A group of 14 international investors from six countries, led by Malaysian investment firm Maybank Group, visited Vietnam last week to study the market, according to the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI).

The meeting between VCCI and the consortium of investors. Photo: diendandoanhnghiep.vn

During the meeting between the VCCI and the group of investors, the potential developments in the Vietnamese market were discussed, in particular, the financial environment and the opportunity for growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups.

Nguyen Manh Dung, Director of Institutional Clients at Maybank Vietnam, said the Malaysian bank has been providing a wide range of financial, banking and securities services in Vietnam since 1996.

The bank has been the strategic shareholder of An Binh Commercial Joint Stock Bank (ABBank) since 2008 and an important partner of many domestic enterprises such as Vingroup, Hoa Phat and Thaco, he said.

Maybank Group is the largest financial and banking corporation in Malaysia and the fourth largest in ASEAN with total assets of more than US$200 billion.  

Other companies looking to expand their investment portfolios in Vietnam include Malaysia's state-backed investment funds LTH Group and KWAP, and Thailand's asset management firm SCBAM, Dung added.

Notably, the consortium includes Asset Plus, a Thai investment fund with total assets of $1.2 billion and large stakes in several ASEAN enterprises. Other investors are Nomura Asset Management of Japan, which has more than $500 billion in assets under management, and Haitong International of Hong Kong, which manages about $125 billion in assets worldwide.

VCCI Vice President Nguyen Quang Vinh appreciated that international investors find Vietnam a very attractive market.

He said that VCCI, as the representative of all Vietnamese enterprises and businessmen, will provide investors with the necessary information about the domestic market and help them to do well here.

With a population of 100 million, a young workforce, a stable political system and attractive policies, Vietnam has attracted the interest of many global companies, he said.

Major investments have focused on the semiconductor, high-tech and energy sectors, he added.