Vietnam

M&ampA bùng nổ: Vốn ngoại ồ ạt "săn" doanh nghiệp Việt

Dantri | Local Language | News | Dec. 11, 2025 | UndeterminedMergers & Acquisitions

Foreign investment in Vietnam is experiencing a significant surge in 2025, driven by strong GDP growth projected at around 8%, the highest since 2007. As of November 2025, registered foreign direct investment (FDI) reached $33.7 billion, up 7.4% year-on-year, with mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity particularly notable. Capital contributions and share purchases surged by 50.7% to over $6 billion, signaling a robust revival in the Vietnamese M&A market.

The growth of the domestic private sector, supported by policies like Politburo Resolution 68-NQ/TW, is a key factor attracting foreign investors. Vietnamese private enterprises are becoming desirable partners for multinational corporations, especially in high-tech industries. Technology giants such as Nvidia and Qualcomm are entering the market through acquisitions to establish R&D and AI operations in Vietnam.

M&A activity in 2025 is marked by diversification across industries, with real estate, materials, and healthcare dominating transaction values. Healthcare attracts strong investment due to rising demand amid limited supply capacity. Meanwhile, consumer sector investment is subdued due to tightened spending but holds positive medium-term prospects. The investor base is broadening, with domestic companies remaining prominent and foreign capital from countries like Singapore, Japan, the U.S., and South Korea accelerating investments in key sectors.

Looking ahead to 2026, M&A activity is expected to focus on core value investments characterized by stable cash flows, operational efficiency, and transparent growth plans. Opportunities are anticipated in restructured or secondary transactions, especially in real estate, industrial services, financial services, and consumer platforms. Buyer-friendly conditions and the resumption of delayed deals are forecasted to create a favorable environment for long-term investors with operational expertise.

Vụ Mailisa cho thấy tính chất phức tạp của tội phạm kinh tế khu vực tư

Dantri | Local Language | News | Dec. 11, 2025 | Corporate Corruption or Fraud

At a seminar held on December 9, 2025, Lieutenant Colonel Nguyễn Văn Thực of C03, the Ministry of Public Security’s Economic Crime Division, highlighted emerging trends in economic crimes within Vietnam’s private sector. He discussed four major cases involving Mailisa beauty clinic, Phúc Sơn Group, Tân Hoàng Minh Group, and Vạn Thịnh Phát Group, illustrating the complex nature of corruption and economic offenses in non-state enterprises.

The Mailisa case demonstrated how the private company exploited branding, social media, and e-commerce to distribute smuggled, counterfeit, or substandard cosmetic products, generating significant illicit profits. The investigation revealed a sophisticated ecosystem of enterprises used to launder money, legalize fraudulent invoices, and conceal assets through purchases of real estate, gold, and luxury vehicles. Authorities seized substantial assets including gold, land use certificates, supercars, cash, and cosmetic products, and prosecuted Phan Thị Mai (Mailisa) and her husband for smuggling.

The Phúc Sơn Group case involved more than 20 defendants charged with multiple crimes related to infrastructure and real estate projects. It exposed exploitation of public investment loopholes and collusion with officials to manipulate project approvals, causing significant financial damage to the state. Authorities froze large amounts of cash, gold, and land certificates during the investigation.

Tân Hoàng Minh Group was found to have issued nine rounds of illegal bonds defrauding over 6,600 investors of more than 8,600 billion dong. The investigation led to the freezing of assets and the recovery of some funds to compensate victims. The Vạn Thịnh Phát Group case showcased transnational complexities in money flows, using domestic and foreign legal entities and sophisticated financial tools to move capital and assets across multiple jurisdictions, prompting calls for enhanced international cooperation and information sharing.

A key lesson emphasized by C03 is the importance of integrating asset recovery throughout the investigative process. Investigators must promptly seize and freeze assets to prevent dissipation and collaborate closely with land, business, banking, and securities agencies. Combining traditional criminal investigation with modern financial investigative techniques, including cash-flow analysis and cross-checking financial records, is crucial to uncovering the true nature of economic crimes and ensuring effective prosecution and asset recovery.

Việt Nam đã làm chủ công nghệ lõi của chuỗi giá trị ô tô

Bao Dien Tu | Local Language | News | Dec. 11, 2025 | UndeterminedTech Development/Adoption

On December 5, 2025, Kim Long Motor Huế Joint Stock Company inaugurated the Yuchai engine production plant in Huế City, marking a significant milestone for Vietnam’s automotive industry. The plant, with over 90% automation and data traceability by engine code, represents Vietnam’s shift from assembling imported components to mastering core engine manufacturing, which includes engines blocks, crankshafts, and cylinder heads. This development is crucial for increasing localization, reducing trade deficits, enhancing added value, and building the foundation for precision mechanical engineering in Vietnam.

Located in the strategic Chân Mây-Lăng Cô Economic Zone, the factory is positioned to become a catalyst for a new automotive and mechanical industrial cluster in Central Vietnam. This cluster is expected to attract precision mechanical enterprises, foundry-forging-processing companies, R&D centers, industrial logistics, vocational training, and urban development, thus balancing the region’s economic focus and advancing deeper manufacturing value chains.

Vietnam’s entry into engine production coincides with favorable shifts in global supply chains and ASEAN automotive industry dynamics. Leveraging its intermediary location within ASEAN, growing industrial capabilities, and an extensive network of free trade agreements, Vietnam is poised to advance beyond its traditional follower role to become a key player in complex automotive value chains. The Kim Long Engine Factory can serve as a technology anchor, attract high-value foreign direct investment, and foster Vietnam’s design and manufacturing capabilities essential for regional leadership.

However, several challenges remain. Vietnam must achieve substantive localization through technology transfer and domestic enterprise capability improvements, prepare for the global shift toward green automotive technologies, develop a robust supporting ecosystem of mechanical and material suppliers, and cultivate a highly skilled workforce through university and vocational training cooperation. Addressing these challenges is critical to transforming the inauguration milestone into a sustainable industrial advancement.

To capitalize on this opportunity, a comprehensive strategy is required involving binding localization policies, incentives to attract supporting industries to the Chân Mây-Lăng Cô zone, and investments in human capital development. Regional infrastructure upgrades, including seaport, transportation, and smart industrial urban planning, are necessary for long-term growth. Additionally, Vietnam must proactively develop national standards and regulations to support green automotive technology innovation.

The establishment of the Kim Long Engine Factory marks a historic moment for Vietnam’s mechanical and automotive sectors. Realizing its full potential depends on visionary policies, ecosystem development, technology upgrades, skilled workforce training, and strategic regional planning, positioning Vietnam to rise as a confident, sustainable player in the global automotive value chain.