Addressing a forum in Ho Chi Minh City on June 7, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Dang Huy Dong affirmed that authorities are paying special attention to M&A activities in Vietnam. He expressed his belief that the meeting will point out advantages and challenges facing M&As in Vietnam, draw on useful experience and discuss related legal issues to help policymakers complete the legal framework to facilitate M&A activities in the future.

Themed, “creating synergies,” the forum offers the chance for Vietnamese businesses to introduce M&A potential to their partners, investment funds, especially those from Japan which are seeking investment opportunities in Vietnam. It is also a platform for participants to share their experiences in M&A activities.

Speakers made an in-depth analysis of major M&A deals, the restructuring of the banking system, takeover and anti-takeover, strategies to create synergies, and post-M&A issues.

According to M&A research organizations, Vietnam now ranks eighth among Asia-Pacific nations which are bustling with M&A deal valued at US$4.7 billion last year, a sharp increase compared to US$1.7 billion in 2010. In the first quarter of 2012, the figure reached US$1.5 billion, accounting for 1.6 percent of total value in the Asia-Pacific region (excluding Japan).

M&A activities are predicted to rise 30 percent in the coming time with financial, banking, consumer and real estate being most attractive sectors.