Bloomberg: M&A in 2016 in Vietnam Will Hit Record

 According to Bloomberg, the mergers and acquisitions activity (M&A) in Vietnam will hit record since the foreign investors are very interested in the consumer sector – which is developing very fast.

The Institute of Mergers, Acquisitions and Alliances in Vietnam announced that the M&A activities related to Vietnam companies increased by 40% in 2015, reaching 4.3 billion USD and surpass the record of 4.2 billion USD in 2012.

Meanwhile, according to Baker & McKenzie and Duane Morris LLP, M&A activities in Vietnam will grow strongly in 2016 after the implementation of free trade agreements (FTA) and the Investment Law is passed by the Government.

Foreign investors feel very exciting with the forecasted economic growth of 6.7% in 2016, the fastest growth in 9 years and the consumer market with 60% of customers are under 35 years old.

According to Bloomberg, Vietnam is having a lot of changes in the Law on Investment therefore the acquisition of companies in the country is took place faster and more transparent. Meanwhile, consumer spending also rose sharply. According to the forecast of Euromonitor, consumer spending will increase by 47% from now till 2019. Particularly the beer market will grow by 33% in the next period, reaching 4.8 billion liters, while the consumption of this product will decrease in Thailand. Moreover, the middle class in Vietnam will continue to expand their investment portfolio in the domestic market.

With these advantages, M&A activities in Vietnam in 2016 will be quite exciting. ANA Holdings Inc – owner of the Japan largest airlines has agreed to buy 8.8% stake in Vietnam Airlines with price of about 109 million USD. In March 2015, France’s Aeroports De Paris has expressed its intention to acquire stake in Airports Corporation of Vietnam.

In October 2015, the information about the divestment of the State at Vinamilk with 45% stake worth nearly 3 billion USD has led many foreign investors revealed their ambitions to buy the company with the largest listing in Vietnam market.

In late 2015, Boon Rawd Brewery Co., – the oldest brewing in Thailand has agreed to invest 1.1 billion VND in Masan Group – the biggest deal in the last 3 years in Vietnam.

Obviously, the investors who are interested in M&A in Vietnam are having a clearer path. With this trend, M&A will be more exciting in 2016.

If the Government continues to improve the investment environment then the foreign investment flows will continue to increase, especially in 2016 and 2017. Along with the advantages, Vietnam still has much to do to attract the flow of investment capital such as customs procedures, taxation and access to loans. The deeper and wider integration into the economy will offering Vietnam with more opportunities in M&A activity.

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How To Conduct Legal Due Diligence for M&A in Vietnam?

 Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) has become popular in Vietnam as the country develops and more investors are eager to invest and gain control of the business enough to engage in, decide important business matters through partial or full ownership of an enterprise. A successful M&A mean the parties achieve their financial and commercial goals (increasing capital, raising management capacity, branding, etc) and ensuring safety and restraint the risk at the lowest level, though legal due diligence undertaken by law firm in Vietnam.

The Importance of Legal Due Diligence of Enterprise in M&A activities

Legal due diligence of enterprises focuses on full and detailed assessment of legal issues relating to the legal entity, capital contribution status, shareholder status, legal rights and obligations. From the investigation information, the parties can anticipate legal risks, assess opportunities to come up with alternatives. In addition, legal assessments help parties evaluate the reliability of their counterparts as well as understand their advantages and constraints for the negotiation process.

What Legal Due Diligence in M&A Activities Entail?

Evaluate the factors related to the legal status and capacity of the target enterprise: Review the legitimacy of the establishment, operation, possession of enterprise; ensure that the enterprise is not subject to procedures for dissolution or bankruptcy and compliance with the law of the enterprise in the course of operation. The information to be checked includes: dossiers, certificate of enterprise establishment, operation licenses, practice certificates, professional liability insurance, company charter, agreement between the company owner on rights of shareholders, capital contributors, minutes of meetings, member/shareholder register, certificate of capital contribution.

Evaluate the factors related to the business and financial activities of the target enterprise: Review the system of customers and partners of the enterprise; the documents on economic contracts (with customers, suppliers, etc); dossier of investment, construction, land, project; information on guarantee, mortgage (if any), debt and credit agreement, M&A, financial leasing contract, exclusive contract, franchise, etc, in terms of value, legality, validity, progress to evaluate legal risks in the future. Review the financial statements on the accuracy of the financial status of the business.

Verify the factors related to labor: Review labor contracts, labor agreements, internal labor regulations to determine the enterprise’s financial obligations to employees, compliance Labor law and reception of labor after the purchase or sale.

Verify the factors related to intellectual property: Review intellectual property rights of enterprises including: trademarks, trade names, industrial designs, layout designs, business secrets, etc; the property has granted the patent/license. Review matters of infringement of intellectual property rights of other organizations, individuals or legal persons in order to anticipate the risks of being sued or claiming damages.

In addition, in an M&A deal, the acquirer should ensure that participation in capital contribution or acquisition of the target enterprise is permitted, the form of M&A implementation is in accordance with the law and the M&A deal was approved by the competent authority of each party. After that, the factors related to M&A transaction procedures and constraints and restrictions of law (if any) must be evaluated.

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