Largest / most noteworthy public M&A transactions in the past 12 months
Oil gas & Chemicals
In May 2017, Earth Chemical bought 100% stake in A My Gia Joint Stock Company at about USD79.2 million.
Financial
In July 2017, Vietnam International Joint Stock Commercial Bank bought 100% business of Commonwealth Bank of Australia (Ho Chi Minh Branch).
Other
Retail
- Thai group Singha bought 25% and 33% stake in Masan Consumer Holdings and Masan Brewery respectively at a total of USD1.1 billion.
- VinGroup bought Maximark at an undisclosed value.
- In April 2017, Shinhan Vietnam Bank bought the retail business of ANZ at an undisclosed value.
- In May 2017, Bien Hoa Sugar Company and Thanh Thanh Cong Tay Ninh Sugar Company bought 100% charter capital of HAGL Sugar at about USD58.52 million.
Food
- In December 2016, Fraser & Neave (a Singaporean beverage company) bought 5.4% of Vinamilk’s shares at USD500 million.
- In late 2016, Deasang Corp bought 99.99% stake in Duc Viet Food Joint Stock Company.
- In November 2016, Kido Corporation bought 65% stake in Tuong An Vegetable Oil Company at about USD44.52.
- In late March 2017, CJ Cheiljedang Corporation bought 20% stake in Saigon Trading Corporation at USD8.2 million, bringing its total ownership in Cau Tre Export Products Processing Joint Stock Company to 71.6%.
- In May 2017, Kido Corporation bought 27% stake in Vietnam Vegetable Oil Industry Corporation, bringing its total ownership in the company to 51%.
Real estate
- In June 2016, Mapletree Investments acquired Kumho Asiana Plaza project through the joint venture between Kumho Industrial and Asiana Airlines at USD215 million.
- In July 2016, Mitsubishi bought the Manor Central Park project from Bitexco Group at an undisclosed deal value.
- Also in July 2016, VinaCapital bought International Centre Building from Keppel Land Ltd. At USD13.8 million.
- In September 2016, CapitalLand Vietnam bought Ho Chi Minh Cau Kho Land Plot project from River View Company Limited at USD51.9 million.
- In the first quarter of 2017, Sulyna Hospitality bought 70% stake in a 4-start resort in Phu Quoc from Berjaya Land at USD14.65 million.
- In the first quarter of 2017, An Gia Investment Corporation and its partner Creed Group bought 5 apartment blocks of La Casa Project of Van Phat Hung Corporation at about USD40 million.
- In the same period, CapitaLand announced the purchase of 90% stake in CapitaLand Thanh Nien.
Insurance
- In June 2016, FWD insurance company, a branch of Pacific Century, started the process of acquiring Great Eastern Vietnam after receiving the licence for this acquisition.
- In June 2016, New Life RE bought Duxton Hotel from Low Keng Huat at USD49.2 million.
- In April 2017, Aviva Insurance Corporation bought 50% stake of VietinBank Aviva Joint Venture Company from Vietnam Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Industry and Trade.
The major trends in the structuring of public M&A transactions
In Vietnam, M&A transactions usually take the form of either share or asset acquisitions, with share acquisition transactions outnumbering asset acquisition transactions.
Share acquisitions by foreign purchasers are commonly structured as offshore direct investments. The new investor can:
- Acquire shares or capital contributions from an existing shareholder in the target (for example, a joint stock company, limited liability company, and so on).
- Subscribe for newly issued shares of the target (for a joint stock company).
- Make further capital contributions to the target (for a limited liability company).
In the case of an asset deal, a foreign purchaser must generally establish a new subsidiary in Vietnam.
In addition, M&A transactions can also take the form of a merger. One or more companies of the same type can be merged into another company by transferring all assets, rights, obligations and interests to the merged company, terminating the existence of the merging company.
The 2014 Enterprise Law sets out the types of business structuring that can be used by investors as a result of M&A transactions. In addition, the 2014 Investment Law is the first law that regulates M&A transactions and clearly provides that such transactions do not require an investment registration certificate. Now, the foreign investors must seek approval from the local Department of Planning and Investment of the transaction if the:
- Target company operates in conditional business sectors applicable for foreign investors.
- Investment leading to foreign ownership of the target company is 51% or more (in particular, from below 51% to more than 51% and from 51% to above 51%).
In other cases, the target company only needs to register a change of membership/shareholding at the Business Registration Division. This change has ended years of uncertainty and frustration faced by foreign investors seeking entry into the Vietnam market or expansion through M&A transactions.
The level/extent of private equity-backed bids in the past 12 months
Investment in the form of M&A transactions is still the most popular form compared with private equity investment. In recent months, private equity funds have been following the securities market in Vietnam, especially companies carrying out value chain operations. Consumer goods and infrastructure are the sectors that attract the most attention. However, due to limited publicly available information, it is not possible to fully assess the level of private equity-backed bids.
The approach of the competition regulator(s) in the past 12 months
The Vietnam Competition Authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (VCA) must be notified of the transaction if participating companies have a combined market share in the relevant market of 30% up to 50%. The VCA will then examine whether the calculation of the combined market share is correct and whether the transaction is prohibited (that is, whether the combined market share exceeds 50%, except in certain cases). The transaction can be conducted when the VCA issues a written confirmation that the transaction is not prohibited under competition law.
For more information on the VCA, see www.vca.gov.vn/Default.aspx?lg=2.
Main factors affecting the public M&A market over the next 12 months
The country’s deeper and wider integration into the world’s economy is offering new opportunities for M&A activities.
Another factor includes the high pressure faced by the government to privatise state-owned enterprises to meet requirements under signed trade pacts, especially the EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, which is expected to come into force in 2019.
Encouraging signs for foreign investment include:
- Reformed policies to allow wider access to foreign investors.
- Formation of the ASEAN Economic Community at the end of 2015.
- The conclusion of free trade agreements (FTAs).
- Vietnam’s super rich population is growing faster than anywhere else and is on track to continue leading the growth in the next decade.
- Equitization of state-owned enterprises will speed up.
The introduction of the new Investment Law, Enterprise Law and other laws and policies are creating an improved legal environment for investment and trade in general, and the M&A market in particular. However, the following factors also affect M&A transactions:
- Divergent interpretations and implementations by local licensing authorities of international treaties such as Vietnam’s WTO Commitments.
- Different licensing procedures applied to different types of transactions (for example, for foreign invested companies and domestic companies, public companies and private companies, and for buying state-owned shares or private shares).
Although legal and governance barriers, along with macro instability and the lack of market transparency are still the greatest concerns for investors, M&A deals in Vietnam are still expected to be one of the key, effective channels for market entry.
The major expected trends in the Vietnam M&A market include:
- Bank restructurings.
- Acquisitions and anti-acquisitions, particularly in the real estate sector.
- Growing Japanese and Thai investment in Vietnam through M&A transactions.
- Reform of SoEs.
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Please do contact the author Dr. Oliver Massmann under omassmann@duanemorris.com if you have any questions on the above. Dr. Oliver Massmann is the General Director of Duane Morris Vietnam.