Vietnam will see more big M&A cases this year, particularly in the areas of production, finance, banking and consumer goods.

Vietnam M&A Forum 2011 Press Conference

Dau Tu newspaper and AVM Vietnam Company held Vietnam M&A Forum 2011 Press Conference in Hanoi on May 18, where, a representative from the European Chamber of Commerce (EuroCham), said that 17% of Vietnamese businesses planned M&A activity in the next three years.

According to a representative from Petrovietnam Securities Joint Stock Company, the firm is arranging M&A for around 20 companies.

Lawyer Le Dinh Vinh, Deputy General Director of SMiC Law Firm, said M&A will grow sharply this year among private firms in Vietnam thanks to the local government\'s efforts to improve the business environment to attract foreign investment. Besides, businesses are also impacted by the global and the local economic situation, which further encourages mergers and acquisistions.

Dang Xuan Minh from Avalue Vietnam said an increasing number of private Vietnamese companies have become the buyers in M&A deals over the past few years, while in the past foreign buyers were prevalent.

“The number of acquisition cases among Vietnamese companies account for around 40% of the Vietnamese M&A market’s total transactions,” Minh disclosed.

A report from PWC Company indicated that, in 2010, Vietnam had 345 mergers and acquisitions, with a total value of USD1.7 billion. This represents a rise of 65% against 2009.

The largest deals included FPT - EVN Telecom, Vien Dong Pharma JS Company-Ha Tay Pharma JS Company and Thien Minh Group’s acquisition of Victoria hotels.

Vietnam M&A forum, scheduled to open on June 9 in Ho Chi Minh City, will focus on topics of M&A in 2010 and its trend in 2011, M&A experience and post-M&A strategies of companies.