As one of the fastest growing economies in ASEAN, Vietnam has a seemingly endless wish list for infrastructure. Currently, just 20 per cent of the country’s national roads are paved, and a recently approved plan to build a 1,372km north-south highway by 2030 is estimated to cost $14bn.

M&A Report (July 2019)

China outbound M&A activities came to a freeze in the second quarter, dragging outbound dealmaking to USD 20.4bn (114 deals) in 1H19, recording the lowest value since 2011 amid uncertainty from the escalating trade war. Even Europe, the all-time most popular destination, saw less Chinese interest with a 64% decrease in deal value in 1H19.

The State Bank of Vietnam (the “SBV”) issued Circular No. 42/2018/TT-NHNN dated 28 December 2018 (“Circular 42”) that amends and supplements specific articles of Circular No. 24/2015/TT-NHNN of the SBV dated 8 December 2015 (“Circular 24”) regulating lending in foreign currencies to resident borrowers by credit institutions and foreign bank branches established and operating in Vietnam (the “Lenders”). Circular 42 took effect from 1 January 2019.

Vietnam - one of the fastest growing nations in Asia with more than 6% annual economic growth for the past 25 years has successfully increase its electrification rate from 54% to 98% since 1990; connecting some 55m people. It is one of the country’s priorities in providing secure and affordable supply of energy to all of the society participant and economic sectors at the same time, attract the capital required to expand infrastructure, securing...

DFDL awarded IFLR - International Financial Law Review 'Project Finance Deal of the Year' for Myingyan Power Project in Myanmar.

The Penal Code was due to take effect on 1 July 2016 and included new offences that criminalized certain anti-competitive practices that would otherwise be dealt with through the Competition Law.

China's second-largest e-commerce player JD announced on 16 Jan a strategic investment in Tiki.vn, Vietnam's leading business-to-consumer e-commerce platform, expanding its presence in the Southeast Asia market amid fierce competition from Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Amazon.com Inc.

To promote Turkey's new role as a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım paid official visits to Singapore and Vietnam in August.

Vietjet announced the opening of a new international route connecting Ho Chi Minh City with the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. The new route is purposed to meet the increasing travel demand between the two countries and at the same time boost regional trade and integration.