exchanges and people-to-people exchanges.

In terms of trade, bilateral trade has increased tenfold, from 1.15 billion USD in fiscal year 2006 – 2007, to 10.1 billion USD in fiscal year 2016 - 2017 (according to Indian data). The two countries' leaders have set a bilateral trade target of 15 billion USD by 2020. India is among the top 10 trading partners of Vietnam and Vietnam is India's fifth largest trading partner in ASEAN region.

Regarding investment, Vietnam currently has 136 Indian projects, with a total registered capital of about 1.28 billion USD, including capital from India through third countries, mainly focusing on areas as oil and gas, renewable energy, minerals, agricultural product processing, information technology and automotive components. The latest project of India in Vietnam is the instant coffee processing project of Tata Coffee Company in Binh Duong province, with a total registered capital of 63 million USD.

In order to achieve this goal, Vietnam and India need to work more closely in strengthening the exchange of business delegations and encouraging investment in one another, to promote trade.

In addition, Vietnam and India are expected to strengthen connectivity in aviation and sea line. Expected this year, Vietjet will open direct flights to India. Furthermore, linkage in the banking and finance sectors is also accelerating. Also, India has also strengthened its projects in Vietnam in the areas of human resource development, IT capacity building, English language teaching and science and technology.

With such a multidisciplinary approach, we can realize a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries and explore the potentials of two nations.

Finding the right business partner in Vietnam is also important. We recommend doing research on the reputation of the company and individual shareholders, corporate or individual, gathering publicly available company information, and performing background checks on key personnel to find potential risks in cooperation. Working with a reliable partner can help achieve economic benefits, saving time and money in business.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/indian-businesses-consider-vietnam-as-a-new-investment-destination.html

Vietnam Increases Ranking in The List of Global Competition

  The Global Competitiveness Report 2017 - 2018 was announced on September 26^th 2017, confirming that countries are improving in terms of health, education and technology.

The latest global competition list of the World Economic Forum shows a messy picture of Asia, while Vietnam and Indonesia jumped in rank, Japan and India slumped.

Vietnam jumped to 55^th place, up 5 steps compared with last year and 20 steps compared with 5 years ago. Accordingly, Vietnam has made remarkable progress in terms of technology and labor market efficiency. Trade is also a key factor that help Vietnam increasing ranking. Specifically, Vietnam is ranking 7^th in terms of import ratio against GDP and 11th in export ratio against GDP.

The withdrawal of the US from the TPP may have removed some future trade opportunities of Vietnam, but the report states that "Vietnam’s growth is expected to be sustained, thanks to strong exports activities".

Meanwhile, Indonesia ranked 36^th, up from the 41^st position of last year. Other Asian countries that also increased in rank are: Malaysia (23^rd); China (27^th) and Thailand (32^nd). The Philippines also rose one step to 56^th.

Japan led the opposite direction: Ranked 9^th after decrease ranking in two consecutive years. The world's third-largest economy continues to grow well in areas such as infrastructure, health and education, but is struggling with macroeconomic environment due to massive public debt.

Although leaping two years ago, India dropped one step down to the 40^th position. Singapore again dropped to 3^rd position, behind the United States.

We, ANT Consulting company, support you with the service of setting up a company in Vietnam, Risk management in Vietnam, Employee background check in Vietnam... to help you shorten the implementation time.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/vietnam-increases-ranking-in-the-list-of-global-competition.html

Macau Casino Group Poured Billions of Dollars into Vietnam

  Sun City is currently the largest casino resort group in Macau, spending billions of dollars investing heavily in casino resorts in Asia and set up casino business in Vietnam.

The group was founded in 2007, owns about 17 VIP clubs and 280 gaming tables, serving Macau's largest betting and casino market as well as VIP clubs in Korea, China and Philippines.

Currently, Sun City operates large casinos with monthly betting up to 130 billion HKD (approximately 17 billion USD). However, in order to expand its business in Asia, Sun City is spending billions of dollars investing in casino real estate projects in Japan and other countries, including Vietnam.

This plan of Sun City kicked off in 2014 with the acquisition of shares and the bid to operate large casinos in many countries.

In Vietnam, a 4 billion USD casino resort project in South Hoi An is underway to build phase 1 with a total investment of 500 million USD with the participation of Sun City. Three partners involved in investing in this billion dollar resort complex are Sun City, Chow Tai Fook (Hong Kong) and Vinacapital.

According to Bloomberg, Sun City owns 34% of the complex through its subsidiary and has acquired the casino management contract of the project.

The South Hoi An project has scale of up to 985.6 ha, the total investment is 4 billion USD. Currently, the phase 1 of the project is expected to develop on an area of about 163 ha, with an investment of nearly 500 million USD, including resort, casino complex, luxury golf course, hotel rooms, luxury apartments and add-ons...

Previously, Sun City has also been eyeing the Vietnam resort market when concerning and want to invest in a casino project in Duong To (Phu Quoc). However, due to the land fund in this area has been licensed to other investors, Sun City wants to replace by Rach Tram, Bai Thom commune.

In 2010, VinaCapital and Genting Berhad of Malaysia were licensed to invest in South Hoi An project, however, due to financial difficulties, in 2012, Genting Berhad unexpectedly withdrew from this project, thus VinaCapital has been continuously seeking for investment cooperation partner. In 2014, Hong Kong billionaire Cheng Yu Tung - the owner of Hong Kong's Chow Tai Fook, a Hong Kong-owned jewelery and real estate group, ranked by Forbes as the fourth richest person in Hong Kong with total assets worth 16.2 billion USD has participated into this project, in partnership with Sun City and VinaCapital.

With the expansion of casino-based real estate business in Vietnam as well as in other countries in the region, Sun City is clearly seeking to become a leading casino corporation in the world, such as Las Vegas Sands or Wynn Resorts.

According to Bloomberg, Sun City's expansion ambitions are planned even when the Macau casino market is growing fast thanks to China's economy recovering and players spending more and more money, with a 20.4% increase in August. Casino revenue in Vietnam is estimated at 1.2 billion USD, according to Grand Govertsen, a Macau-based gaming analyst. Finally, also according to this report, Vietnam now has about 30 gaming establishments with prizes with 1,900 slot machines and 400 tables. With the relationships with VIP customers of Sun City, it is believed that the project will achieve significant ROI.

We, ANT Consulting company, support you with the service of setting up a company in Vietnam, Risk management in Vietnam, Employee background check in Vietnam... to help you shorten the implementation time.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/industry/macau-casino-boss-poured-billions-of-dollars-into-vietnam-real-estate.html

Gia Lai Calling for Investment in High-Tech Agriculture and Tourism

  In recent years, Vietnam has continuously called for foreign investors to come and set up business in Vietnam and most recently, Department of Planning and Investment of Gia Lai province is planning to coordinate with the Department of Planning and Investment of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) to organize Gia Lai Investment Promotion Conference 2017.

The conference is scheduled to be held at the end of this year in Pleiku city, Gia Lai province. The areas highlighted at the conference will be: high technology agriculture, agricultural products processing and tourism. These areas are considered as strengths with high potential development of Gia Lai province.

In terms of projects that are given the investment policy decision by Gia Lai Provincial People's Committee (10 projects - total registered capital of 5,516 billion VND) at Gia Lai Investment Promotion Conference 2016, currently 3 projects have completed construction and go into operation: Sugar Factory Project and An Khe Biomass Power Plant Project, which is invested by Quang Ngai Sugar Joint Stock Company, Beef Experiment Project of Tay Nguyen Dairy Products Joint Stock Company. In addition, six projects are under development and another is being revised.

Finding the right business partner in Vietnam is also important. We recommend doing research on the reputation of the company and individual shareholders, corporate or individual, gathering publicly available company information, and performing background checks on key personnel to find potential risks in cooperation. Working with a reliable partner can help achieve economic benefits, saving time and money in business.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/industry/gia-lai-calling-for-investment-in-high-tech-agriculture-and-tourism.html

Foreign investor in Binh Duong

  Korean investors have set up business in Vietnam a lot in the recent years and this country is also the third largest foreign investor in Binh Duong province with 619 projects.

At the meeting between Binh Duong People's Committee and Korean investors held on August 16^th, according to reports of Department of Planning and Investment of Binh Duong province on the attraction of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first six months of 2017, there was positive changes. The total FDI capital reached 1.726 billion USD, equal to 123% of the year plan and increase by 51% over the same period in 2016.

Specifically, there are 97 new projects with capital of 1.034 billion USD, 62 projects adjust and increase capital of 670 million USD. The sectors attracting a lot of investors are electricity, electronics, mechanics, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, trade and services...

Particularly for Korean investors, in six months of 2017, there are 16 new projects and 17 projects adjusted for capital increase. Overall, total investment reached 306 million USD. Accumulated until June 30^th, Korea is the third largest foreign investor in Binh Duong (after Taiwan and Singapore) with 619 projects worth 2.694 billion USD.

With the efforts to improve the investment environment, Binh Duong is always attracted by investors, the number of foreign investors coming to the province to explore investment opportunities in the first half of 2017 continued to increase over previous years. FDI attraction results of Binh Duong is a good signal, affirming that the investment environment of the province is very attractive to foreign investors.

Binh Duong currently has 28 industrial parks with an area of 10,560 hectares and 11 industrial clusters with an area of over 802 hectares, occupancy rate reaches over 70%.

Binh Duong is still implementing some new industrial zones and expanding existing industrial parks such as Bau Bang Industrial Park (1,000 ha), Nam Tan Uyen (446 ha), approving new investment of An Lap industrial cluster (75 ha).

In the period 2016 - 2020, Binh Duong will develop up to 33 industrial parks with an area of nearly 15,000 ha.

Finding the right business partner in Vietnam is also important. We recommend doing research on the reputation of the company and individual shareholders, corporate or individual, gathering publicly available company information, and performing background checks on key personnel to find potential risks in cooperation. Working with a reliable partner can help achieve economic benefits, saving time and money in business.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/industry/foreign-investor-in-binh-duong.html

TATA Build Instant Coffee Factory in Vietnam

  Vietnam has always been an attractive market for foreign enterprises to come and set up business in Vietnam and most recently, TATA Coffee Ltd - a subsidiary of TATA Group has become the first company in India building instant coffee factory in Vietnam.

TATA Coffee is a wholly-owned subsidiary of TATA Global Beverages (TATA Group) - Asia's largest coffee company and one of the largest instant coffee exporters in India.

The ground-breaking ceremony of instant coffee factory in Vietnam marked the beginning of a coffee factory project with capacity of 5,000 tons of instant coffee per year of TATA Coffee Ltd in VSIP II Industrial Park (Binh Duong).

TATA Coffee Factory is set to start production in 2019, aiming to serve its global clients with a new mix of instant coffee.

According to CEO of TATA Coffee Ltd, TATA Group has a close relationship with Vietnam in various fields such as automobile, steel, trade, energy and watches. With this investment, the beverage industry will also become a major area of TATA's participation in the investment here. Although TATA's products have been exported to more than 40 countries around the world, instant coffee so far has only been produced in India.

Vietnam has marked TATA's first breakthrough outside the Indian borders as a manufacturer, so this is TATA’s milestone on the journey to become a global company specializing in coffee. TATA Coffee will make every effort in coffee processing operations with a special focus on safe working conditions. The project will contribute positively to foreign exchange earnings and create more local jobs.

It is reported that Vietnam is currently the world's largest producer of Robustas, which is conducive to providing a favorable raw material for the plant.

We, ANT Consulting company, support you with the service of setting up a company in Vietnam, Risk management in Vietnam, Employee background check in Vietnam... to help you shorten the implementation time.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/tata-build-instant-coffee-factory-in-vietnam.html

Korea Leads FDI in Vietnam

  The flow of FDI capital into Vietnam has continued to grow strongly over the years, demonstrating the confidence of foreign investors when deciding to set up business in Vietnam.

According to data from the Foreign Investment Agency (Ministry of Planning and Investment), the total amount of FDI capital such as new registered, capital increase, capital contribution and share purchase in the first 7 months of 2017 is 21.93 billion USD, increases by 52% over the same period in 2016.

Of these, the new registered capital was 12.92 billion USD, increases by 48.7% over the same period; the added capital was 5.87 billion USD, increases by 38.5% over the same period. The amount of capital that investors spend to contribute capital and buy shares in enterprises in Vietnam is 3.12 billion USD, increases by 109.7% over the same period in 2016.

According to the trend, more and more foreign investors have recently invested in Vietnam through capital contribution and share purchase. An increase of over 109% indicates that. Furthermore, data from the Foreign Investment Agency showed that by July 20^th 2017, the FDI projects have disbursed 9.05 billion USD, increase by 5.8% over the same period in 2016. The rate of increasing in FDI capital disbursement is gradually improving compared to the first months of the year.

In the first 7 months of 2017, foreign investors have invested in 18 industries and sectors, of which the manufacturing and processing sectors have attracted the attention of foreign investors, with total capital of 10.83 billion USD, accounting for 49.4% of the total registered capital. The electronic production and distribution sectors ranked 2^nd with total investment of 5.25 billion USD, accounting for 23.98% of total investment capital. Standing at the 3^rd position is mining sector with total registered capital of 1.28 billion USD, accounting for 5.86% of the total registered capital.

Meanwhile, in terms of partner, Korea ranked 1^st with a total investment of 5.62 billion USD, accounting for 25.63% of total investment capital. Japan ranked 2^nd with total registered capital of 5.46 billion USD, accounting for 24.92% of total investment capital in Vietnam.

In terms of localities, Thanh Hoa is the most attractive province with the total registered capital of 3.06 billion USD, accounting for 13.9% of total investment capital. Bac Ninh ranked 2^nd with total registered capital of 2.95 billion USD, accounting for 13.48% of total investment capital. Nam Dinh ranked 3^rd with a total registered capital of 2.2 billion USD, accounting for 10% of total investment capital.

Finding the right business partner in Vietnam is also important. We recommend doing research on the reputation of the company and individual shareholders, corporate or individual, gathering publicly available company information, and performing background checks on key personnel to find potential risks in cooperation. Working with a reliable partner can help achieve economic benefits, saving time and money in business.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/industry/korea-leads-fdi-in-vietnam.html

Indonesian Producer Wants to Invest in Vietnam

  Vietnam has become a destination for Indonesian investors to set up business in Vietnam thanks to the ever-improving investment environment and the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

At the Conference named "Vietnam – Indonesia: Strengthening trade cooperation in palm oil and paper industries" that was recently held in Hanoi, the Indonesian Ambassador in Vietnam said that many Indonesian businesses are exploring business and investment opportunities in Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and many other places in Vietnam.

Accordingly, more Indonesian investors will come to Vietnam in the coming time because Vietnam is a promising place for Indonesian investors to open their production bases thanks to AEC tariff reductions.

According to the Indonesian embassy, the Indonesian 12 largest palm oil exporters and 14 largest paper exporters are planning to expand their export markets to Vietnam and expecting to enter into joint ventures with local businesses to directly produce products in Vietnam.

In addition to calling for investment and cooperation in the palm oil and paper sectors, Vietnam has recently welcomed many Indonesian investors coming to Vietnam seeking investment opportunities and doing business successfully in the areas of animal feed, building materials, real estate...

Meanwhile, Indonesia's capital flowing into Vietnam through mergers and acquisitions has been rising steadily, such as PT Semen Gresik - Indonesia's largest cement company, has spent 230 million USD buying 70% of the shares in Thang Long Cement Company from Geleximco.

Indonesia's second largest M&A deal in Vietnam is Salim Group spent 37 million USD to purchase 49% shares in Hiep Thanh Group - a trading, processing, aquaculture and export group of two agriculture strategic products that are rice and seafood.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/indonesian-producer-wants-to-invest-in-vietnam.html

New Taste of Singaporean Investors

  Recent projects of Singaporean investors have shown new features in the investment taste of Singapore enterprises when they decide to set up business in Vietnam.

In July 2017, United Overseas Bank (UOB - Singapore) was approved by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) in principle to set up a 100% foreign owned bank in Vietnam. The list of personnel proposed to be appointed as members of the Board of Members, the Board of Supervisors, the General Director of UOB has also been approved. After much waiting, UOB finally has a "passport" to operate in Vietnam as a bank with 100% foreign capital in Vietnam. What is left is just completing the dossiers and procedures for the SBV to make the final decision.

UOB is the first bank in Singapore setting up a subsidiary in Vietnam. This event seems to mark the "new taste" of Singaporean investors. Previously, Singapore's investment capital is mainly focused on such projects as processing, manufacturing and real estate. Now, it seems that the cash flow is changing direction.

Not just banking project, latest information indicates that Singaporean investors have also begun to pay attention to the energy sector in Vietnam. Last year, UOB under UOB Venture Management Pte Ltd (UOB VM), along with ORIX Corporation (Japan) have invested 25 million USD in Bitexco Power JSC under Bitexco Group. The involvement of well-known global organizations like UOB and ORIX will make a significant contribution to Vietnam's energy sector.

In addition, Sembcorp is also a Singaporean investor willing to invest billions of dollars for a power plant in Vietnam.

According to the information, at the end of July 2017, Sembcorp's representative went to Quang Ngai to officially report to the leaders of this province that Sembcorp will have a Feasibility Study Report at the end of this year about the gas thermal power plant in Dung Quat Economic Zone.

Last year, The Blue Circle – Singapore’s wind power developer has received an investment certificate for a 40 MW project in Ninh Thuan province, with investment capital in the 1^st phase of 60 million USD.

In fact, Singapore has always been a leading investor in Vietnam. According to data from the Foreign Investment Agency (Ministry of Planning and Investment), the accumulated capital so far invested by Singaporean enterprises is 41.6 billion USD, ranking 3^rd in countries and territories investing in Vietnam. Many of Singapore's projects have contributed significantly to Vietnam's socio-economic development.

One of the noteworthy examples is Sembcorp joint venture with Becamex to develop a series of VSIP industrial parks and urban areas spanning across Vietnam, from Binh Duong, Bac Ninh, Hai Duong to Quang Ngai, Nghe An, Hai Phong... At the beginning of this year, VSIP decided to invest in a third industrial zone in Binh Duong, with a total registered capital of 284.75 million USD.

Not only VSIP, many other Singaporean investors have also succeeded in Vietnam and are continuing to boost investment. Last year, Mapletree Investment Pte Ltd decided to acquire Kumho Asiana Plaza Saigon in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City from Kumho Industrial Company Limited and Asiana Airlines Incorporated. After this deal, Mapletree's assets in Vietnam amounted to more than 1 billion SGD.

Prior to Mapletree, Keppel Land has also acquired 40% of the Empire City project in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, equivalent to 93.9 million USD. Not to mention, many other Singaporean enterprises have also invested much in Vietnam, such as Banyan Tree with Laguna Lang Co project, total capital of 875 million USD; or KinderWorld with a series of international schools in many provinces, cities and is continuing new investment plans...

Not stopping with the current results, Singaporean enterprises are still quietly looking for new investment opportunities in Vietnam. The fact that UOB opened a subsidiary in Vietnam is to serve the purpose of investing more and more in Vietnam of Singaporean enterprises.

Finding the right business partner in Vietnam is also important. We recommend doing research on the reputation of the company and individual shareholders, corporate or individual, gathering publicly available company information, and performing background checks on key personnel to find potential risks in cooperation. Working with a reliable partner can help achieve economic benefits, saving time and money in business.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/industry/new-taste-of-singaporean-investors.html

Bosch Invested More Capital in Dong Nai Province

  Bosch is now the largest German investor in Dong Nai with an investment of hundreds of millions of dollars, creating more motivation for other foreign investors when deciding to set up business in Vietnam.

After two consecutive years of investment expansion, Bosch Corporation (Germany) plans to pour an additional of 47 million USD into Dong Nai province to diversify its products for the ongoing urbanization and industrialization process in Vietnam, which is happening strongly. This corporation is known to pour capital into a plant in Dong Nai.

In recent years, Bosch has continuously increased investment capital for its factory in Dong Nai. Specifically, in 2015 and 2016, Bosch increased additional capital of 23 and 22 million USD respectively. According to a Bosch representative, these investments are to import more machinery and production lines to meet growing demand for power transmission belts in Southeast Asian and Asian auto manufacturers.

Currently, there are 4 projects in the field of high technology in Dong Nai, in which the Bosch’s has the largest registered capital. Accordingly, the most recent revision of Bosch's investment certificate in Dong Nai is November 2016. By that time, the total registered capital of this project was over 365 million USD.

The process of urbanization and industrialization in Vietnam is happening strongly and the whole country is moving towards a smart economy. That is a great opportunity for Bosch to diversify its products, especially in the area of connectivity solutions for 4.0 smart and industrial cities.

According to the study, the continuous expansion of investment in recent years has allowed the Bosch plant in Dong Nai to localize the whole process of power transmission production. At the present, all products made from this factory are exported.

Bosch's localization of its entire production process and its continued investment capital increasing are creating opportunities for other Vietnamese manufacturers to become part of Bosch's global production chain. However, becoming a supplier for a high-tech business like Bosch will not be easy.

New Billion Dollars Thermal Power Project in Vietnam

  Recently, Vietnam is really blooming with a lot of renewable energy projects as many foreign investors choose to set up business in Vietnam in this field.

The Nam Dinh 1 thermal power project, with a total investment capital of 2.2 billion USD, is the largest thermal power project in Nam Dinh so far. The project owner is Nam Dinh 1 Power Co., Ltd but headquartered in Singapore and is a joint venture of two foreign corporations which are Taekwang Power (Korea) and Acwa Power (Saudi Arabia).

Taekwang Power is expanding its portfolio in areas as real estate, petrochemicals; at the same time continuing to increase investment capital in Southeast Asia. In 2008, Taekwang Power established its subsidiary Taekwang Power Holdings to participate in the development of power plants in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, Acwa Power was established in 2004 as a joint venture between Abunayyan Trading Company and Abdulkadir Al Muhaidib & Sons Company together with MADA Group. Acwa Power is trading in power supply and desalination, and is the first private company to operate in this area after Saudi Arabia decided to strengthen its role in the private sector in 2002.

The total investment capital of the Nam Dinh Power Project includes: owner’s equity is 0.56 billion USD, accounting for 25% and loan is 1.68 billion USD, accounting for 75%. The commercial operation date is scheduled for December 2020 with a BOT contract term of 25 years.

The two companies in the joint venture of Acwa Power and Taekwang Power are large and experienced organizations in the field of power generation and supply. Taekwang Power with its subsidiary Taekwang Power Holdings specializes in the field of power supply. Meanwhile, Acwa Power owns a lot of domestic and international power generation and supply projects, especially 10 projects using renewable energy.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/industry/new-billion-dollars-thermal-power-project-in-vietnam.html

Will Form New Value Chain in Vietnam - Japan Economic Cooperation

  Japan has truly become a strategic partner of Vietnam. Currently, trade activities between the two countries are being promoted and more and more Japanese businesses choose to set up company in Vietnam.

According to Mr. Hironobu Kitagawa, Chief Representative of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in Vietnam, it is not just a single sector investment, the integration of industry groups to create new value chains is essential for Vietnam -Japan economic cooperation.

During the recent visit to Japan by Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, many collaboration memorandum have been signed, as well as 1,600 attendees pointed out that Japanese enterprises pay high attention to the investment in Vietnam. In the eyes of Japanese businesses, Vietnamese market is a continuous growing market. In addition to the second group of industries (manufacturing and processing industries), enterprises will expand into other sectors such as the first industry group (agriculture sector) and the third industry group (service industries).

Japanese side affirmed that they would continue to support Vietnam in implementing the plans of the 6 selected industries in order to accelerate Vietnam's industrialization and modernization process. Basically, direct investment from abroad will boost domestic industry and boost economic growth. Of course, if foreign economic relations accelerate, the ability to create new business opportunities will be greater, while stimulating the domestic consumption market. Therefore, through the receipt of investment from abroad, the building of mutually beneficial relationship is necessary.

Increasing investment from Japan in 6 areas (especially electronics, food processing and car accessories) is the focus for accumulation of supporting industries. This is expected to contribute to the nurturing of Vietnamese enterprises. Moreover, JETRO will continue to contribute to the development of supporting industries in Vietnam by organizing annual supporting industry exhibitions.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/will-form-new-value-chain-in-vietnam-japan-economic-cooperation.html

Foreign Investment in Hanoi Increased Strongly

  Foreign direct investment (FDI) into Hanoi is increasing in both quantity and quality. Foreign investors have gradually believed in the decision to set up business in Vietnam.

Unlike many other localities in the country with large FDI projects such as billion-dollar manufacturing complex, Hanoi is much quieter in attracting FDI. But the reality is different. According to the statistics from the Foreign Investment Agency (Ministry of Planning and Investment), up to the end of May 2017, Hanoi still ranked at the 4^th place among provinces attracting the most FDI with over 26.2 billion USD.

If we list the large-scale FDI projects registered in Vietnam since the beginning of 2017, Hanoi can contribute 3 projects, first is Aeon Mall Ha Dong with registered capital of 192.51 million USD. The next is Coca-Cola Vietnam’s 319.8 million USD capital increase project and 72 million USD Park City project.

Last year, a series of FDI projects poured into Hanoi. For example, the project to invest in the purchase and operation of technical system, equipment, technology, software and trading of lottery elective named “Vietlott” (210 million USD); Vietnamobile Company increased its capital (208 million USD); or Vietnam Public Bank project (134 million USD) ...

Not to mention, Hanoi has attracted Samsung's 300 million USD Center for Research and Development (R&D). This proves that the quality of FDI inflows into Hanoi has been improved.

According to information from the Hanoi Department of Planning and Investment, the city is working hard to improve the investment environment to attract more investment capital both at home and abroad. Many solutions have been mentioned, such as facilitating access to land, land use, land for investment and business; improve the efficiency of administration, administrative reform, improve the investment environment; promoting and enhancing the effectiveness of investment promotion activities...

Good news for Hanoi is that the Prime Minister has officially issued a separate Decree allowing the implementation of separate mechanism for the Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park. For example, allowing investment projects in Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park to enjoy the highest incentives in accordance with the law of Vietnam, allowing the application of the one-door mechanism, prioritizing the allocation of land funds to develop housing for employees... This is also an opportunity for Hanoi to attract investment in hi-tech sectors, attracting investment from multinational corporations - a priority orientation for FDI attraction identified by Hanoi for many years.

In addition, Hanoi also determines to encourage the development of supporting industries, biotechnology, using modern technology, friendly with the environment; projects in the field of information technology, agricultural development, food safety... And especially, large-scale infrastructure projects.

Without hesitation, Hanoi has frankly expressed the desire that Japanese investors will invest in urban railway projects, investment projects to build bridges spanning the Red River, ring routes, metro lines, underground parking lots, satellite urban areas...

Not only FDI capital, calling for investment in these projects also means that Hanoi also determined to promote investment in the form of public-private partnerships (PPP). In the first 6 months, Hanoi has attracted 24 PPP projects, with a total investment of 32.103 billion USD. A very promising shift, promising that in the coming time, there will be strong waves of investment poured into Hanoi.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/industry/technology/foreign-investment-in-hanoi-increased-strongly.html

Taste of US investors in Investment in Vietnam

  Renewable energy, high technology industries, supporting industries... are areas that are interested by US investors when they come to set up company in Vietnam.

One of the "hot" issues that US businesses and investors interested in is the issue of cooperation and investment in the field of renewable energy. According to Mr Freb Burke from Baker & McKenzie, renewable energy is currently the most attractive investment area. Vietnam will avoid the construction of thermal power plants when moving to invest in wind and solar power plants.

In addition, many multinational corporations have strict environmental standards and they want these standards to be applied globally. Manufacturers also want to produce consumer goods using clean energy. For example, Apple is making a commitment to achieve 100% clean energy in their global supply chain. Hence, if Vietnam wants to attract investors like Apple, Vietnam should produce enough renewable energy to meet their needs.

According to Mr Burke's explanation, renewable energy secures energy and environment security for Vietnam, helping Vietnam tap its potential and export energy. Renewable power plants attract the interest of US businesses like First Solar and GE. Furthermore, Vietnam has just raised its electricity purchase price to 9.35 UScent per kWh. This is a relatively attractive price for foreign investors due to the reduction in the price of wind and solar power along with the development of technology. However, Vietnam needs long-term guarantees for investors to borrow from banks and invest.

Moreover, the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham) stated that the Association and its partners are proposing a Production Energy Plan in Vietnam to provide a needed road map for reforms, in order to attract investors, equipment suppliers, manufacturers and operators from the United States.

In addition, many US investors have also expressed their interest in intelligent cities, waste treatment projects, high-tech industries... Many businesses say that despite the United States withdrawal from the TPP agreement, trade relations between Vietnam and United States will continue to develop strongly in the future.

In fact, in recent times, high technology and supporting industries have attracted more projects of US investors. According to the owner of Saigon Silicon Project, after the construction of the project in Saigon Hi-Tech Park in the second half of 2016, up to now, many US investors have expressed their plan to implement projects here. It is planned that after completion of the infrastructure, the project can attract about 20 projects operating in the field of high tech and supporting industries, with investment capital of about 1.5 billion USD.

Meanwhile, a group of US scientists and businesses have recently reached an initial agreement on implementing a smart glass production project in Long An province with a billion dollar investment capital. This is a high-tech manufacturing project and about 90% of the output will be exported.

According to businesses, the results of investment attraction is not worth the potential of the two countries. Currently, the United States ranks 9th among foreign investors in Vietnam, with an investment of about 10 billion USD according to registered statistics from the United States. However, if we count the investment from the United States through third countries, the investment capital must be greater, for example, the Intel project has investment of more than 1 billion USD, but the investment capital is registered from the enterprise based in Netherlands.

Another good news is that, during the US visit of Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the end of May 2017, US and Vietnamese businesses have signed contracts worth tens of billions of dollars in many fields. Therefore, according to businesses, if the bottlenecks, especially the regulatory and framework issues on investment are improved, the flow of investment from the United States is likely to increase in the coming time.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/taste-of-us-investors.html

Japan Investors Expand Investment in Dong Nai

  Japan is one of the two leading countries in pouring capital to invest in Dong Nai province since the beginning of this year and the main investment sector is supporting industry.

According to the Dong Nai Department of Planning and Investment, in the first three months of 2017, the province has granted investment registration certificates to 31 projects with foreign direct investment (FDI), with total investment capital of more than 314 million USD, including 15 newly licensed projects with total capital of nearly 137 million USD and 16 projects register to increase capital with total capital increase of more than 177 million USD.

Japan is one of two leading countries in pouring capital to invest in Dong Nai province since the beginning of this year. The field that Japanese businesses invest in Dong Nai is mainly supporting industry. Dong Nai is also the province that is currently calling for investment to increase the rate of supplying input materials for enterprises and also reducing imports.

In the recent 3 years, there are large numbers of Japanese enterprise come to Dong Nai to invest. In addition to Long Duc Industrial Park, which is primarily attracting Japanese businesses, other provinces have formed subdivisions to invite Japan’s SMEs to invest. Japanese enterprises investing in Dong Nai mainly in supporting industries, electricity, electronics, mechanics, machinery...

From the beginning of 2017, there are continuously Japan’s enterprises and local governments come to Dong Nai to explore investment opportunities. Notably, 22 enterprises coming from Sakai city, Osaka operating in the fields of mechanical engineering, steel, electricity, electronics... came to Dong Nai to visit Amata Industrial Park, Long Duc Industrial Park... to learn policies and investment opportunities.

Recently, Kobelco Environmental Solutions Joint Stock Company under Kobe Steel Group has proposed to the Dong Nai authorities to invest in the clean water treatment sector of the province. Kobelco entered Vietnam at the end of 2010 with the main activities which is water treatment, wastewater, recycling, waste treatment, operation and maintenance. In Dong Nai, the company has invested in waste water treatment system in Loteco Industrial Park and Long Duc Industrial Park.

According to experts, Vietnam's participation in new FTAs offers many opportunities for businesses operating in Vietnam, including Japanese companies. Hence, more and more Japanese companies are choosing to set up company in Vietnam.

Japanese Investors Want to Implement Kobe Cow Raising Project

  Livestock breeding is one of the important economic sectors in Vietnam.  However, it appears that due to the competition pressure, disease, and lack of the control of the authority, the quality of the products have been negatively impacted.  It is important for Vietnam to encourage project to set-up business in Vietnam in animal breeding to create a better competition environment, with high quality standard of products to be produced under a better control of the local state authorities.

Mr. Hironori Sakai, Secretary General of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Association, had just have working visit to Quang Binh province (Vietnam) to survey implementing the Kobe cow raising project.

The delegation was welcomed by Vice Chairman of Quang Binh People's Committee Mr. Nguyen Xuan Quang and leaders of Departments of Planning and Investment, Agriculture and Rural Development, Natural Resources and Environment, Foreign Affairs, Port Authority, Provincial Customs Department.

At the meeting, leaders of the Quang Binh Department of Agriculture and Rural Development reported on some issues related to the Kobe cow raising project in the province.

Accordingly, the Department has also introduced the locations in Quang Tien, Quang Luu Commune (Quang Trach District) and Truong Xuan, Truong Son (Quang Ninh District) for investors to select and deploy the project.

At the present, the whole province has about 2,200 hectares of grass and maize for cattle feed. When implementing the project, the Department will direct localities to actively convert other areas of rice and inefficient crops into grass and maize to ensure sufficient feed supply for the project.

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Xuan Quang stressed that the investment in cattle breeding project in Quang Binh is in line with the provincial policies and orientations. The province is willing to create favorable conditions for Japanese business delegations to explore the necessary conditions for the investment procedures.

In addition, Vice Chairman Nguyen Xuan Quang also requested the Japanese business delegation to coordinate with the relevant departments and localities to complete the legal procedures to implement the cow raising project in Quang Binh province in the shortest time.

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FDI Capital Flows into Vietnam Increased Rapidly

  In the first 3 months of 2017, total foreign investment in Vietnam reached 7.71 billion USD, more than double the amount of 3.4 billion USD in the first two months and increases by 91.5% over the same period last year.

As announced by the Foreign Investment Agency (Ministry of Planning and Investment), as of March 20^th 2017, the whole country has 493 new projects that have just been granted investment certificates with total registered capital of 2.9 billion USD, increases by 6.5% over the same period in 2016.

In addition, there are 223 projects registered to increase investment capital, with total registered capital increase of 3.94 billion USD, increase by 206.4% over the same period in 2016. Also, there are 1,077 capital contribution and share purchases transactions of foreign investors with total investment capital of 852.86 million USD, increases by 171.5% over the same period in 2016.

Thus, totally in the first quarter of 2017, the total newly registered, increased and contributed capital to buy shares are 7.71 billion USD, increases by 91.5% over the same period in 2016.

Looking at these numbers, we can see that foreign investment into Vietnam is increasing drastically. In the first two months of 2017, the figure was just 3.4 billion USD, after three months, the figure is more than double, reaches 7.71 billion USD.

It is not difficult to explain this strong acceleration. The fact is in March, there are many large scale projects are granted investment certificate. Among them, the most noticeable is the expansion project of Samsung Display in Bac Ninh, with additional capital of 2.5 billion USD.

Also in March, a number of other large-scale projects have received approvals for newly registration or capital increases from Vietnam authorities.

Notably, the factory project of Polytex Far Eastern Co., Ltd (Vietnam), invested by Taiwanese investors in Binh Duong, with the objective of producing polyester fiber products, has just adjusted for additional investment capital of 485.8 million USD; the Coca-Cola Beverages Vietnam project in Hanoi registers to increase its investment capital to 319.8 million USD.

Besides, the Vietnam Singapore III Industrial Park project in Binh Duong with total investment capital of 284.75 million USD; Tole Panel Manufacturing Factory project in Binh Phuoc with total investment capital of 269.54 million USD; the KVT-1 tire production project in Binh Duong of Kolon Industries Inc., with registered capital of 220 million USD...

It was not out of expectation, thanks to the billion USD project, Bac Ninh has become the most attracting foreign investment destination since the beginning of this year, with total registered capital of 2.61 billion USD, accounting for 33.86% of total investment in Vietnam.

Binh Duong ranks second with total registered capital of 1.39 million USD, accounting for 18.04% of total investment. Ho Chi Minh City ranks third with a total registered capital of nearly 600 million USD, accounting for 7.78% of total investment capital.

Also thanks to the billion USD project, Korea has returned to crown on the list of major investment partners in Vietnam in the past 3 months, with 3.74 billion USD. Singapore came in second with 910.8 million USD, while China was in third place with 823.6 million USD.

According to the Foreign Investment Agency, up to March 20^th, it was estimated that FDI projects have disbursed 3.62 billion USD, increases by 3.4% over the same period in 2016.

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