Vietnam M&A Forum 2019 opens 11th edition

Vietnam M&A Forum 2019 launched its 11th edition today

This afternoon, the 11^th Vietnam M&A Forum, organised by Vietnam Investment Review and AVM Vietnam, was opened in Ho Chi Minh City.

The event was joined by Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Vu Dai Thang, as well as distinguished guests and delegates from government agencies, speakers, industry experts, and representatives from Vietnamese and overseas organisations or businesses.

Vietnam M&A Forum 2019, under the theme "Going for Breakthrough", takes place as a forum to discuss and share insights on achieving a breakthrough as well as to highlight the winners at the Awards Ceremony for the Most Notable M&A Deals and Advisors in 2018 and 2019.

This year's event took place amidst tumultuous socio-political developments, including the revised laws on Investment, Enterprises, the Securities Law, as well as new free trade agreements such as the CPTPP, EVFTA, and EVIPA.

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Vu Dai Thang speaking at Vietnam M&A Forum 2019

He added that as part of today’s event, investors, regulators and businesses can discuss and share their views on regulatory updates, as well as opportunities and challenges in each sector – with the aim of helping Vietnam achieve a breakthrough in M&A in the coming years.“The Ministry of Planning and Investment highly appreciates the theme of this year's Vietnam M&A Forum, as we believe that the forum would continue to be a helpful platform of information to explore the vast potential of the Vietnamese M&A market,” said Deputy Minister Thang.

As he opened the Forum, Le Trong Minh, editor-in-chief of VIR, talked about the difficulties from both outside and inside Vietnam. This includes major economies changing their policies on international trade. From within Vietnam, some regulatory roadblocks have not been resolved yet either while the quality of many domestic businesses remains low, said Minh.

“We sincerely hope that Vietnam M&A Forum will continue to be a helpful platform of information for investors, regulators, and businesses to explore the vast potential of the Vietnamese M&A market,” he stressed.

Vietnam M&A Forum 2019 aims to show the way forward in a time of disruptions and turbulence

This afternoon’s event consists of guest speeches and three panel discussions, focusing on the most urgent issues of M&A activities. The forum will also honour the top M&A deals and advisory firms of 2018 and 2019.

Later in the day, event participants will also have an opportunity to network and join the Gala Dinner.

Together with the forum, VIR has published the Vietnam M&A Outlook 2019 Special Publication in order to provide a comprehensive and systematic look at the M&A market in Vietnam, including statistics, data, and insights, as well as market forecasts for the coming years.