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

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.

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/set-up-joint-stock-company-in-vietnam.html

Many “American eagles” expressed their desire to invest and expand into Vietnam

 After the Covid-19 pandemic with unremitting efforts, Vietnam has affirmed its capacity in all aspects with other countries, especially the capability to fight against Covid and quick return focus to business. Therefore, Vietnam is becoming an attractive investment destination for global investors including American companies. With the stable political situation, young and abundant human resources and commitment to investment facilitation from the Vietnam Government, it has become a great motivation for American investors to choose Vietnam as a safe and effective investment destination to set up company and expand business in Vietnam.

On the occasion of Vietnam Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s business trip to attend the Special Summit to celebrate the 45th anniversary of ASEAN- America relations, many big American enterprises such as Intel, Apple and Google have shared their desire to expand the supply chain, cooperate in technology and move production to Vietnam by coordinating with Vietnamese enterprises that have suitable capability to participate. This is also considered a great opportunity for Vietnam to interact with the world’s leading advanced economy to improve its labor capacity and is a potential market for workers to learn and demonstrate their abilities.

Specifically, Apple wants the Vietnamese Government to continue to have preferential policies to encourage high-tech American enterprises to develop business and invest in Vietnam. On the other hand, Apple also affirmed that it will actively consider the Prime Minister’s proposal on increasing the number of domestic suppliers and raising the rate of using domestic services and goods higher in Apple products in the near future.

In addition, Intel also showed its interest in the Vietnamese market by emphasizing the very important role of Vietnam and Vietnamese factories in Intel’s production chain. Moreover, Intel also highly appreciates Vietnam’s infrastructure and human resources as potential conditions for technology enterprises to continue to expand their operations. Especially in today’s volatile world, Intel’s expansion of investment in Vietnam is a strategic solution.

Currently, Microsoft is working with Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications to deploy digital skills programs both private and public sector, and data science development in Vietnam. Accordingly, technology will help enhance transparency and trust, prevent and fight corruption. Vietnam has a young population, a dynamic country, ready to receive new technologies Microsoft wishes to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in the fields of digital transformation, ensuring network security, helping Vietnam achieve the goal of reducing emissions to zero by 2050 and contribute to helping Vietnam build a green economy, digital economy, and sustainable development.

In addition, in order to attract foreign investment, the Prime Minister emphasized that the “sincerity, trust and responsibility” stance, “harmonious benefits, shared risks” between big American and Vietnamese enterprises will help the relationship between the parties is stable and good. In addition, to implement the commitments it has joined, Vietnam is continuing to build and perfect institutions suitable to Vietnam’s conditions and circumstances. Moreover, the development of strategic infrastructure such as digital transformation infrastructure, transport infrastructure, energy infrastructure, healthcare infrastructure… will also be the focus of completion to attract foreign investors to establish business in Vietnam.

Besides, Vietnam continues to improve the open and stable business environment, and effectively handle administrative procedures. In particular, digital transformation will help reduce direct transactions, fight negativity, trouble, corruption, save time and costs for people and businesses. Therefore, Vietnamese businesses need to innovate in both capacity and organization to capture this opportunity well.

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/setting-up-company-in-vietnam/many-american-eagles-expressed-their-desire-to-invest-and-expand-into-vietnam.html

Assistance In Setting up Business Venture in Vietnam

  To help Clients start business in Vietnam, ANT Consulting introduces the service to assist in set up business venture in Vietnam.

Foreign investors could make direct investment in Vietnam through setting up one hundred per cent (100%) capital of foreign investors, or establishing joint venture between domestic and foreign investors, or  investing in the contractual forms of: BCC, BO, BTO, and BT

Types of enterprise for foreign investors to invest in Vietnam are as following:

Limited Liability Company 

A limited-liability company may not issue securities to mobilize capital.

Joint Stock Company

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.

Partnership

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.

Representative Office of Foreign Trader

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)

Branch of Foreign Trader

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.

Investing by Signing Contracts

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.

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/assistance-in-setting-up-business-venture-in-vietnam.html

Tetra Pak Construct 110 Million USD Packaging Factory in Binh Duong

 Tetra Pak (Sweden) has started construction of a 110 million USD packaging factory on an area of 10,000 m2 and a total capacity of 20 billion packages per year at Vietnam - Singapore Industrial Park II - A (Binh Duong). This information has been announced since the end of 2016. The factory is expected to come into operation by the beginning of 2019.

According to the Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment, this is the factory with largest scale among 54 projects that Sweden investors have invested in Vietnam.

Moreover, he affirmed that the factory could become the leading bird, leading many Swedish businesses to come and set up business in Vietnam.

Sweden was the first country in the Western region that establish diplomatic relations with Vietnam. There will be many Swedish multinational corporations want to invest in Vietnam. Therefore, Vietnam in general and Binh Duong in particular need to prepare better investment environment to catch the wave of FDI, especially from Sweden.

According to representative of Tetra Pak, this is the company's most green packaging factory in their system, as well as the 4^th largest packaging factory in East Asia and Oceania in terms of scale.

The two popular types of packaging will be produced at the factory including Tetra Brik Aseptic and Tetra Fino Aseptic.

According to Tetra Pak, dairy and beverage products in South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand markets are expected to grow at a rate of 5.6 percent annually from now until 2019.

In Vietnam, milk production is still the largest sector in the country, which is expected to double consumption per capita to 28 liters per year by 2020. While the market for fresh fruit juice is expected to grow 17.5% in the next year. This is the basis for packaging factories - including Tetra Pak's factory to expect fast growth in the near future.

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/tetra-pak-construct-110-million-usd-packaging-factory-in-binh-duong.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

Mavin Pledged to Invest 80 Million USD in Nghe An

  Mavin Group (Australia) has operated in Vietnam for a long time and now they do not hide their ambition to expand investment and set up business in Vietnam.

In February 2017, Mavin Group inaugurated an animal feed production factory in Nghe An. This plant has a total investment of 15 million USD, which is built on an area of 3.6 ha and has a capacity of 300,000 tons per year.

Mavin Group has invested in Vietnam for more than 12 years and now has production facilities in 7 provinces and branches, warehouses in 19 different provinces in the country. However, up to date, Nghe An is the only province that Mavin plans to invest in 4 separate projects with a total investment of 80 million USD.

In addition to the inaugural animal feed factory, Mavin Group plans to deploy 3 more projects in Nghe An.

In April 2017, Mavin Group was granted a license to invest in a 18 million USD hi-tech pig farm, built on an area of ​​100 hectares. Subsequently, the Mavin Group plans to invest in a Veterinary Research Center. At the same time, conducting a feasibility study to invest in a food processing plant that may be launched by 2018. The project has a total investment of 25 million USD, built on an area of ​​5 hectares, capacity of 200,000 tons/year. This factory will produce products made from meat, sausage, ham and other traditional meats... serving the domestic market and exporting to Laos and Cambodia.

According to the Chairman of the group, Mavin Group before making investment decision always consider 6 issues that are: human resources; market; geographic factors; political issues (attention, government support, security...); incentive policy and transparency.

In addition, representatives of the Mavin Group expressed their satisfaction when investing in Nghe An. Moreover, they also suggested that investors should choose to invest in Nghe An not only because of favorable geographic location, synchronous facilities, great source of human resources but also highly supported from province leaders with great investment incentives.

According to the representative of Vietnam – Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) in the Central and South regions, recently many local and foreign investors have come to Nghe An seeking investment opportunities.

Previously, in September 2015, VSIP Nghe An was officially started construction with a total area of 750 hectares. After more than a year of land handover, up to now, VSIP Nghe An has now leveled and built complete infrastructure for about 100 hectares of industrial land area in phase 1A. The wastewater treatment system, clean water supply, power supply, fire prevention and protection have been completed and ready to serve investors in production.

More than 90 companies from many countries and territories have come to find out information and investment opportunities at VSIP Nghe An and 10 companies have signed investment commitments with total investment capital of over 400 billion VND. By the beginning of September 2017, some companies have received land handover and started plant construction. In which, the first factory was officially put into operation. It is expected that by the fourth quarter of 2017, two more companies will come into operation, attracting about 1,000 workers.

It is known that VSIP Nghe An is the 7^th project that VSIP deployed in Vietnam. Previously, in addition to 2 VSIP projects in Binh Duong, there are projects in Bac Ninh, Hai Phong, Quang Ngai and Hai Duong. Currently, VSIP's projects attract a total of 720 investors from 30 countries and territories with total domestic and foreign investment of 9.2 billion USD, creating jobs for about 180,000 workers.

Source: https://www.antconsult.vn/news/industry/mavin-pledged-to-invest-80-million-usd-in-nghe-an.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

Toyoda Gosei Invests in Auto Parts Factory in Tien Hai Industrial Park

  Toyoda Gosei Group, the world's leading manufacturer of auto parts, supplying for Toyota (Japan) has decided to choose Tien Hai Industrial Park, Viglacera as the location to set up factory in Vietnam.

Viglacera Real Estate Trading Company and Toyoda Gosei Group of Japan have just signed a land lease contract with an area of 11.3 hectares in Tien Hai Industrial Park, Thai Binh province, which is invested by Viglacera Corporation.

Toyoda Gosei is the world's leading auto parts manufacturer, supplying for Toyota, with a network of about 100 factories and offices in 18 countries and regions.

The new plant is expected to be built in early 2018 and put into production in 2019 with a total investment of 24.6 million USD, specializing in the production of airbag components and airbags for safe protection for drivers and passengers in cars, leather and polyurethane coated car steering wheels.

Toyoda Gosei's products will be exported to Japan, USA, Europe and some other regions.

Toyoda Gosei has also invested in Hai Phong, with 3 large-scale workshops, and also one of the largest investment companies in Nomura Industrial Park in Hai Phong.

Tien Hai Viglacera Industrial Park has the advantage of geographical position when locating near the coastal highway connecting the 6 northern coastal provinces (Quang Ninh - Hai Phong - Thai Binh - Nam Dinh - Ninh Binh - Thanh Hoa), which has just started construction in May 2017. In which, the construction of the expressway locating in Thai Binh province will be completed by the end of 2018, shortening the distance and travel time from the industrial zone to Hai Phong port (40km) – 60 minutes).

In addition, enterprises in Tien Hai Industrial Park are also enjoying attractive incentives for enterprises in the economic zone such as 10% corporate income tax rate for 15 years, tax exemption for the first 4 years and reduction of 50% for the next 9 years; land rental exemptions from 11 to 19 years; import tax incentives; personal income tax incentives...

Therefore, only after less than one month since the decision to establish Thai Binh Economic Zone was issued, Tien Hai Viglacera Industrial Park has received the attention for information and investment decision from many investors coming from the countries like Japan, Korea, Hongkong, Taiwan...

In order to meet the increasing demand for land leasing to build factory in Tien Hai Industrial Park, Viglacera is actively promoting land clearance to ensure a large area of clean land, complete construction of infrastructure to create the most favorable conditions for businesses operating here.

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/toyoda-gosei-invests-in-auto-parts-factory-in-tien-hai-industrial-park.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

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.

French Corporation Opens "Laughing Cow" Cheese Factory in Vietnam

  According to the European Supermarket magazine, Bel Group (France) has just opened a 1 ha plant in Vietnam to produce "laughing cow" cheese to serve the Southeast Asian market, marking their first penetration into the Vietnamese market.

The new plant will produce an additional 3 million pieces of cheese a week, doubling the output for the region. In addition to being sold in Vietnam, the product will be exported to the Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia and Thailand.

Bel Group began construction of this plant in July 2015 in Binh Duong, with an investment capital of17 million USD. The factory also has a research center to develop products suitable for Southeast Asian taste.

The brand "laughing cow" cheese is currently occupies 85% of the market share in Vietnam in this segment.

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.

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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SCG (Thailand) Pours Capital into Vietnam Petrochemical Sector

  With the acquisition of 25% shares from Qatar Petroleum at Long Son Petrochemical Refinery Complex project, SCG Group (Thailand) continues to strengthen its position as a major investor in Viet Nam petrochemical sector.

Previously, Vina SCG Chemicals (VSCG), a wholly-owned subsidiary of SCG in Vietnam, has signed contract to acquire shares of QPI Vietnam Limited (QPIV), a subsidiary of Qatar Petroleum to receive all 25% shares in Long Son Petrochemical Co., Ltd - the investor of Long Son petrochemical complex, according to a press release posted on SCG's website.

This 36.1 million USD deal (approximately 1.100 million Thai bath), which raised SCG's direct and indirect shares in Long Son Petrochemical Co., Ltd from 46% to 71%. Meanwhile, the remaining 29% of the joint venture to develop this project is held by PetroVietnam (PVN).

This project is a major oil and gas project, the first petrochemical complex in Vietnam with production capacity of up to 1.6 million tons of olefins per year, total investment estimated at 5.4 billion USD, applying modern and advanced technologies and techniques, operating safely and meeting the requirements of environmental protection, ensuring high quality petrochemical products such as PP, PE...

The project will create about 15,000 - 20,000 jobs during construction and more than 1,000 jobs when go into commercial operations.

Moreover, the project is estimated to contribute to Ba Ria - Vung Tau and the national budget 115 million USD per year (about 2.5 trillion VND per year) during 30 years since its inception.

The successful negotiation and signing of documents and transfer of funds among partners are important milestone in the project implementation, ensuring that the project is put into operation by 2021.

The Siam Cement Group (SCG) is a leading corporation in the ASEAN region with many efforts to establish competitiveness in the global market. SCG has entered the Vietnam market since 1992.

SCG has also invested heavily in Vietnam in such core business lines as: construction materials, petrochemicals and packaging. In addition to direct capital inflows, in recent years, SCG has also expanded its investment in Vietnam through mergers and acquisitions (M&A).

SCG's companies in Vietnam are mainly operating in the fields of cement - construction materials, chemicals and packaging. By the end of 2016, total assets of SCG in Vietnam are about 943 million USD.

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Many Foreign Brands Are Coming to Vietnam

  Realizing that Vietnam is a promising market, foreign enterprises want to do business in Vietnam through the form of franchising. Recently, many consumer goods, fashion and cosmetics brands from Japan and Thailand are promoting the franchise with Vietnamese partners and enterprises.

In the framework of the program "Vietnam - Thailand Enterprises Interaction in The Field of Franchising" which was held in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) recently, there were 40 Thailand enterprises operating in the food, beverage, restaurant, supermarket, health care, cosmetic sectors joined to find partners in Vietnam.

According Mr Nupartpat Sutthitham, Director of the MP Mart convenience store chain (Thailand), currently in Thailand there are 3 MP Mart stores, in which the model is not the same as Family Mart or Circle K. While Family Mart sells mainly food (80%), MP Mart sells mainly fast moving consumer goods, which are produced in Thailand (70%).

According to representatives of MP Mart, the cost to open a store in Thailand with an average area of 150 m2 is approximately 50,000 USD. Realizing the Vietnam market has many opportunities, MP Mart wants to explore and this is the first time this brand comes to Vietnam. The criteria for selection of investors, partners of MP Mart are having financial resources to be able to scaling this model in large numbers in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, according to representatives of Kokekokko - a well-known chicken fast food brand in Thailand with 5 stores, using Japanese spices to marinate chicken. Representatives of this brand also did not hide their intention to find partners with business understanding and financial resources to open stores in Vietnam.

Also in late November of 2016, there were 9 Japan enterprises with 14 fashion brands came to Vietnam to find partners to open franchise stores or distribute products in the domestic market.

According to Mr Akira Kaise, representatives of I Am Company Limited, this fashion brand has been presented in many markets around the world such as Hong Kong, Shanghai, Korea, Taiwan, Spain, UK, Netherlands... and this is the first time he comes to Vietnam to study the market.

Representative of I Am Co., Ltd commented that young population, good economic development, increasing people's incomes... are factors to make Vietnam becoming a potential market for fashion items. In addition to the market penetration, the Company is also interested in outsourcing or investing in Vietnam to take advantage of low labor costs and highly skilled labors.

At the Vietnam market, Japanese businesses are often mentioned in the culinary field, meanwhile, the fashion, cosmetics or beauty brands are not widely known by consumers. Thus, recently, many Japanese cosmetic brands have decided to enter the market of Vietnam and looking for official distributors.

In an activity operated by the Esuhai Company of Vietnam recently in HCMC, there were nearly 10 cosmetic brands of Japan participated. Among them, the brand Kose is well known by many consumers.

According to the representative of Kose, this enterprise has been established since 1946, global sales reached 2.1 billion USD a year and has been presented in 18 countries. However, so far, this brand does not have official distribution channel in Vietnam market. Therefore, along with the promotion of market presence and product introduction, on this occasion, Kose desires to find agents and official partner in Vietnam.

Meanwhile, according to representatives of Nippon Menard Cosmetic Company, owner of the brand Menard, the Company is fully confident to introduce their products to consumers in Vietnam and wanted to find good partners to be able to access to more consumers.

According to the representatives of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) in HCMC, Vietnam currently has more than 93 million populations, of which half are women who want to become more beautiful as earnings are improving and willing to spend the budget for beauty and body care. Therefore, this is a favorable time and good opportunity for the Japanese cosmetics brand to penetrate the market of Vietnam.

However, there is the fact that the Japanese cosmetic and fashion products are priced relatively high compared to the average income of local consumers. In addition, the Japanese fashion is not common in Vietnam market. Therefore, this is seen as the first step for the fashion and cosmetic brands of Japan to explore the market and find partners.