M&A value soars to $8.8 bln in 10 months

By Minh Long December 9, 2021 | 05:46 pm PT

The E-mart megamarket in Go Vap District, HCMC. Vietnamese automaker THACO concludes negotiations to acquire a 100 percent stake in E-mart Vietnam Co in May 2021. Photo courtesy of E-mart Vietnam Co

The total value of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Vietnam stood at $8.8 billion in the first 10 months of this year, up 17.9 percent year-on-year, despite Covid-19 impacts.

The figures were released by KPMG Vietnam at the annual Vietnam M&A Forum 2021held by the Dau Tu newspaper in HCMC Thursday.

Fifty-eight percent of the M&A value came from essential consumer goods, real estate and finance sectors. Big deals included: Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui pouring $1.3 billion into FE Credit; Singapore’s SK South East Asia Investment investing $410 million in Vincommerce; and the U.K.’s Barings and China’s Alibaba pouring $400 million into CrownX.

Of the total M&A value, $1.6 billion was made by domestic investors.

Warrick Cleine, Chairman and CEO of KPMG in Vietnam and Cambodia, said M&A in Vietnam has become an important option of many enterprises and a way for them to attract talented people.

It was noted at the forum that Japanese investors are mainly interested in finance, healthcare, wholesale, retail and information technology, while their South Korean counterparts tended to focus on e-commerce and logistics.

Forum delegates said M&A would continue to thrive in Vietnam as the legal corridors for investment and business improve.