Japanese investors ready to pour $2 bln into Vietnam’s real estate market

Property firms are confident of the growth fundamentals in Vietnam.

Japanese real estate companies are looking outside the domestic market for a potential investment destination, and Vietnam is looking like an ideal candidate with annual returns of up to 20-25 percent.

Vietnam's Real estate

Japanese companies are planning combined investment of up to $2 billion in the Southeast Asian country, said Than Thanh Vu, president of a merger and acquisition consulting company.

A large number of Japanese groups, including Sumitomo, Sanyo Homes, Daiwa House, Aeon and Toshin, are searching for large scale mixed-use developments comprising apartments, serviced apartments, retail and office space in major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vu said, citing the $100 million office building project funded by Sumitomo as an example.

Investor interest is being fueled by Vietnam’s economic growth, which has on average been above 5 percent since 1999, Vu continued.

There are other factors driving the inflow of Japanese investment into Vietnam’s property sector. Japanese investors want to tap into the potential of Vietnam’s growing population which will lead to a rapidly expanding demand for real estate. With their domestic market shrinking as population is aging rapidly, Japanese companies are increasingly looking at Vietnam as a promising market.

Japanese investors are entering the local market through mergers and acquisitions, Vu said, explaining that as long-term investors, Japanese companies prefer acquiring stakes in local property developers gradually over time so that they can gain a better understanding of the local market. Mergers and acquisitions also allow foreign investors to quickly gain a foothold without going through the massive amount of complicated paperwork involved in the real estate sector.

Industry experts forecast a surge in mergers and acquisitions (M&As) in the real estate inHanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

“Japanese companies are financially strong and vastly experienced in property developments, so it will be easy for them to take the projects at some of the most sought-after locations from local developers,” said Vu, adding that given extremely low interest rates and limited economic growth in Japan, these investors are sitting on huge cash piles and have little option but to invest overseas.

Japanese investors have just laid their eyes on Vietnam’s real estate market, said Masataka Sam Yoshida, chief executive of Tokyo-based Recof, which is mainly involved in M&A consulting.

In the past, Japanese companies were very cautious about making real estate deals in Vietnam due to the high risk of speculation, lack of transparency and information, Masataka explained.

But things have changed, he said.

One of Japan's largest builders, Kajima Corporation, has formed a joint venture with Indochina Capital to channel funds worth $1 billion into property developments in Vietnam over the next 10 years. The 50:50 partnership has plans to acquire several local projects in the pipeline.

Vietnam is currently viewed among the top markets in Asia for foreign direct investment, said Keisuke Koshijima, market development executive at Kajima, adding that the company has identified the Southeast Asian country as the next key driver for its growing business in the region.

ANT Consulting is here to assist you from the outset; providing corporate intelligence, risk advisory, management consulting services that assist market entrance, and ensure efficient business start-up operation.  Our services are as following:

• Advisory
• Market Entry
• Tax Advice
• Legal Advice

We strive to save your cost by guiding you towards economical solutions that comply with local legislation and procedures. We support you through early logistic solutions and carry you through as your business grows.  We aim to bridge the gap between international best practices and local cultures and assist foreign companies and organizations entering Vietnam market to overcome commercial and regulatory issues.

We could be reached at email: ant@antconsult.vn or tel: +848 3520 2779 .  To learn more about us, please visit www.antconsult.vn

Read More

Ho Chi Minh City ranked among top 5 real estate markets in Asia-Pacific

Investors expect annual returns of 20-25 percent.

Ho Chi Minh City is in the top five of the Asia-Pacific region for real estate investment and development prospects, with annual returns expected to be up to 25 percent, according to a new report.

Emerging Trends in RealEstate Asia Pacific 2016, jointly published by the Urban Land Institute and consulting firm PwC, has ranked the city fifth for investment and fourth for development. Tokyo is at the top, followed by Sydney and Melbourne. Osaka and Ho Chi Minh City are neck and neck.

The Vietnamese city has emerged as one of the most promising markets in the region over the past two years, jumping from the 19th place in 2014 to one of the top five this year.

Foreign investors, mainly from Japan, South Korea and Singapore, are interested in the city's property market on expectations of an annual return of between 20 and 25 percent, according to the report.

The report also attributes the city’s rise as an attractive destination to the government’s efforts to stabilize the local currency, control inflation, ease property lending and improve market access for foreigners.

Global investors prefer entering Vietnam’s real estate market through mergers and acquisitions. They are laying eyes on a wide range of projects, from beach resorts, serviced apartments, residential buildings to hotels, mostly in the three major cities Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang.

For instance, Singapore-based investment fund Frasers Centrepoint Limited has acquired a 70 percent stake in a luxury residential apartment project from a local realestate developer. The $100-million project, namely G Home, covers a one-hectare area in downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

Emerging Trends is based on the opinions of 343 internationally renowned real estate professionals, including investors, developers, lenders, brokers and consultants.

ANT Consulting is here to assist you from the outset; providing corporate intelligence, risk advisory, management consulting services that assist market entrance, and ensure efficient business start-up operation.  Our services are as following:

• Advisory
• Market Entry
• Tax Advice
• Legal Advice

We strive to save your cost by guiding you towards economical solutions that comply with local legislation and procedures. We support you through early logistic solutions and carry you through as your business grows.  We aim to bridge the gap between international best practices and local cultures and assist foreign companies and organizations entering Vietnam market to overcome commercial and regulatory issues.

We could be reached at email: ant@antconsult.vn or tel: +848 3520 2779 .  To learn more about us, please visit www.antconsult.vn

Read More

Set-up Limited Liability Company in Vietnam

Limited Liability Company is a form of enterprise which is established by contributing of members.  A member shall be liable for the debts and other property obligations of the enterprise within the amount of capital that he/she has undertaken to contribute to the company.

Set-up Limited Liability Company in Vietnam

Limited liability companies are regulated by two types:

• One member Limited Liability Company is an enterprise owned by one organization or individual;
• Limited Liability Company with two or more members is an enterprise owned by organizations or individuals, in which the number of members shall not less than two members and not exceed fifty.

Organizational and management structure of Limited Liability Company normally comprise of a Member’s Council, General Director or Director.

A limited-liability company established by foreign investors may take the form of either:

• 100% foreign-owned enterprise (where all members are foreign investors); or;

• foreign-invested joint-venture enterprise between foreign investors and at least one domestic investor.

ANT Consulting is here to assist you from the outset; providing corporate intelligence, risk advisory, management consulting services that assist market entrance, and ensure efficient business start-up operation.  Our services are as following:

• Advisory
• Market Entry
• Tax Advice
• Legal Advice

We strive to save your cost by guiding you towards economical solutions that comply with local legislation and procedures. We support you through early logistic solutions and carry you through as your business grows.  We aim to bridge the gap between international best practices and local cultures and assist foreign companies and organizations entering Vietnam market to overcome commercial and regulatory issues.

We could be reached at email: ant@antconsult.vn or tel: +848 3520 2779 .  To learn more about us, please visit www.antconsult.vn

Read More

Benefits of Setting Up Company in Hanoi

Along with the trend of integration in the world, Vietnam is considered a country with rapid and strong growth, in which, industrialization and modernization are focused on developing a uniform set and achieve high performance. Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are considered the two cities and dynamic development in Vietnam.

Benefits of Setting Up Company in Hanoi

In particular, Hanoi, the potential capital for developing and attracting foreign and domestic investment. Therefore, the investment from businesses to the city is seen as an advantage and the best. To evaluate how such advantages are, the following article will analyze in detail as follows:

First, the labor force

Hanoi is considered a capital with a longstanding historical developed tradition. The population is heavily crowded, reaching about 7 million after 4 times of adjusting the administrative boundaries in 2014. Ha Noi has become one of the 17 largest cities in the world. In addition, with favorable conditions, Hanoi is considered an attractive city for labor, especially qualified and highly skilled workforce. This is a particular advantage for businesses to invest in Hanoi, because the amount of labor leads to a consequence that cost for labor is cheap and a large workforce will provide for industries requiring a large amount of labor force.

Second, the pace of economic development

In 2014, the economy of Hanoi has continued to grow and controlled inflation. In addtion, GDP in the province is estimated at 8.8% and revenue is estimated at 130.000 billion, with 103% of the mathematics. Besides, administrative reform, improvement on the investment environment, business environment, policies to remove difficulties for enterprises often deploy, which made PAR index of cities rise 2 levels compared with 2012 and No. 5 of the 63 provinces and cities nationwide. Thus, with the stable and strong economic development, Hanoi is a city that brings stability for businesses to invest and develop business in this city.

Thirdly, facility

With the aim of developing Hanoi based on critirea of synchronous and modern infrastructure, leadership of Hanoi has attempted to offer policies to promote infrastructure construction of the city in order that Hanoi will become more modern, in which, the traffic system in Hanoi must be built and upgrades more modern. This is considered particularly advantage, because the synchronous development of infrastructure will bring to the development of economy of the city.

Fourthly, administrative and tax policies

With attractive policies for investment, Hanoi has implemented policies solving administrative procedures with only a door. This policy is seen as a new step forward the people of Hanoi in general and businesses having demand to invest in Hanoi in particular. With this open policy, the procedures for establishing businesses, dissolution, business transformation become quickly and easily than ever before, creat favorable conditions for the development of business and resolve administrative procedures. In addition, in order to facilitate business development for businesses, Hanoi has many policies to reduce taxes in order to create favorable conditions for development of new business with low capital.

Fifthly, geographic location

Judged to be a convenient location, with synchronous traffic system, a northern – southern railway, highway 1A, along with the expanded domestic and international routes, Hanoi is considered a city with the most convenient trade location in Southeast Asia and the gateway to the East Sea of Laos and other countries. Thus, Hanoi is the right choice of businesses that need an exchange between domestic and international provinces.

Sixthly, broad market

With the population of 7 million, belonging to one of the 17 cities with the largest population in the world, Hanoi is considered a city which has the largest consumer goods market in the country. Abundant work force, along with the large number of people from suburbs, strong demand for consumer products, services lead to favorable conditions for businesses in production and consumption of consumer products and services. These come from a reason that if the demand rises, the number of products will also lead to increase and as a consequence, economic growth of enterprises will also increase. It can be said that this is a particular strength of the city that businesses investing here are looking forward. From the analysis given above, it can be said that Hanoi is considered to be an attractive destination for small and medium enterprises, especially for enterprises with foreign investment into the Vietnam market. To better understand how to establish enterprises and choose the best type of enterprise, ANT Consulting is honored to be served our customers and provide the best services for customers. We hope cooperation from you.

ANT Consulting is here to assist you from the outset; providing corporate intelligence, risk advisory, management consulting services that assist market entrance, and ensure efficient business start-up operation.  Our services are as following:

• Advisory
• Market Entry
• Tax Advice
• Legal Advice

We strive to save your cost by guiding you towards economical solutions that comply with local legislation and procedures. We support you through early logistic solutions and carry you through as your business grows.  We aim to bridge the gap between international best practices and local cultures and assist foreign companies and organizations entering Vietnam market to overcome commercial and regulatory issues.

We could be reached at email: ant@antconsult.vn or tel: +848 3520 2779 .  To learn more about us, please visit www.antconsult.vn

Read More

Set-up Branch Office in Vietnam

The Branch of a foreign business entity in Vietnam (referred as “The Branch”).

Means a subsidiary unit of the foreign business entity, established in accordance with the law of Vietnam in order to enter into contracts in Vietnam and conduct activities being the purchase and sale of goods and other commercial activities consistent with its license for establishment in accordance with the law of Vietnam and any international treaty to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a member.

Set-up Branch Office in Vietnam

The Branch will need to apply and obtain the establishment license; and have a seal bearing the name of the Branch.

The Branch is permitted to conduct activities being the purchase and sale of goods and other commercial activities consistent with its license for establishment in accordance with the law of Vietnam and any international treaty to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a member.

ANT Consulting is here to assist you from the outset; providing corporate intelligence, risk advisory, management consulting services that assist market entrance, and ensure efficient business start-up operation.  Our services are as following:

• Advisory
• Market Entry
• Tax Advice
• Legal Advice

We strive to save your cost by guiding you towards economical solutions that comply with local legislation and procedures. We support you through early logistic solutions and carry you through as your business grows.  We aim to bridge the gap between international best practices and local cultures and assist foreign companies and organizations entering Vietnam market to overcome commercial and regulatory issues.

We could be reached at email: ant@antconsult.vn or tel: +848 3520 2779 .  To learn more about us, please visit www.antconsult.vn

Read More

Vietnam welcomes foreign investors for banking restructuring

The sector is preparing for the next phase of drastic changes, the central bank's governor has said.

Vietnam will continue to push for legal reforms, improve its business environment and restructure the banking system, an official said Friday, calling for the participation of foreign investors in the process.

“In the coming period of drastic changes, I would like to invite foreign investors to participate more actively in the restructuring of local banks,” the central bank's governor Le Minh Hung was quoted by local media as saying at an Asian Bankers Association conference in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

Hung said Vietnam's banking system has recently completed a five-year restructuring program and is planning for another phase of overhaul.

At the event, Daniel Wu, the association's chairman, said that many global investors would want to be involved in Vietnam’s bankingsystem.

Vietnam now has seven wholly-owned foreign banks, as well as 50 branches and more than 50 representative offices of foreign banks and joint-venture banks. Their total assets have topped $35.8 billion.

In the first nine months, loans in the whole banking system expanded 10.64 percent, according to the central bank.

Read More

Waste from coal power plants piling up fast in energy-hungry Vietnam

Vietnam is grappling to deal with 15.7 million tons of coal ash a year.

Vietnam is in need of urgent measures to treat a large amount of waste from thermal power plants, which have become the the major source of the country’s electricity, experts say.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the country has about 20 coal-fired power plants, discharging 15.7 million tons of coal ash each year.

By 2022 the country will raise the number to 43 plants and more than 29 million tons of ash will be discharged, as a result.

The huge amount of coal ash is now mainly buried around thermal power plants or transported to landfills, posing threats to the environment and causing respiratory diseases for local residents.

The problem may not go away anytime soon as Vietnam still relies on coal power as the main source of electricity.

Nguyen Manh Hien, former head of Vietnam’s Energy Institute said: “Renewable energies are environmentally friendly but they require large investment and depend on natural conditions so we can’t easily adjust production capacity to meet our demand.”

“Coal thermal power plant has the lowest investment cost but its production capacity can triple that of a wind power plant and quadruple a solar plant's,” Hien said.

Last year, coal-fired plants accounted for 30.4 percent of Vietnam’s total electricity. The figure is expected to reach 53 percent by 2030, equivalent to 300 billion kWh.

The industry ministry estimated that Vietnam will need about 129 million tons of coal a year to meet its rising demand of energy, which will leave the country with at least 32 million tons of coal ash.

The waste can be used as raw materials for other industries rather than being viewed as toxic waste, according to Truong Duy Nghia, head of the Vietnam Thermal Science and Technology Association.

He said that coal ash can be used to produce cement and adobe bricks, which is the most efficient way to mitigate environmental impacts of coal-fired power plants.

This method, though already adopted by some companies, is facing barriers as no specific mechanism for the reproduction of coal ash has been introduced.

Nguyen Van Thanh from Vung Ang thermal power plant in the central province of Ha Tinh proposed the government introduce a mechanism and allow cement companies to buy coal ash for production again so that his plant can reduce the amount of this waste material.

His plant had been selling the waste to cement producers but recently stopped doing so, after learning that such a practice is still pending official approval from the government.

"If the problem prolongs, we may have to close the plant,” Thanh said.

ANT Consulting is here to assist you from the outset; providing corporate intelligence, risk advisory, management consulting services that assist market entrance, and ensure efficient business start-up operation.  Our services are as following:

• Market Entry
• Tax Advice
• Legal Advice

We strive to save your cost by guiding you towards economical solutions that comply with local legislation and procedures. We support you through early logistic solutions and carry you through as your business grows.  We aim to bridge the gap between international best practices and local cultures and assist foreign companies and organizations entering Vietnam market to overcome commercial and regulatory issues.

We could be reached at email: ant@antconsult.vn or tel: +848 3520 2779 .  To learn more about us, please visit www.antconsult.vn

Read More