Wealthy Asian investors have been bringing billions of dollars to Vietnam and hunting for big investment opportunities.
The auction of Vinamilk shares, the most expected in 2017, was organized some days ago. A foreign investor paid US$400 million (VND9 trillion) to buy 48.33 million shares, or 3.33% of charter capital.
On the same day, foreign investors spent VND1.5 trillion to buy 8.6 million Vinamilk on the bourse at the price of VND173,800 per share, the ceiling price level of that day.
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Platinum Victory PTE, belonging to Jardine Cycle & Carriage, the leading Singaporean automobile distributor in South East Asia, is a big investor in Vinamilk, according to Nikkei. The investor bought a 5.53% of Vinamilk stake in total, from both SCIC at the auction and on the bourse, worth US$616.6 million.
Some days ago, the Vietnamese stock market witnessed an unprecedented transaction where hundreds of millions of VRE shares of Vincom Retail, worth US$0.7 billion, were transferred to foreign investors within one trading session.
The value of shares sold was very small compared with demand - US$2 billion, or three times higher than the offered value. The investors which bought shares included Avanda, Dragon Capital, Genesis, GIC Pte, HSBC, Karst Peak, Templeton Investments and TT International.
Analysts commented that the thirst for Vietnamese stocks began in 2016 when a series of share purchase deals were made by Asian investors. These included JX Nippon Oil & Energy which spent VND4 trillion to acquire an 8% Petrolimex stake.
Two foreign investment funds, the Hong Kong-based Magbi Fund Limited and Singapore-based Super Delta Pte Ltd, have spent VND2.4 trillion to buy a 40% stake of Traphaco, the largest Vietnamese pharmacy firm.
Other pharmacy firms also have foreign investors: Domesco has Abbott, Hau Giang Pharmacy has Taisho Pharmaceutical, while Pymepharco has Stada Service Holding.
In the banking sector, Japanese Shinsei has acquired a 49% stake of Mcredit, a finance company. Another Japanese investor bought half of the finance company belonging to HD Bank.
Analysts said after the divestment from Vinamilk, SCIC would divest Vinaconex shares in 2017. Also, investors will have opportunities to buy into large plastics companies – Binh Minh and Tien Phong.
The information about the SCIC divestments has pushed up prices of the shares. BMP, NTP, VCG and DMC have increased by 3.5-6%.
Huynh Minh Tuan from VnDirect Securities commented that the demand is very high from foreign investors who will buy out all of the shares to be put on sale in the time to come.
Under Document No. 10065/VPCP-KGVX, the Deputy PM agreed with proposals by the Ministry of Home Affairs for a one-day holiday for Vietnamese Culture Day in 2026, and a seven-day Tet holiday and a four-day National Day holiday in 2027.
By 2030, Vietnam aims to rank among the world’s top 40 in the GII; raise total social investment in R&D to at least 2% of GDP, with non-State funding accounting for over 60%; increase international scientific publications by an average of 10% annually; and raise the number of patent applications and granted patents by an average of 16-18% annually.
The State Bank of Vietnam set the daily reference exchange rate at 25,624 VND/USD on October1, down 3 VND from the previous day.
Quang Ninh's GRDP grew 15.04% in the third quarter, also leading the country.
Vietnam needs flexible incentives and specialised green financial instruments, stronger inter-sectoral coordination, improved local governance capacity and a more complete MRV data system, said Ramla Khalidi, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam.
As the country enters a new development phase with greater demands for stronger marine-economy growth, institutional bottlenecks have emerged and need to be addressed.
Experts from the Institute of Vietnam and World Economy under the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences noted the quality of recent growth as the high growth rate has been recorded against an increasingly higher comparative base.
Vietnam's Halal exports remain modest at around 900 million USD a year, accounting for less than 1% of the global market. Most exports are still raw agricultural and seafood products. Only around 1,000–1,300 Vietnamese businesses obtained or maintained Halal certification during 2024–2026.
Vietnam needs a comprehensive policy framework to remove legal and procedural bottlenecks and create conditions for offshore wind power projects to access long-term investment capital, helping to unlock the country’s substantial offshore wind potential, said insiders.
Under a decision of the municipal People’s Committee on establishing an inter-agency working group, departments and agencies are responsible for identifying facilities subject to greenhouse gas inventories, developing emissions-reduction plans and studying projects capable of generating carbon credits.
According to data from the Vietnam Customs cited by the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), shrimp exports reached 478.5 million USD in August, up 4.2% from the same month last year. The eight-month total stood at 3.3 billion USD, representing a year-on-year increase of 12%.
Vietnam is seen as a potential market, with considerable room for growth in real estate, particularly commercial property, compared with some regional markets. Strong Vietnam-Russia ties and opportunities to establish foreign-invested enterprises are also considered favourable for Russian investors.
For 2021-2030, the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam proposed bringing forward the investment in a parallel taxiway system and a connecting taxiway north of Runway No. 2 at Phu Quoc International Airport, in order to connect with the aircraft maintenance and repair facility (hangar) planned for the northern area of the airport.
For LNG-fired power to fulfill its role in Vietnam’s energy transition, bottlenecks in institutions, infrastructure, electricity pricing, PPAs, power dispatch and financing must be addressed together.
From policy and infrastructure to industrial real estate, Vietnam’s FDI advantages are broadening towards a more integrated production ecosystem, offering investors a stronger combination of conditions for high-value, technology-intensive and long-term projects.
As trade expands, systemic bottlenecks across transport networks, warehousing, ports, border gates, and industrial zones are becoming more apparent. Experts emphasise the need to shift from a fragmented, project-by-project approach toward strategic management structured around trade corridors and integrated supply chains.
The company will buy non-performing loans from credit institutions and foreign bank branches, recover and dispose of debts and collateral, restructure loans and support lenders in resolving bad debts.
Do Ngoc Hung, Trade Counsellor and head of the Vietnam Trade Office in the US, said what stands out is not only the growth in trade volume but also the increasingly deep economic ties between the two countries.
According to the Ministry of Finance, State budget revenue in the first eight months of 2026 was estimated at 2.02 quadrillion VND (77.7 billion USD), equivalent to 80% of the annual estimate and up 16% year-on-year. Domestic revenue reached 1.75 quadrillion VND, accounting for 86.6% of total revenue and rising 16.6%.
Hanoi aims to achieve average annual export growth of at least 12% during 2026-30, with the city seeking to diversify export markets, boost high-tech and value-added products and reduce reliance on traditional markets.