ANT Lawyers

Vietnam Law Firm with English Speaking Lawyers

ANT Lawyers

Vietnam Law Firm with English Speaking Lawyers

ANT Lawyers

Vietnam Law Firm with English Speaking Lawyers

ANT Lawyers

Vietnam Law Firm with English Speaking Lawyers

ANT Lawyers

Vietnam Law Firm with English Speaking Lawyers

Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn foreign investment. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn foreign investment. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng

5.11.2017

CPC Code – Foreign Investors Need to Know in Vietnam

Once a foreign investor wishes to invest in Vietnam, they not only need to be well-informed about investment environment, incentive, labor, State policies, but also need to know about CPC code. Each specific service is fixed with a provisional Central Product Classification (called CPC code) belonging to Central Product Classification of United Nations. In the Schedule of Service Commitment under WTO Commitment, all services which Vietnam commits to open market are listed with CPC code corresponding with international standard.
Investors could check business lines which they wish to invest against the Schedule of Service Commitment under WTO Commitment of Vietnam as well as specialty regulations under laws of Vietnam to define their business lines and consider its practicability.

If this business line was committed to open market with foreign investors, the investors could perform investment into Vietnam. For the business lines not yet committed, Vietnam has full rights on approval or refusal on permitting foreigner investors to carry out investment in Vietnam market. In special cases, Vietnam government could consider the issuance of investment license with the non-committed services based on scale, capital, and location of project, however, Vietnam has full rights to offer conditions that investors must meet before issuance of license, and still guarantee to comply basic principle of GATS (General Agreement on trade service).
Beside business lines, investors also need to pay attention to form and rate of commercial presence in Vietnam. Accordingly, except other regulations at each sector and sub-sector of the Schedule of Service Commitment, foreign company only sets up commercial presence in Vietnam under Joint Venture Company, wholly foreigner-owned company, business cooperation contract, representative office, branch office.
Our lawyers of foreign investment practice at ANT Lawyers, a law firm in Vietnam are available to advise and provide client with service and representation for setting up business in Vietnam.
In order to seek further advice or request service, please contact us at ant@antlawyers.vn or call + 84 912 817 823.

9.23.2016

Decree No. 59/2015/ND-CP on Management of Construction Investment Project

On June 18th 2015, the Government issued Decree No. 59/2015/ND-CP on the management of construction investment project. Notably, there is provision on the issuance of construction practicing certificate for individuals who are Vietnam citizen, foreigners that are legally conduct construction activities in Vietnam to take over the position, engaging in works for that position or independent practicing as prescribed.


In order to be certified, individuals must have the capacity for civil acts; have residence permit in Vietnam (for foreigners and Vietnamese residing abroad); meets the requirements of professional, experience examination and legal knowledge relating to the professional practicing field; have university degree in suitable majors, have experiences joining the work with the content requesting for practicing certificate issuance from 7 years or more for the grade I certificate, 5 years for the grade II certificate and 3 years if individuals have university degree or from 5 years if they have degree of college, professional secondary school for the grade III certificate.
Construction practicing certificate is valid for the maximum period of 5 years. The construction practicing certificates that were granted by competent State agencies are allowed to continue to use until expiry; after March 1st 2016, individuals wishing to use practicing certificate must implement procedures requesting for certificate issuance under the new rules.
Particularly for individuals, foreigners or Vietnamese residing abroad that had practicing certificates which are granted by the foreign agencies and organization, when practice construction activities in Vietnam from 6 months upwards shall be recognized to practice. The case of practicing in Vietnam from 6 months upwards, it is necessary to convert the certificate at the Ministry of Construction.
Other notable content of the Decree is the regulation on the publication of information about capacity of the organizations involved in construction activities. Accordingly, organizations involving in the construction works have to submit information about their capabilities to the professional agencies to to be posted publicly on the website managed by that agency.
This information is the basis for the selection of organizations and individuals involved in the planning, establishment and verification of the construction project; management of construction investment project; surveying, construction supervision…
Decree No. 59/2015/ND-CP takes effect from August 5th 2015.
ANT Lawyers is a Vietnamese law firm in Vietnam with English speaking lawyers whom understand the laws of Vietnam within the business and the local culture context.
Please contact us for inquiries through email ant@antlawyers.vn or call our partner directly at  + 84 912 817 823.
Let ANT Lawyers help your business in Vietnam.

8.25.2016

INFRASTRUCTURE ENERGY PROJECTS IN VIETNAM

At ANT Lawyers, we represent clients in infrastructure, energy and resource projects. We are exclusiveVietnam law firm member of Prae Legal, a global law firm network with more than 150 law firm members globally.  For cross-border transactions, the team coordinates and utilizes relevant Prae Legal member offices to provide necessary advice on local laws, taking into account the client’s needs in Vietnam.  For inbound and domestic transactions, our project lawyers advise on Vietnam laws to review and prepare documentation for licensing application where foreign investors are involved.

We have been involved in several major projects:
  • Telecomunications (Nortel Networks Canada, a contractor in HTC infastructure mobile networks project for Vietnam Mobile opetator) ;
  • Infrastructure (Antara Koh Pte. Ltd, a Singaporean EPC contractor in Dung Quat Oil refinery plant in Quang Ngai province);
  • Energy and power (Shanghai Electric Group Co., Ltd, an EPC contractor in Vinh Tan 2 Thermal Power plant in Binh Thuan province).
Please contact us through email ant@antlawyers.vn, call our office at +84 8 3520 2779 or talk to our partner directly at +84 912 817 823.
Let ANT Lawyers help your business in Vietnam.

8.21.2016

Vietnam's M&As to hit a record high of $6bln in 2016

Foreign retailers are flooding into the country as consumer spending is set to grow 47 percent in the next four years.

The number of announced mergers and acquisitions (M&A) over the past five years is valued at $18 billion, according to the Ministry of Investment and Planning.
M&A deals in 2015 increased 40 percent from 2014 with total value of $4.3 billion, according to data released by Institute of Mergers, Acquisitions and Alliances.
Vietnamese mergers and acquisitions, after having reached the value of $3.2 billion in the first seven months of this year, are expected to hit $6 billion for the whole year, beating last year’s record as foreign investors have shown increasing interest in the country’s booming retail sector spurred by strong economic growth.

Emerging retail market
Vietnam’s retail market has grown at roughly 10 percent per year in recent years. The market is forecast to reach $109 billion in sales next year, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. The country has also climbed up to 11th place on the A.T. Kearny 2016 Global Retail Development Index, which indentifies the world’s top 30 retail markets with the most potential investment opportunities.
Retailers have seen Vietnam’s relatively young population and expanding middle class as the main drivers of robust retail market growth. Almost 60 percent of Vietnam’s population of 93 million people are under 35 with rising incomes, averaging $2,111 last year, according to World Bank data.
EuroMonitor International predicts that Vietnam’s consumer spending is about to grow 47 percent in the next four years to $184.9 billion.
The World Bank forecast Vietnam’s $200 billion economy is likely to grow to a trillion dollars by 2035 with more than half of its population, compared with only 11 percent today, expected to join the ranks of the global middle class with consumption of $15 a day or more.
As incomes rise, people are also shifting shopping habits. Spending at modern supermarkets, convenience stores, and shopping malls is expected to rise to 40 percent of total consumer spending by 2020, up from the current 25 percent, the government data show.
Vietnam has thus seen a surge in M&A deals in the retail sector.
Korean retail conglomerate Lotte Group targets to open 60 supermarkets in Vietnam by 2020.
Thailand’s Central Group has acquired a 49 percent stake in consumer electronics retailer Nguyen Kim and sealed a $1.14 billion buyout of hypermarket Big C Vietnam. Another Thai giant, TCC, last year took over Metro Cash & Carry wholesale operation in Vietnam for $720 million.
Japanese retailers have also set eyes on Vietnam. Supermarket chain operator Aeon bought a 30 percent stake in Fivimart and a 49 percent stake in Citimart. Both are top players in the market with supermarkets and convenience stores in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Meanwhile, convenience store giant 7-Eleven has laid out its expansion in Vietnam with its first store to be open early 2018.
Even luxury brands like the Japanese Takashimaya are already entering the Southeast Asian country. The group has invested about 5 billion yen ($47 million) in Vietnam since 2012. That includes the new 15,000 square-meter department store in the Saigon Center in Ho Chi Minh City which is set to open this month.
Vietnamese local businesses have also begun to pick up speed.
Property giant Vingroup has decided to make retail business its core, said Chairman Pham Nhat Vuong, contributing to around 50 percent of the group's total sales in the years to come, compared to the current 20 percent.
Vingroup aims to open as many as 500 supermarkets and 8,000 convenience stores under its VinMart and VinMart+ brands in the next five years.
In an attempt to get ready for the expansion, the real estate group has bought an 80 percent stake in Giang Vo Exhibition Center in Hanoi and acquired a 100 percent ownership of Vinatexmart which has as many as 39 supermarkets and retail stores in 19 provinces and cities throughout Vietnam.
Official statistics show Vietnam now has about 9,000 traditional outdoor markets, 800 supermarkets, 160 department stores and shopping malls and more than a million household stores.
M&A upward trend sees no signs of stopping
Foreign investors are also attracted by Vietnam’s high economic growth rate which has remained at an average of more than 5 percent since 1999. The Southeast Asian country’s economy aims to expand 6.7 percent in 2016 after growing at 6.68 percent in 2015, the fastest pace since 2007.
The Vietnamese government has shown strong commitment to making Vietnam a more attractive investment destination. A revised rule, which came into effective last month, has drastically shortened the process of acquiring an investment license to 15 days instead of 45 days.
The government on July 20 officially scrapped a long standing foreign-ownership cap on many publicly listed companies, allowing foreign investors to own a 100 percent stake in several listed companies in various industries, including consumer, property, transport, construction, manufacturing, financial services and agriculture, up from 49 percent.
The SCIC, the state's investment arm, has confirmed that it will divest from Vinamilk, the country’s largest dairy firm, valued at $7.6 billion, by selling its 45 percent stake worth $3.5 billion.
Another reason for booming mergers and acquisitions in Vietnam is foreign investors want to take advantage of Vietnam’s low-cost manufacturing. As Vietnam has concluded a variety of free trade agreements, especially the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the country is highly likely to become a global outsourcing hub.

Free trade between Vietnam and Eurasian economies to open on October 5

Vietnamese products will have better opportunities to penetrate the market of 175 million people.
The free trade agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union will go into effect on October 5, 2016, Vietnam's Government Portal reported August 19.
Vietnam is the first partner to sign an FTA with the Eurasian Economic Union, opening the door for Vietnamese goods to enter a market of 175 million people with an estimated GDP of $2.5 trillion and stable growth.
Under the agreement, tariffs applied to many Vietnamese goods will be reduced, liberalizing multilateral trade. The agreement concerns trade in goods, trade remedies, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, intellectual property and other joint commitments.


The agreement will help Vietnam attract foreign investment in the mining and processing, energy production, machinery and chemistry sectors, which are key strengths in the Eurasion union. In return, the Southeast Asian nation can benefit from this FTA by investing in light industry, petroleum mining and processing.
The FTA will also facilitate exchange of knowledge, experience, experts and labor among member countries. It is expected help improve Vietnam’s investment environment, making it more transparent and efficient.
Negotiations for the FTA between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union, which includes Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia, kicked off in March 2013. After two years of talks, the deal was finally signed on May 29, 2015, in Burabay, Kazakhstan.

Further reading

5.06.2015

Foreign Investors May Be Allowed to Hold 60% Shares

A new decision has been proposed to the Prime Minister with a number of changes that encourage foreign investors to make investment in Vietnam and in the meantime improve the financial market to catch up with international standard.

Foreign investors may be allowed to hold 60% shares
Foreign investors may be allowed to hold 60% shares
ANT Lawyers’ foreign investment practice always follow the change in legal environment to assist our client with the best service. First, foreign investors could own up to 60% of total voting right shares of a listed company.   The previous provisions only allow this ratio for strategic partners.  Secondly, the foreign investors may hold maximum 49% total voting right shares. The previous provision is 49% of charter capital.  Thirdly, for non-voting right shares, the foreign investors are not restricted to hold.  Fourthly, for fund certificate, the foreign investors may hold 100% for both close and open funds while the previous provision only allows 49% and restricts the foreign –owned in open funds.  Fifthly, foreign organizations business in securities may hold securities companies in Vietnam up to 100% Charter capital while in recent provision, maximum of 49% and 100% for the specific cases.
When the new Decision will have been officially issued, the securities market of Vietnam will be more open and attractive to foreign investors. As expected, impact will be increasing liquidation, opening the conditions to establish investment funds, changing the enterprise’s structure, developing the fund management companies, and as such developing the financial market with more options to invest and control the investment in Vietnam.
For further information or intensive advice, please contact ANT Lawyers, your securities lawyers in Vietnam via email ant@antlawyers.vn or tel (848) 3520 2779.
ANT Lawyers is a Vietnam law firm with international standards, recognized by IFLR1000 on Financial and Corporate practice. We are an exclusive Vietnam member of Prae Legal, the global law firm network covering more than 150 jurisdictions. The firm provides a range of legal services as following to multinational and domestic clients.