Agricultural Investments

Vietnam has remained an attractive destination for foreign investors in 2017 with total FDI capital registered in the country hitting a record high of US$35.88 billion, up 44.4% against last year.

The central city of Da Nang has called for VND1.5 trillion (US$66.3 million) investment in five high-tech farms to create a centre for hi-tech-farming in the central and central highlands region.

Only nine out of 25 provinces in the northern region have developed a green-growth strategy. Another two provinces are in the process of approving the innovations.

The Vietnamese government has approved a 170 billion VNĐ (approximately US$7.5 million) five-year coffee sector development project designed to improve quality, increase exports and develop a premium Vietnamese coffee brand.

Việt Nam wants to enhance co-operation with international organisations to promote the development of agricultural co-operatives, especially in supporting market access and management capacity.

VOV.VN - Vietnam, other APEC economies, and international organizations have paid special attention to ensure sustainable agricultural and rural development. APEC economies are expanding markets and financial services to boost the agricultural growth and reduce poverty sustainably.

On November 6, 2017, Dekalb Vietnam and the Faculty of Biotechnology of Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA) will organise the fourth Monsanto-VNUA scholarship reward ceremony, which is a part of the five-year, VND1.5-trillion ($65.8 million) Monsanto-Vietnam National University of Agriculture (VNUA) scholarship programme.

Hoayeuthuong.com - a start-up of fresh flowers in Vietnam, a professional flower and gift delivery company with more than 64 franchise retail locations all over Vietnam.

Hosted by Directorate of Fisheries (D-Fish) - Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and supported by Vietnam Fisheries Society (VINAFIS), International Collaborating Centre for Aquaculture and Fisheries Sustainability (ICAFIS), Vietnam Pangasius Association (VINAPA), Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), International Aqua Feed (IAF) and Aquaculture without Frontier (AWF), Aquaculture Vietnam 2017 will be held from 25 to 27 October 2017 at the Can Tho International Exhibition Fair Center (EFC), Can Tho City, Vietnam

Director-General hails G7 Agriculture Ministers focus on food systems, role of women, youth in food security

As unsafe food has become a big concern of Vietnamese consumers, many foreign enterprises consider this an investment opportunity. Recently, 13 Canadian pork exporting enterprises have come to Vietnam to learn about trade opportunities. "Canadian pork exports to Vietnam impressively increased by 230% in 2015. This shows the great potential of the market for Canadian pork products and it is testament to the Vietnamese consumer’s trust in the quality and safety of this product," said Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam David Devine. David Lennarz, Vice President of Registrar Corp (USA), operating in the field of consultancy and support enterprises to comply with the regulations of the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), said a lot American businesses want to invest in the food industry of Vietnam through projects producing safe food.

The four foreign giants that are forecast to make changes in the Vietnamese market in the future are South Korea's CJ Group (food, biotechnology, entertainment , home shopping and logistics), Ayala Corporation of the Philippines (water supply, telecommunications, real estate, banking), Thailand's SCG (cement, building materials, plastics) and Thailand’s Central Group (retail, restaurants, hotels, real estate).

MANILA   Asian economies have been rattled by China's slowdown, but they are still growing faster than many others. Maintaining that momentum, however, will require governments to get serious about improving the region's shaky infrastructure. The Nikkei Asian Review asked Takehiko Nakao, president of the Asian Development Bank, about how his organization and governments are coping with this challenge.

April 5, 2016:   2015 proved to be a busy year for Vietnam’s property conglomerate Vingroup spent VND18.76 trillion (nearly $833.9 million) to acquire domestic realty businesses, according to the company’s audited financial statement. The largest ticket-sized deal, closed in December last year, was the acquisition of 100 per cent interest in Hoa Huong Duong Company for VND5.680 trillion. With the deal, Vingroup has garnered a 98.3 per cent voting right in Vinaconex-Viettel Urban Development JSC, the subsidiary of Hoa Huong Duong Company.

The US economic presence in Vietnam has been increasing steadily since the normalization of Vietnam-US relations since the 1990s. Russia, which was once the largest trade partner of Vietnam, has also returned. Russia Beyond The HeadLines, in an article published some days ago, quoted economists as saying that there are plenty of niches that Russia can find in the Vietnamese market, even though the US’s increased presence seems to make it more difficult for Russia and other countries to compete. Hoang Khu, a former technical specialist at Vietsovpetro, an oil and gas joint venture between Vietnam and Russia, said on the website that Russia remains Vietnam’s favorite partner in the fields of high technology, national defence and nuclear power.

Op/Ed by Alberto Vettoretti, Managing Partner 
Dezan Shira & Associates Vietnam

Our firm has been operating in Vietnam for several years with offices in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City and the business has been growing steadily throughout since the beginning. However, it was only since the third quarter of last year that the pace has quickened substantially to the extent that our HCMC office is about to move to larger premises in Q1 this year to accommodate for a larger team of legal, accounting, tax and HR experts.