FDI in Real Estate Reached 1 Billion USD in 2016

The area of real estate business attracted total FDI capital reached 1 billion USD in the first 9 months of 2016.

Foreign Investment Department (Ministry of Planning and Investment) has announced FDI report for the first 9 months of 2016. Accordingly, there were 1,820 newly licensed projects with total registered capital of 11.02 billion USD, increased by 1.1% over the same period. Meanwhile, there are 851 projects registered to adjust capital with the added value of 5.3 billion USD, decreased by 13.9% over the same period.

Generally in the first 9 months of 2016, total newly registered and additional capital reached 16.4 billion USD, decreased by 4.2% over the same period in 2015.

In 9 months, foreign investors have invested in 19 sectorsin which the field of processing industry, manufacturing is the sector attracting more attention of foreign investors with 767 new projects and 608 respectively adjust capital projects.

In 9 months, foreign investors have invested in 19 sectors, in which the field of processing industry and manufacturing are the sectors attracting more attention of foreign investors with 767 new projects and 608 projects register to adjust capital.

Total new and increasing capital to processing industry and manufacturing reached 12.15 billion USD, accounting for 73.9% of total registered capital in 9 months.

In particular, the field of real estate business ranks 2^nd with 34 newly registered projects, total capital reached 1 billion USD. The field of professional activities, science and technology ranks 3^rd with 649 million USD, accounting for 3.9% of total investment capital…

In the first 9 months of 2016, there are 65 countries and territories have investment projects in Vietnam. Korea leads the way with a total investmentcapital reached 5.58 billion USD. Singapore ranked 2^nd with total investment of 1.84 billion USD. Japan ranked 3^rd with total investment capital of 1.7 billion USD.

Foreign investors have invested in 54 provinces and cities in which Hai Phong attracted the most investment capital with 37 new projects and 28 projects register to adjust capital, corresponding to 2.74 billion USD. Followed by Hanoi and Dong Nai with total investment capital of 1.97 and 1.89 billion USD respectively.

Some large projects that are licensed in the first 9 months of 2016 including LG Display Hai Phong with total registered investment capital of 1.5 billion USD, invested by LG Display Co., Ltd (Korea). The goal of the project is producing and processing plastic OLED display products for mobile devices such as cell phones, smart watches, tablets.

LG Innotek plant project in Hai Phong with total registered investment capital of 550 million, invested by LG Innotek Co., Ltd. (Korea) with the goal of producing camera modules.

Amata City project in Long Thanh has a total investment of 309.3 million USD, invested by Thai investor with the goal of building service urban in Dong Nai.

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. 

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

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Hong Kong Investment Funds Investing in Real Estate, Banking of Vietnam

In the talks with Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on September 14^th 2016, representatives of corporations and large investment funds from Hong Kong have expressed their interest in investment opportunities in Vietnam.

Talking to Hong Kong enterprises, Government leaders said that Vietnam has amended the Law on Investment towards more open and transparent, creating stable investment environment, ensuring maximum property rights of investors and enterprises; conducting strong reform of administrative procedures in areas such as taxes, electronic customs clearance...

In the process of development, Vietnam hopes that foreign investors will invest in areas such as road transport, railway, waterway and other infrastructure. The Vietnam Prime Minister also noted that investors in the process of production and business should pay attention to ensure the livelihood and skills training of employees; compliance with laws and regulations regarding environment protection in Vietnam.

Highly appreciated the solutions and policies of Vietnam Government, Dr. Jonathan Choi - Sunwah Group Chairman, who is also a permanent Honorary President of China Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong said that investors in Hong Kong are very interested in the stable investment environment and respecting the development of private sector in Vietnam. The investment sectors that are interested by Hong Kong’s large enterprises and investment funds are energy, healthcare, realestate, finance and banking.

Speaking in front of 300 investors attending the Hong Kong - Vietnam Business & Investment Forum, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that Vietnam will become one of the largest trading partners of China in ASEAN. In 2016, the bilateral trade turnover between the two countries could reach 100 billion USD.

Also at the forum, Head of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region stated that the Government here will continue to open the door and strongly supporting Vietnam enterprises to penetrate the Hong Kong and Chinese domestic markets.

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VIETNAM: THE POTENTIAL DESTINATION FOR VENTURE CAPITALS

If we see the business, the attention of Venture Capitals (VCs) and foreign investors are the indication then Vietnam is emerging as a potential environment for the startup operation.

Besides the investment funds that have been presented in Vietnam as IDG Ventures Vietnam, a number of new VCs have joined the Vietnam entrepreneurship ecosystem and are very optimistic about the ahead opportunities.

On August 2015, the Captii Ventures owned by Captii Corporation has invested a sum of 6 numbers to the startup OnOnPay phone recharge. This represents the first venture investment of Captii in Vietnam.

Factors attracting investors here are the demographic advantages and business models that can be replicated. According to Techlist.asia, the startup figure in Vietnam has risen to 1,400, bringing this country becomes the 3^rdlargest startup ecosystem in Southeast Asia after Singapore and Indonesia.

With a population of 90 million people who are in the process of economic growth, young population structure, emerging middle class and the rate of Internet user is increasing rapidly, especially mobile phone, Vietnam is in the beginning phase of a very exciting cycle.

Moreover, Vietnam is a large, young and growing rapidly economy, the technology index such as the ratio of using the Internet and smart phone are in large-scale, the leading founder generation have achieved success and demonstrate the potential of the talent and market of Vietnam.

Compared to other Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines and Vietnam), Vietnam has strong advantages in the available technique human resources, energy, resources and potential growth the market.

Moreover, the new policy on foreign investment has entered into force on July 1^st 2015 with more freedom for foreigners to own real estate in Vietnam and simpler procedures for projects or portfolios.

In the 3 areas that Captii Ventures is focusing on that are market, digital media and apps for business, they will participate more actively in at least two areas that are market and apps for business.

Not only with the VCs, Vietnam startup is also attractive to other foreign companies such as Yello Mobile from South Korea, the company has invested in CleverAds advertising company and Websosanh – the price comparison site.
Garena, a Singapore’s internet company has invested Series B for Foody, startup locations that in the same month continued to receive Series C investment from Tiger Global Management – US venture capital fund.

Transcosmos, a software manufacturing company based in Tokyo, had previously acquired a 30% stake in Hotdeal e-commerce platform in a deal signed on August 2015.

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.  

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

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TPP WILL CREATE BREAKTHROUGH FOR VIETNAM’S COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE SECTOR

On October 5^th, the TPP agreement has finished negotiation. According to experts, the signing of TPP will expand the opportunity for Vietnam’s economy in general and real estate market in particular.

It seems that foreign real estate investors are more sensitive hearing than domestic investors in the anticipation of macroeconomic policy. The most recent example, funds from Japan and the United States are massively investing in the real estate market of Vietnam. These includes Creed Group (Japan) committed to invest 200 million USD into the An Gia Investment or the Global Emerging Market – GEM (US) has recently committed to pour 20 million USD into Hoang Quan real estate company.

Currently, there is a capital inflow from Japan landing in Vietnam. Many Japanese firms have invested in clean agriculture in Japan and some areas in the Northern of Vietnam to grow fresh vegetables and then export back to Japan. The Japanese are very closely following the TPP negotiation process so they also have investment plans in advance.

After the TPP was signed then what people expect the most is the commercial real estate market will develop better, which include industrial park, office, retail space…as a result of the shift of investment capital flows.

In order to leverage the special tax incentives and cheap labor cost in Vietnam, a lot of businesses in Japan, US had planned about moving factories from China to Vietnam and exported to Japan, US… The main industries that are shifting include textiles, phone manufacturers, automobile manufacturers…. The capital flow shifting will push up demand for commercial real estate.

When the foreign enterprises arrived in Vietnam, they will have to build factories, warehouses. On the other hand, they would create jobs, generate demand for ancillary and service industries. Thus, the system of services like hotels, trade centers, office rental and other services will develop as a result.

Thus, we can also expect M&A in the field of hotel, office, retail, including resort real estate will thrive in the future. Moreover, after the success of TPP, it will push up the industrial real estate market to develop.

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.  

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

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VIETNAM REAL ESTATE SECTOR REVIEW

Real estate is one of the sector with important position and role for the national economy, have a direct relationship with the financial and monetary market, the construction market, building materials market and the labor market… The sustainable development and effective management of this sector will contribute significantly to promoting economic-social development, creating the ability to attract investment capital, contributing to the development, industrialization and modernization of the country.

There have been more favorable developments for the country’s economy in 2015 and 2015. The prices of oil continued to fall; GDP grows at stable rate around 6%. The inflation rate was controlled at 4.09% average; reduced deposit rates, lending rates were adjusted down to 10%. Foreign direct investment in Vietnam reached US $ 20.23 billion, exceeding 19% compared to the target (17 billion dollars) and expected in increase in 2016.

Mr. Nguyen Tran Nam, Former Deputy Minister of Construction, president of the Vietnam Real Estate Association, said the real estate market has been recovering, particularly in 2015. There were 40,000 successful transactions, increased 75% compared to 2014 in only Hanoi and HCM. In addition, the Vietnamese laws have changed which allow foreigners and Vietnamese people living abroad to own real estate in Vietnam from January 7/2015. The metro construction projects in Hanoi and HCMC, modern road system construction suchas Nhat Tan Bridge,  Long Thanh – DauGiay highway …  are also factors contributing to boost the real estate market.

Along with these positive factors, the volatility of the financial markets due to the impact of political issues and global movement (the gold market, securities, forex have reduce the lending rate) has turned the property into a safe place for investment at the moment.

In the current favorable environment, the property becomesa channel to attract investors who want to own property not to live but to invest in. This is an appropriate time for investment after nearly 7 years. In a report, Mr. Marc Townsend, Managing Director of CBRE Vietnam, saidthat ” in 2015 the real estate market will witness the spectacular comeback of property speculators”

According this report, if in 2014, cheap apartment was considered as the hottest segment of the market, in 2015, the segment of medium and high-end apartments returned to be the hottest attraction. According to data from CBRE, yielding from investing in luxury apartments in Vietnam is quite high compared to other countries in the region (7- 8% compared to 3% in Singapore, 4-6% Bangkok and 4% in Hong Kong). With a minimum profit margin of 7-8% a year and the highest one at 15-20%, this segment is attracting the attention of real estate speculators.

The project with big scale which delayed during freezing period such as Goldmark City, Sapphire Palace, Gemek Tower in Hanoi, Vista Verde, the Park Residence, Le Meridien, City Gate Towers, has been released to sell up.

As reported by CBRE, in the quarter 4/2014, in HCM, it was recorded that 6670 apartments were offered, increased 117.8% from the previous quarter and 150.2% over the same period last year. For the whole 2014, it was sated that 60% of 14 807 apartments from 37 projects were offered while this figure was 47% in Hanoi of total 16,200 units from 31 projects.

In terms of price, the projects inside the city and surrounding areas with developed infrastructure continue to attract buyers and tends to keep the price high. The average selling price luxury apartments in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are in the range of US $ 1500-1700 / m2, apartment Range US $ 1,000 / m2, the budget – US $ 700 / m2.

The companies with foreign investors are allowed to sublet the property which has been leased or acquire buildings which has been built. This contributes to dynamic of office properties in Vietnam. According to CBRE’s report, in 2014, many office buildings have adopted methods of long-term lease or buy off the area. In 2015, this trend will be more popular in terms of office building.

In the segment of real estate retail, restructuring the dynamics of retail businesses such as Parkson Hanoi Co. and the close of Parkson shopping center in Keangnam Landmark Tower Complex (Hanoi) showed very strong pressure this segment due to increase in supply and competition. With more than 90 million people, Vietnam is a leading nations in the Asia – Pacific region in terms of growth of retail market (9.3% versus 6.3% in Hong Kong, 4.5 1.7% of Malaysia and Singapore). Thus, the segment of retail market is still promising.

A series of big brand to expand the retail network such as as Aeon Group (Japan) plans to open 20 hypermarkets in Vietnam. Vinmart plans to build 9 shopping center, 100 supermarkets and 1,000 Vinmart convenience stores in 2017. Lotte Group (Korea) announced that it would open 60 supermarkets in Vietnam in 2020…

However, in 2015, the new game will be very intensed. According to the CBRE, in 2015-2016, the market will welcome nearly 800.000m2 retail space from 24 projects. Therefore, retailer market will be faced a new challenges. Rising operating costs, the development of electronic commerce and improved knowledge of consumer in purchase decision will be the factors that led to high level of market competition.

Also in 2015-2016, villa projects seem to become very attractive investment in Vietnam. In 2016, Vingroup will launch the resort in Da Nang, Nha Trang, Quy Nhon, PhuQuoc that combines financial investment to attract investors. Especially, at the beginning of March, the Group will launch VingroupVinpearl Resort & Villas project in Long Beach – Nha Trang.

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

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