Open for Private Investment in Vietnam Railways

The revised Railway Law has just been passed by the National Assembly will create attraction for investors to set up company in Vietnam to invest in infrastructure and railway projects.

The revised Railway Law has just been passed by the National Assembly and is expected to come into force on July 1st 2018 with many preferential mechanisms that will create attraction for investors to invest in infrastructure and railway projects.

Up to now, Lotte E&C (Korea) is the most zealous foreign investor in the Yen Vien – Lao Cai Railway Upgrading Project and the project to build railway connecting Lao Cai – Ha Khau in the form of PPP. Previously, in mid-February 2017, a preliminary study including investment plan, capital size and project repayment capacity was submitted by the Korean investor to the Ministry of Transport. In addition to the proposal to apply the form of build – lease – transfer (BLT), Lotte also wants to receive some incentives during the implementation of the project.

It is known that with the type of BLT contract, Lotte will invest capital to build infrastructure. Upon completion, the investor is entitled to provide services on the basis of operating that facility in a determined period of 20 years. The competent state agency shall hire the service and pay to the investor, when expired, the investor shall return the facility to the competent State authority for management and use.

Moreover, the Railway Law (amended) has added a number of provisions, which are considered to be the great drive for the railway sector. Specifically, the rail transport business is defined as the industry that is entitled to investment incentives; Organizations and individuals engaged in railway activities shall be entitled to incentives and supports such as free land use fees for land area for infrastructure construction, the highest incentives level for enterprise income tax rate, enjoy the most preferential credit policy; applying the pricing mechanism for the mode of leasing or transferring the right to exploit railway infrastructure.

These regulations will create breakthroughs in investment resources, attracting businesses to concentrate resources on railway development, in fact many countries have similar policies.

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US Investors Have Poured 1.1 Billion USD into Ho Tram Strip Project

Asian Coast Development Ltd is one of the large US investor who come and set up company in Vietnam.

Ho Tram Project Company (HTP) is a wholly foreign-owned subsidiary of Asian Coast Development Ltd, with more than 1 billion USD of committed capital deployed, which is the largest US private company investing in Vietnam. Moreover, they are also the first company to register for Vietnamese to play casino.

According to HTP – the investor of the 4-billion-dollar-super-project named “Ho Tram Strip”, the Company has poured 1.1 billion USD in this project and they has just announced to continue to fund the phase 3 includes apartment tower, condotel and villa.

Located on the north side of The Grand Ho Tram Strip resort, the 12-story Kahuna Ho Tram Strip project has a total of 244 rooms. It consists of 164 one or two-bedroom apartments, 9 penthouse apartments and 44 luxury villas located on the beach with area of 218 to 223 square meters.

According to the developer, this project when completed will contribute to the diversification of facilities and realize the goal of turning Ho Tram into the entertainment capital of Vietnam. In addition, HTP has developed the Gallery Villa apartment project at the nearby The Bluffs golf course. The 2nd hotel tower with 559 rooms named “The Beach Club” is now rushing to complete to welcome its first guests in early 2018. Furthermore, other service facilities such as water park, outdoor theater and private international airport are also underway.

It is known that the price of condotel apartment in Ho Tram is from 2 billion VND (equivalent to about 88,800 USD), villa is priced from 8 billion VND (about 350,000 USD). The project was designed by leading architectural firm Korn Architects and is due to commence in quarter 4 of 2017.

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Taste of US investors

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.

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Vietnam Welcomes Trillion Renewable Energy Projects

The number of renewable energy projects with total investment capital of about 1,200 – 1,400 billion VND is constantly increasing, confirming that investment in Vietnam renewable energy is an attractive trend.

Recently, the People’s Committee of Binh Thuan Province has handed the decision and received commitment to invest in renewable energy of 20 enterprises in order to diversify the form of energy production, step by step achieving the goal of becoming a large national energy center of the country in the next few years.

Currently, Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan are the two leading provinces in attracting investment in renewable energy because most of the area has an average radiation intensity of about 5 kWh per square meter, less rainfall and hours of sunshine always maintained at an ideal level.

Although the natural conditions are not as favorable as Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan, some neighboring provinces such as Khanh Hoa, Quang Tri, Binh Dinh… also attract many domestic and foreign enterprises committed to pour capital.

Most recently, Fujiwara (Japan) also received license to invest in solar and wind power plants in Binh Dinh with total capital of 1,446 billion VND. According to the investment registration progress, the project will be implemented right in 2017 and is expected to complete the first phase in the first quarter 2019.

Recently, more and more businesses outside the industry have not hidden their ambition to enter the renewable energy sector. According to Deputy General Director of Bamboo Capital, the company plans to raise 300 million USD through issuing bonds and certificates with rights to buy shares held in period from 2017 to 2020. In which, about 100 million USD will be poured into renewable energy projects.

According to this year’s plan, the company will promote the procedure to build a 140 MW solar power plant in Long An province. In addition, the company is seeking investment opportunity in solar power projects in Phu Ninh (Quang Nam) and Ninh Thuan, while taking advantage of international relations to attract capital and experiences from foreign investors.

Furthermore, Bamboo Capital expects to officially sell electricity and record revenue from the energy segment by 2018. By 2020, this segment will be able to deliver significant revenue streams to the company.

Explaining the fact that businesses are racing to plan, commit to invest and directly invest in renewable energy sector, the Renewable Energy Center (under The Energy Institute) thinks that it comes from many factors. First of all, the demand for energy is rising, while the supply of fossil fuels is becoming more expensive and exhausting.

In addition, the technology enters the ripe stage, making business easier to access, while reducing the difference in levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) compared to thermal power. A few years ago, the cost of producing wind electricity was about 3,500 VND per kWh and now it drops to 2,200 – 2,500 VND.

Moreover, the incentive mechanism for the development of solar power projects issued in April this year has also influenced the investment decisions of enterprises. Currently, the purchase price of electricity at the power point is 2,086 VND (equivalent to 9.35 cents/kWh).

In addition, investors are also entitled to many tax incentives such as import tax exemption for imported goods to create fixed assets, exempt from land use fees, land rent, water surface rent at the construction location, lines, substations connected to the grid. In the short term, it is likely that the Government of Vietnam will also consider increasing wind power prices to assist businesses, boosting investment to achieve a total capacity of 6,000 MW by 2030.

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US Investors Invest in Ho Chi Minh City

Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is an exciting investment destination with total FDI capital reached 40 billion USD. With many advantages in economic development and business environment, foreign investors have been coming to set up business in Ho Chi Minh City.

Mr Dinh La Thang, Party Secretary of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) has met group of United States (US) investors led by Mr Howard Lutnick, Chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald Financial Group come to explore investment opportunities in HCMC.

Highly appreciated the US investors have chosen HCMC to invest in Financial Tower project, Mr Dinh La Thang committed that the city would create the most favorable conditions for US businesses as well as other international investors, bringing benefits to the enterprise and also the city.

At the same time, the city desires Cantor Fitzgerald Group and US investors will soon implement the Financial Tower project in Thu Thiem urban area, bringing Thu Thiem into a financial center in the region, attracting more investors and large financial corporations of the US and the world.

The city also believes that with the visit of US President Barack Obama to Vietnam, a new wave of investment from US will increase rapidly, especially when the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement takes effect.

With its dynamic, HCMC is training human resources to be able to meet the needs of development and investment.

According to Cantor Fitzgerald Group, the reason for choosing Vietnam as investment destination was calculated very carefully, because Vietnam is an important destination for the circulation of financial flows in Southeast Asia in the coming time. Moreover, Ho Chi Minh City is a vibrant and dynamic place with strong entrepreneurship, especially among the young.

With great financial strength, the Cantor Fitzgerald Group wants to invest and along with HCMC to grow prosperously.

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US Investors Continue Pouring Capital into Vietnam

Vietnam has become an attractive destination for US investors, up to now, the United States ranks 9th among countries and territories set up company in Vietnam with foreign direct investment.

Dow Chemical, Coca-Cola, Uber… are well-known US companies that deploying expansion investment projects in Vietnam. In addition, such names as Exxon Mobil, Cargill, General Electric, Johnson and Johnson, Pfizer… have become familiar, not only because of the huge capital brought into Vietnam, but also help to increase production capacity, contributing to Vietnam’s export growth.

Presently, thanks to the good relationship between the two countries, the investment and business environment in Vietnam has been improved. Many US businesses have signed large contracts with Vietnamese enterprises, concentrating on the fields such as oil and gas, information technology, animal feed and electronics.

According to information from the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam (AmCham), many US businesses are working with the authorities to expand their projects in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, the big names that have long presence in Vietnam also urgently deploy expansion plans. Cargill Vietnam Co., Ltd is expanding its operations in Vietnam, in addition to the successful field of animal feed production. It is expected that by the end of this year, Cargill will put into operation a 10 million USD warehouse at Phu My port in Ba Ria – Vung Tau province.

Cargill also plans to work with the Ministry of Transport on investment in the northern port project to expand its range of operations in many investment sectors in Vietnam.

Dow Chemical, a large US chemical company, after more than 20 years of operation in Vietnam, the company is intending to expand its operations in 2017. Dow Chemical is cooperating with many companies in Vietnam in the fields of agricultural chemicals, biotechnology and services. Furthermore, with long-term investment commitments, in addition to raising capital, Dow Chemical is ready to assist Vietnam in developing a national list of chemicals for research and development.

Statistics show that, up to May 2017, US businesses have invested in 834 projects in Vietnam, with total registered capital of 10.2 billion USD, ranked 9/116 countries and territories that have investment projects in Vietnam.

Moreover, according to an AmCham survey of 100 US companies in Vietnam, 72% of respondents said that Vietnam’s investment environment was improving, much better than Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei.

US investment capital flows into Vietnam are no longer tied up in some areas of high profitability as before. Presently, some conditional business areas such as casino, entertainment… are expected to attract more capital from US businesses.

For example, Time Warner Inc., the world’s leading media and entertainment company, is also looking for direct investment opportunities in Vietnam.

So far, most of the key businesses in Vietnam are having the presence of major US investors, typically oil and gas sector with famous names such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron; Boeing, ADC-HAS Airport in the field of aviation; Information technology with Microsoft, Intel, Apple, HP; Electrical appliances with General Electric, General Atlantis and AES…

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Jabil Expands Investment in Vietnam

Jabil Circuit, Inc has just broke ground to build a new factory in Saigon Hi-Tech Park (SHTP), realizing the plan to expand investment in Vietnam.

The event marked the expansion of Jabil Group’s operation in Vietnam, with total factory area of 38,369 square meters. The factory is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017. The new facility will provide additional production and warehousing spaces to meet future large-scale manufacturing activities for products such as computer, storage, networking equipment, telecommunications, automation, digital housing, mobility, sale equipment, printing, industry and energy.

This expansion also marks Jabil’s a decade of development in Vietnam and a stepping stone for the future growth of the Group.

Jabil started operations at SHTP in September 2007, specializing in the manufacture of electronics and telecommunications equipment with an initial investment of only 30 million USD. However, in 2011, Jabil decided to raise capital to 100 million USD. And in 2015, Jabil once again announced the expansion of investment in Vietnam. According to the signed memorandum, Jabil plans to invest an additional 500 million USD to expand production in Vietnam with a facility of more than 93,000 square meters.

Currently, Jabil Vietnam employs around 4,500 people and aims to create over 3,000 new jobs for the province in the next five years. In addition, Jabil also plans to develop high quality human resources in Vietnam for future leadership positions through training and development opportunities.

Jabil is a product solutions company that provides electronic technology solutions including design, manufacturing and comprehensive manufacturing management for electronics and technology companies around the world. Providing complete supply chain management from facilities in 28 countries, Jabil offers comprehensive and focused solutions for customers in a variety of industries. In Vietnam, Jabil specializes in providing large-scale product solutions for sectors as industry, power, networking and telecommunications equipment, sales and printing equipment.

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Hong Kong Investors Explore Vietnam Infrastructure Projects

Hong Kong investors are promoting investment in southern provinces in the areas such as infrastructure investment, waste water treatment, waste and also learn about set up company in Vietnam.

Recently, about 40 Hong Kong investors and experts in investment and infrastructure development sectors have visited Ho Chi Minh City. Sharing the purpose of this business trip, Mr Vincent HS Lo – Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council said that these investors are people who have a lot of experiences in the financial, consulting, architecture, energy, water and waste treatment, engineering and construction, law and accounting, transportation sectors…

Also according to Mr Vincent HS Lo, investors and businesses in Hong Kong are very interested in Vietnam infrastructure projects, especially the system of railway, road, airport and seaport.

Previously, during meetings with representatives of the Ministry of Transport in Hanoi, representatives of Hong Kong investors and businesses also expressed their interest in the North-South Expressway Project with a length of more than 1,300 km. A Hong Kong representative said that this project would help develop the strengths of a gateway to attract investment in large projects.

According to Hong Kong businesses, in addition to transport infrastructure, they are also interested in large-scale real estate projects in Vietnam. Mr Johnson Choi, Managing Director of Sunwah Group said that the company had many large investment projects in Vietnam, notably real estate projects. According to Mr Choi, among countries in Asia, Vietnam is considered as a potential country for real estate. Therefore, not only investing in projects in HCMC, Hong Kong businesses also pay attention to projects in Hanoi and the Central region.

According to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, as of the end of the first quarter of 2017, Hong Kong is the sixth largest investor in Vietnam with more than 1,200 projects and a total registered capital of more than 17.57 billion USD.

Hong Kong’s licensed projects in Vietnam are quickly implemented. For example, the project of Worldon Vietnam Co., Ltd in Dong Nam Industrial Zone (HCMC), after being licensed to increase capital by 140 million USD in 2016, has nearly completed the Fashion Design and Production Center for high quality knitwear.

Or project of Nam Phuong Textile Joint Venture Co., Ltd., with registered capital of 120 million USD in Viet Huong 2 Industrial Zone (Binh Duong), has made new moves in the project implementation after starting work at the end of 2014. The project is constructed on an area of 12 hectares, operating in the field of weaving fabric, phase I has capacity of 36 million meters of cloth per year, mainly for export…

In 2016, Vietnam is Hong Kong’s largest export market in ASEAN with a total export turnover of 9.25 billion USD. In addition, Vietnam is Hong Kong’s third largest trading partner in the ASEAN region with a total bilateral trade reached 16.2 billion USD.

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Quang Binh Is Selected by AT Capital for Its Renewable Energy Project

That is the information released by representatives of the Orange Renewable Company (Singapore), under AT Capital Corporation at a meeting with Quang Binh People’s Committee Chairman Nguyen Huu Hoai on May 24th.

According to representatives of Orange Renewable Company, by studying the data on natural conditions as well as investment policy in Quang Binh, the Company found that this locality is very suitable for investing in renewable energy projects of AT Capital Corporation, therefore, the Corporation wishes to carry out renewable energy projects in the province.

In response to Orange Renewable Company, Chairman of Quang Binh Provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Huu Hoai welcomed and highly appreciated that AT Capital has paid much attention to investment in renewable h. Moreover, Mr Hoai also pledged to pay attention, support and create the most favorable conditions for investors in the process of research and implementation projects. He also assigned Department of Industry and Trade to coordinated with the Department of Planning and Investment to guide AT Capital’s experts to conduct field surveys and prepare related procedures.

Orange Renewable Company is headquartered in Singapore and is funded by AT Capital, one of India’s leading renewable energy developers, with a total portfolio of renewable energy projects with capacity of up to 758 MW including 191 MW of solar power, 567 MW of wind power…

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Posco Energy Will Invest in Quynh Lap II Thermal Power Plant

The Government of Vietnam has agreed in principle to assign the Korean investor Posco Energy ,Energy consultant in Vietnam to research and develop the Quynh Lap II thermal power plant project under the form of a BOT contract.

Under the direction of the Government, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will be responsible for working with Posco Energy to agree on a number of key issues related to the development of the Quynh Lap II BOT thermal power plant project, in which ensuring not to pollute the environment. On that basis, the Posco Energy’s proposal will be approved to direct the implementation of the next steps in accordance with the law of Vietnam.

Quynh Lap II thermal power plant project is designed with a total capacity of 1,200MW, including 2 machine units. The project is expected to be built in Quynh Lap commune, Dong Hoi Industrial Zone – Hoang Mai town, on an area of 171 ha and 37 ha of water surface. The expected total investment of the project is nearly 2.5 billion USD.

Previously, Posco Energy has also invested Mong Duong II thermal power plant in the form of BOT in Quang Ninh.

In Vietnam, foreign investors are also very interested in BOT thermal power plant projects. For example, the typical projects are Vung Ang 2, Van Phong 1, Quang Tri 1… However, due to slow investment procedures, not many projects have been granted investment certificates and gone into deployment.

ANT Consulting is here to assist you from the outset; providing corporate intelligence, risk advisory, management consulting services that assist market entrance, and ensure efficient business start-up operation.  Our services are as following:

• Advisory

• Market Entry

• Tax Advice

• Legal Advice

We strive to save your cost by guiding you towards economical solutions that comply with local legislation and procedures. We support you through early logistic solutions and carry you through as your business grows.  We aim to bridge the gap between international best practices and local cultures and assist foreign companies and organizations entering Vietnam market to overcome commercial and regulatory issues.

We could be reached at email: ant@antconsult.vn or tel: +844 32232771 .  To learn more about us, please visit www.antconsult.vn

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FDI from Asia Will Flow into Hai Phong

Hai Phong has made a splash in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) and there are indications that foreign investors will continue to set up company in Vietnam in general and particularly this port city in the near future.

In fact, there are few places in the Northern of Vietnam having complete infrastructure system with five modes (railway, road, air, river, sea) such as Hai Phong.

The new Hanoi – Hai Phong highway is one of the most modern in Vietnam. In 2016, Cat Bi International Airport has been expanded to create a large capacity air transportation system in the North (after Noi Bai International Airport, Hanoi), capable of transporting goods on all international routes. The new Lach Huyen port will be operated next year, allowing ships with draft of 14 meters or tonnage of 100,000 DWT to berth in Hai Phong, minimizing the transit time of ports such as Singapore or Hong Kong. These advantages of Hai Phong bring direct benefits to investors by shortening the time to bring products to market. Therefore, many foreign investors have seized the opportunity to invest and deploy the projects in Hai Phong.

By 2016, Hai Phong has licensed 490 FDI projects, with total registered capital of nearly 14 billion USD. Particularly in 2016, with 2.9 billion USD of FDI capital, Hai Phong has risen to the second position in FDI attraction, after Ho Chi Minh City.

Hai Phong still has a large land fund, in the “gold” positions. For example, Dinh Vu – Cat Hai Economic Zone has a total area of 22,540 ha and can be expanded to 600 ha; 19 industrial parks with an area of 9,112 ha and 33 industrial clusters with area of 2,284 ha.

According to representatives of the Deep C Industrial Complex, one of the reasons why investors chose to deploy the project is that industrial parks are located in strategic locations near the newly invested infrastructure, combined with a reliable utility system (including electricity, water, sewage) and the best incentive policy. This is why many investors have implemented large capital projects in Deep C’s industrial parks such as Bridgestone (Japan), Flat Glass (Hong Kong), Knauf (Germany)…

Apart from the advantages of location, infrastructure and good human resources, Hai Phong now has many models of quality industrial parks. That is the basis to believe that in the coming time, industrial zones in Hai Phong will welcome large capital flows from Asia.

ANT Consulting is here to assist you from the outset; providing corporate intelligence, risk advisory, management consulting services that assist market entrance, and ensure efficient business start-up operation.  Our services are as following:

• Advisory

• Market Entry

• Tax Advice

• Legal Advice

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We strive to save your cost by guiding you towards economical solutions that comply with local legislation and procedures. We support you through early logistic solutions and carry you through as your business grows.  We aim to bridge the gap between international best practices and local cultures and assist foreign companies and organizations entering Vietnam market to overcome commercial and regulatory issues.

We could be reached at email: ant@antconsult.vn or tel: +844 32232771 .  To learn more about us, please visit www.antconsult.vn

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The Attractiveness of Vietnam Retail Market

With the attractiveness that has been affirmed in the international retail market, nowadays more and more foreign investors decided to set up company in Vietnam.

With the scale of 110 billion USD by 2016 and forecasted to increase to 180 billion USD by 2020, Vietnam is considered one of the 30 most attractive retail markets in the world. Therefore, in recent years, large foreign corporations such as Lotte, Central, Aeon, Auchan… have stepped up the penetration and expansion of retail market in Vietnam, showing the potential as well as the race to win market share of the Vietnam retail market.

As predicted by the Trade Research Institute (Ministry of Industry and Trade), in the period 2016 – 2020, Vietnam’s retail growth rate will reach 11.9% per year, the market size of about 179 billion USD by 2020, from 102 billion USD in 2015, in which modern retail will account for more than 45% compared with the rate of 25% of 2015. By 2020, as planned, the country will have about 1,200 – 1,500 supermarkets, 180 trade centers, 157 shopping centers.

With commitments when joining the WTO, nowadays, Vietnam has fully opened the retail market. The attractiveness of Vietnam market is shown in a market with population of over 93 million people, in which nearly 40% are urban residents with rising per capita income and have reached over 2,000 USD per person.

Market research by Nielsen also shows that the middle class in Vietnam will double by 2020, from 12 million people in 2014 to 33 million people in 2020. The increased spending, coupled with consumers are willing to pay for high quality service and product. The structure of population and family, changing shopping habits are also facilitating the development of the retail market.

With such attractive market, foreign retailers have constantly landed in Vietnam. From Metro Cash & Carry, to Big C, Lotte and now Aeon, Auchan, Robinsons, Emart… also do not miss the opportunity to massively invest in Vietnam. In addition to direct investment, foreign retailers also strengthen joint ventures such as Saigon Co.op with FairPrice (Singapore), CitiMart and Fivimart with Aeon (Japan), or through M&A deals such as Alibaba ( buy Lazada), Central Group (buy Big C, Nguyen Kim), BJC (buy MetroVietNam), Lotte (buy Diamond Plaza), Nojima Corporation (buy Tran Anh)…

With the increasing participation of large retailers in the world in Vietnam, the competitive pressure in the retail sector is increasing for Vietnamese businesses. When both Big C and Metro are belonging to the Thai people, it is clear that Vietnam retail businesses are experiencing both financial and management weaknesses. However, proficiency in local culture and proximity to Vietnamese consumers is advantageous for local retailers. Therefore, the competition of one side is the retail businesses coming from Thailand, Korea, Japan and the other is mainly Saigon Co.op with Co.opMart supermarket chains, Vingroup with Vinmart chain is predicted to be stressful and prolonged.

In addition, the organic food supply chains like Bac Tom, Sagrifood… are also effectively exploiting the demand for food of urban people. The typical characteristics of domestic retailers are high proportion of Vietnamese high-quality goods, which have many characteristics in line with Vietnamese shopping culture.

However, the choice of consumers is the decisive factor for the success or failure of retailers. The issue of quality and price of goods is the number one priority of consumers when shopping. Therefore, besides improving management and raising capital, Vietnamese businesses need to maintain good quality products and competitive selling prices in order to survive and compete with foreign retailers right in the domestic market.

ANT Consulting is here to assist you from the outset; providing corporate intelligence, risk advisory, management consulting services that assist market entrance, and ensure efficient business start-up operation.  Our services are as following:

• Advisory

• Market Entry

• Tax Advice

• Legal Advice

We strive to save your cost by guiding you towards economical solutions that comply with local legislation and procedures. We support you through early logistic solutions and carry you through as your business grows.  We aim to bridge the gap between international best practices and local cultures and assist foreign companies and organizations entering Vietnam market to overcome commercial and regulatory issues.

We could be reached at email: ant@antconsult.vn or tel: +844 32232771 .  To learn more about us, please visit www.antconsult.vn

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Vietnam Real Estate Ranks Second in Attracting FDI

In the first quarter of 2017, the real estate sector continued to grow steadily as it continued to rank second in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) and the number of newly established businesses continued to increase. Those are good signs showing that foreign investors prefer to invest and set up company in Vietnam.

According to the Vietnam National Real Estate Association (VNREA), in a total of 7.71 billion USD registered FDI in the first quarter of 2017, the real estate business sector attracted 0.34 billion USD, accounting for 4.5% of total registered capital and ranked second after processing and manufacturing industries in attracting FDI.

The most remarkable project in the field of real estate in the first quarter was the Vietnam – Singapore Industrial Park III project, which is invested in Hoi Nghia commune (Tan Uyen town) and Tan Lap commune (Bac Tan Uyen district), Binh Duong province, on an area of 1,000 hectares with investment capital of 284.7 million USD, invested by Vietnam – Singapore Industrial Park Joint Venture Limited Company (VSIP).

The first quarter, also recorded 924 real estate businesses were newly established, increasing 55% in number of enterprises and 34% in capital.

According to real estate professionals, in the second quarter, the resort real estate market will continue to grow strongly, attracting the attention of both foreign and domestic investors thanks to the great tourism potential of Vietnam.

Regarding capital for real estate development, it is forecasted that FDI capital will still accounts for a high proportion, domestic capital is the main source of capital. Capital in the people and remittances will be mobilized more, especially investment in the tourism and resort sectors.

Real estate transactions are expected to increase as some large projects with thousands of units are soon to be offered for sale. However, investors are advised to be cautious in selecting projects with good incentives and professional operators to invest.

ANT Consulting is here to assist you from the outset; providing corporate intelligence, risk advisory, management consulting services that assist market entrance, and ensure efficient business start-up operation.  Our services are as following:

• Advisory

• Market Entry

• Tax Advice

• Legal Advice

We strive to save your cost by guiding you towards economical solutions that comply with local legislation and procedures. We support you through early logistic solutions and carry you through as your business grows.  We aim to bridge the gap between international best practices and local cultures and assist foreign companies and organizations entering Vietnam market to overcome commercial and regulatory issues.

We could be reached at email: ant@antconsult.vn or tel: +844 32232771 .  To learn more about us, please visit www.antconsult.vn

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