Banking market entry into Vietnam

Vietnam’s banking sector has shown significant improvement which results from stable inflation and interested rate

FMCG business consultant in Vietnam

With increasing disposable income, rising living standard, stable GDP and economic growth, young population and low inflation

Real Estate business consultant in Vietnam

Hundreds of millions of dollars are waiting to pour into Vietnam real estate market in most segments.

Oil Gas business consultant in Vietnam

Vietnam oil and gas industry has a great potential as it plays a vital role in Vietnam’s industrial development.

Thứ Tư, 28 tháng 2, 2018

Strengths in FDI Attraction of Vietnam

set-up company in Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam has many strong points in FDI attraction that foreign investors are very interested in. This has made Vietnam an attractive destination for investors to set up company in Vietnam.

Firstly, the stable security and political situation is an important condition for deciding to set up long-term investment activities in Vietnam. Moreover, Vietnam has a favorable geographic position in trade with the world as well as a connection hub of the region and a gateway to penetrate economies in the western part of the Indochina Peninsula. Third, with a population of 92 million people, Viet Nam has the advantage of abundant and quality labor force with competitive labor costs. In addition, with 12 new generation free trade agreements and Vietnam’s entry into the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), it is a good opportunity for Vietnam to connect with Asean market with over 600 million population and also the world market.

The institution, law and transparency of Vietnam are gradually being completed associated with integration, not only enabling investors to be reassured for long-term operation, but also help enterprises to participate in the supply chain, global value chain in a convenient way.

The field that foreign investors consider as strength of Vietnam is the manufacturing, processing industry. Up to now, this sector has attracted the most foreign investors with 11,833 investment projects with total registered capital reached over 175 billion USD (accounting for 51.6% of the total number of projects and 58.9% of total registered capital in Vietnam). Such investment structure is evaluated positively and place strong impact on the development of Vietnam’s industries in line with the country’s industrialization and modernization policy.

In the coming time, Vietnam will continue to prioritize attracting investment projects in the fields of supporting industries, projects with advanced technology, environmentally friendly and efficient use of the resources, minerals, land; facilitate and strengthen the connection with domestic enterprises.

Over the past years, Vietnam’s business and investment environment has been constantly improving in the open and transparent way, in line with international standards. In the context of Vietnam’s increasingly deep integration into the world economy, it will increase the attractiveness and competitiveness of Vietnam in attracting foreign investment, especially multinational corporations.

In addition, FDI enterprises have contributed to the socio-economic development of Vietnam. In recent years, the proportion of foreign investment in total investment always accounting for about 25%; contributing over 20% to GDP; contributing to the state budget and creates millions of jobs for employees.

Foreign investment capital continues to increase annually. From 2013 to now, the registered FDI capital is over 20 billion USD. Furthermore, the results of production, business, export, import and state budget contribution of FDI enterprises also achieved superior results.

In addition, the FDI sector has a spillover effect on other sectors of the economy; raising domestic investment resources, shifting economic structure, reforming state-owned enterprises and administrative procedures, improving market economy institutions and promoting international economic integration.

ANT Consulting assists clients with Market Entry, Legal Advice, Tax Advice and Outsourcing Services in Vietnam.

We are located in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

Talk to our consultants at +84 28 3520 2779 or email us ant@antconsult.vn

Thứ Hai, 26 tháng 2, 2018

Capital from China’s ‘Ring Road and Route’ Is Coming to Vietnam


In response to the China Government’s initiative to build the 21stCentury Silk Road running across the Eurasian, the Chinese’s construction enterprises are actively coming to Vietnam.

Chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) Vincent HS Lo has just led a delegation of 40 investors and experts to visit Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The delegation includes large domestic firms (including Hong Kong) in the fields of finance, consulting, architecture, energy, water and waste treatment, engineering and construction, law and accounting, transportation…

According to Mr Vincent HS Lo, the delegations have goal to invest in areas that specially focusing on the implementation of the “Ring Road and Route”, which is implemented by the Chinese government to develop the infrastructure of the area. Vietnam is determined locating in a critical position to invest in infrastructure, so that is the key to promote trade and commerce among nations.

The delegation also has meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung, Deputy Minister of Transport Nguyen Hong Truong and leaders of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Along with that, they also have meetings with many Vietnamese businesses, including big names such as Van Thinh Phat Investment Group or Sunny World Real Estate Development Company.

According to Mr Johnson Choi – CEO of Sunwah Group, with a very flexible policy of the Government of Vietnam, he believes that investment in infrastructure in Vietnam is quite feasible in comparison with other countries in Asia. Together with many businesses introduced by the HKTDC, Sunwah will work with other partners to express special interest in the 1,000 km North-South Expressway project.

Also according to Mr Choi, the Vietnamese Government is showing their support to businesses as committed. Compared with other countries in the region, the liquidity of the Vietnamese currency is at a better level. Over the past twenty years, Chinese investors have moved overseas remittances to Hong Kong quite easily.

Chairman of HKTDC Mr Vincent HS Lo believes that businesses in Hong Kong and China will have strength on infrastructure investment and set-up company in Vietnam thanks to the abundant capital and good experience. Hong Kong is the financial center of the world, so it’s easy for them to raise funds from everywhere to invest. At the same time, they have experience in most services, from consulting to construction and operation.

According to Mr Vincent HS Lo, businesses in Hong Kong and China are open to the investment and cooperation models with Vietnamese enterprises. However, the Chinese are particularly interested in the form of PPP. At the same time, the joint venture model is also considered more than the 100% capital investment to take advantage of local market knowledge of Vietnamese enterprises.

On May 14th, Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted the “Ring Road and Route” forum, with nearly 30 leaders in the world. This is an action to promote the “Ring Road and Route” initiative, in order to revive the “Silk Road” connecting Asia and Europe. Accordingly, Credit Suisse Group forecasts that China could pour more than 500 billion USD into 62 countries over the next five years to implement plans to promote its soft power.

ANT Consulting assists clients with Market Entry, Legal Advice, Tax Advice and Outsourcing Services in Vietnam.

We are located in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

Talk to our consultants at +84 28 3520 2779 or email us ant@antconsult.vn

Thứ Năm, 22 tháng 2, 2018

Jabil Expands Investment in Vietnam

Setting up company 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.

ANT Consulting assists clients with Market Entry, Legal Advice, Tax Advice and Outsourcing Services in Vietnam.

We are located in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

Talk to our consultants at +84 28 3520 2779 or email us ant@antconsult.vn

Thứ Hai, 12 tháng 2, 2018

Alibaba from China Acquires Lazada Vietnam


Set up business venture in Vietnam
Recently, there is a trend that foreign company comes and buy company in Vietnam, in order to expand their business operation and also set foot in Vietnam market, where is emerging as a potential market of the area.

Alibaba Group – China’s giant technology corporation has spent 1 billion USD to acquire Lazada, thereby officially set foot in the online sales market of Vietnam.

On April 12th 2016, the China’s giant technology group named Alibaba Group announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire the control of e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia, which is Lazada with an amount of 1 billion USD , thereby officially set foot in Vietnam.

The transaction includes an investment of 500 million USD in Lazada’s newly issued equity and the repurchase of shares of some Lazada’s shareholders include Rocket Internet SE, Tesco Plc and Investment AB Kinnevik with a total investment value of Alibaba reach approximately 1 billion USD.

This acquisition is expected to help worldwide brands and distributors that are trading on the platform of Alibaba, as well as local vendors can reach the consumer market of Southeast Asia. In addition, Alibaba deal with a certain number of shareholders of Lazada, giving Alibaba the right to purchase and shareholders the right to sell its remaining shares in Lazada at the market prices in 12-18 months after the completion of the transaction.

Lazada is headquartered in Singapore, which was founded and operated by Rocket Internet SE from Germany. The company carries out e-commercial activities in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

According to Bloomberg, the deal came from the objectives set by the billionaire cum Alibaba’s chairman Jack Ma, targeting at least half of company revenue comes from markets outside of China.

Through the deal with Lazada, Alibaba generate more revenue from sale of clothing and electronics in 6 regional markets in Southeast Asia where Lazada if operating, including Vietnam.

ANT Consulting assists clients with Market Entry, Legal Advice, Tax Advice and Outsourcing Services in Vietnam.

We are located in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

Talk to our consultants at +84 28 3520 2779 or email us ant@antconsult.vn

Chủ Nhật, 11 tháng 2, 2018

Quang Ninh Calls for Investors in Tourism Real Estate

Real Estate regulatory in Vietnam
Quang Ninh is becoming an open destination for tourism investors to come and set up business in Vietnam.

With the land area and sea surface of over 12,000 square kilometers, the topography of more than 2,000 islands spread over 250 kilometers of coastal lines, Quang Ninh is considered as a “small Vietnam” with the potential to develop green tourism. Therefore, it is not surprising that many travel experts perceive Quang Ninh is blessed with special values.

The first highlight of the Quang Ninh tourism journey is Ha Long Bay – the world natural heritage, the most typical and unique island in the island’s integrated marine tourism system. This system stretches 250 kilometers of sea route, linking Ha Long – Bai Tu Long – Van Don island – Bai Tu Long National Park – Co To island – Vinh Thuc island – Tra Co beach with Cat Ba National Forest (the World Biosphere Reserve) and the marine resources system of Hai Phong city. These remarkable advantages make Ha Long Bay along with Cat Ba, Do Son (Hai Phong) are prioritized to develop into national tourist area.

Along with Ha Long Bay, places like Quan Lan, Minh Chau, Ngoc Vung, Bai Dai, Van Hai white sand mine… (in Van Don island district); or Tra Co, Vinh Thuc (in Mong Cai city) … with beautiful beaches, natural forests, intact coral reefs around the islands, offshore locations, have created special values of Quang Ninh tourism.

In addition to natural advantages, Quang Ninh is the only province with land and sea borders with China, an important and vibrant trade gateway between Vietnam, China and ASEAN countries. That is why large investors want to choose Quang Ninh. From the end of 2013 up to now, Quang Ninh has attracted more than 100 projects with total investment capital of more than 5.5 billion USD, nearly half of capital concentrated in Ha Long city, of which the strong investment waves mostly focus on the field of tourism.

There is not only the presence of Vietnamese investors such as Tuan Chau, Vingroup, Sun Group, FLC…, the attractiveness of Quang Ninh is also reflected in the presence of billion-dollar-super-projects of giants investors from United States, China, Thailand, United Arab Emirates… The famous names such as Wyndham, Starwood, ISC Corp, Amata, Nakheel… have landed in Ha Long with huge investment plan.

In the development plan, Quang Ninh is calling for investment in 14 large-scale eco-tourism real estate projects (period 2016 – 2020) and many other projects to develop 4 major tourism centers: Ha Long; Mong Cai – Tra Co; Van Don – Co To; Uong Bi – Dong Trieu – Quang Yen.

Standing in the top on tourism investment attraction, the keys that help Quang Ninh to balance its economic benefits and resource conservation are unified planning, consistent development and a clear view on investment attraction.

ANT Consulting assists clients with Market Entry, Legal Advice, Tax Advice and Outsourcing Services in Vietnam.

We are located in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

Talk to our consultants at +84 28 3520 2779 or email us ant@antconsult.vn



Thứ Ba, 6 tháng 2, 2018

Hau Giang Receives 2 Energy Investment Projects


Energy is always a promising sector to attract foreign investors to set up business in Vietnam.

Recently, while many provinces in the Mekong Delta are thirsty for foreign direct investment (FDI), Hau Giang – a province with difficult socio-economic conditions, is receiving investment registration of 2 FDI projects with investment capital of over 4 billion USD in energy sector.

According to the Department of Planning and Investment of Hau Giang province, the 1st project is the Jinko Solar Vietnam, which is the solar polar plant, invested by Jinko Solar International Development Co., Ltd (Hong Kong) in Hoa An commune, Phung Hiep district, Hau Giang province with the goal of producing commercial electricity from solar energy. The plant has a designed capacity of 35 MW, using 40ha of land and the land lease period is 50 years.

The total investment capital of the project is 1,168 billion VND (equivalent to 52.5 million USD). According to the legal representative of Jinko Solar International Development Co., Ltd, the company has sufficient financial resources to carry out the project. In terms of technology, the plant uses the technology to convert optical energy into electricity using energy panels (photovoltaic technology) for high conversion efficiency, reasonable investment cost and suitable with Vietnam climate.

The 2nd project is the Song Hau 3 thermal power plant, invested by Viet Lao Energy Development and Investment Joint Stock Company, representing the consortium of investors including: Deo Ca Investment JSC, Viet Lao Energy Development and Investment JSC, Phongsubthavy Irrigation – Bridge and Road Construction Co., Ltd (headquartered in Vientiane, Laos). The investors propose location of the project at Song Hau Electricity Center, Phu Huu A commune, Chau Thanh district, Hau Giang province.

The objective of the project is to invest in the construction of a thermal power plant to supply commercial electricity to the national electricity network to meet the increasing demand for electricity. The design capacity of the plant is about 2,000 MW (3 x 660 MW), the operating hour is about 6,500 hours per year; annual consumption output is 13 billion kWh per year. The land area for the project is 117.08 hectares, including the main factory area, slag yards, construction yard…The project implementation period is 50 years from the date receiving investment policy decision. Total investment of the project is estimated at 81 trillion VND (equivalent to 3.636 billion USD), 100% investors capital.

At the present, there are 29 FDI projects in Hau Giang province with total capital of 808,563,599 USD. If the 2 above projects are granted investment certificates, then Hau Giang will rise to the 2nd place in terms of attracting FDI investment in the Mekong Delta (only after Long An province, which currently attracts above 6.7 billion USD of FDI capital).

ANT Consulting assists clients with Market Entry, Legal Advice, Tax Advice and Outsourcing Services in Vietnam.

We are located in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

Talk to our consultants at +84 28 3520 2779 or email us ant@antconsult.vn



Chủ Nhật, 4 tháng 2, 2018

First Solar Re-Launch Billion Dollars Project in HCMC



First Solar Corporation – one of the US investors have set up business in Vietnam in the field of high technology.

After several years of halt operation, First Solar Corporation (USA) has officially restarted the project of manufacturing solar panel with thin-film technology in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC).

So far, First Solar’s project (in the Dong Nam Industrial Zone, Cu Chi district, HCMC, investment capital of 1.2 billion USD) is still the only and largest scale project, producing solar panel with thin-film technology in industrial parks and processing zones in HCMC. Therefore, the dynamics of investors involved in this project attracted great attention.

First Solar’s contractor has started work for about two months. Meanwhile, the investor is coordinating with the authorities to carry out the works such as making environmental impact assessment reports, import and export procedures… After completing the necessary works, Fisrt Solar will carry out the import of equipment and machinery for factory installation to prepare for production.

It is known that First Solar’s project was granted investment certificate in January 2011 and started construction in March 2011. However, 8 months after starting construction, the investor has announced a temporary halt to the project, due to the supply-demand imbalance of solar cell products in the global market.

According to a privileged information source, on early August 2017, representatives of First Solar Corporation is expected to meet and share information on the implementation of the project with leaders of HCMC.

ANT Consulting assists clients with Market Entry, Legal Advice, Tax Advice and Outsourcing Services in Vietnam.

We are located in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

Talk to our consultants at +84 28 3520 2779 or email us ant@antconsult.vn



Thứ Năm, 1 tháng 2, 2018

Thailand: Long-term Investors in Vietnam Market

set up business in Vietnam
Thailand is one of the few investors involving in a lot of industries in Vietnam, they set up business in Vietnam for years and this trend has not shown signs of decline.

Thailand was one of the first foreign investors came to Vietnam in 1992. To date, Thai investors have committed to invest in Vietnam 468 projects with a total registered capital of 8 billion USD, ranked 10th among countries and territories investing in Vietnam. Thai investors have poured capital into many sectors of Vietnam’s economy, from processing industry to agriculture, wholesale and retail…

After more than 25 years of presence in Vietnam, Thais have quietly acquired BigC, Metro, Nguyen Kim, Vinamilk, Prime… The chain of wholesale and retail stores of Thai people has spread throughout Vietnam. Not many foreign investors in Vietnam can do that.

With a large investment scale, it can be said that Thailand is the leading investment partner of Vietnam. Meanwhile, in ASEAN, Thailand is Vietnam’s largest trading partner, while Vietnam is Thailand’s second largest export partner, with total bilateral trade in 2016 reached 12.5 billion USD. Of which, Vietnam exports to Thailand reached 3.7 billion USD. In the first half of 2017, total two-way trade turnover reached nearly 7 billion USD, increase by over 22% over the same period last year. The two sides set a target to bring two-way trade turnover to 20 billion USD by 2020.

However, Vietnam and Thailand are also direct “competitors” in both competition to attract foreign investment and export goods. There are a lot of Thai exports that are similar to Vietnam’s exports, in which rice is one of the typical items.

In terms of investment attraction, Thailand has long been a leading investment destination in the region and Vietnam is competing directly with this market. In recent years, many Korean and Japanese investors, including LG, have decided to move production sites from Thailand to Vietnam. According to a report released by PwC, Vietnam has surpassed both Thailand and Malaysia in terms of new FDI inflows. Even PwC says that overtaking Thailand and Malaysia, Vietnam is at a “booming point” in the development process, thanks to a series of trade agreements being signed and an increasingly transparent and open business environment.

ANT Consulting assists clients with Market Entry, Legal Advice, Tax Advice and Outsourcing Services in Vietnam.

We are located in Hanoi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

Talk to our consultants at +84 28 3520 2779 or email us ant@antconsult.vn