Hostile acquisitions in Vietnam
Dưới đây là đoạn về hostile takeovers (thâu tóm thù nghịch) ở Việt Nam, trích từ bài viết có tên là VIETNAM – Mergers & Acquisitions Country Comparative Guide của Duane Morris.
Phía dưới cũng có hai đoạn đáng lưu ý. Mặc dù vậy, khi đọc bài này có lẽ nên cẩn thận để phân biệt giữa tender offers (chào mua công khai) và negotiated acquisitions (các deals đạt được thông qua thương lượng giữa bên mua và bán, kể cả mua share block trong public cos).
Vì blog này là digital notebook của Ngữ nên nhiều bài đăng có thể chỉ nhằm mục đích lưu lại thông tin để sau này dễ tìm lại.
Hostile bids are neither defined nor regulated under Vietnamese law. There is also no express prohibition on this type of transaction. Recommended bids often outnumber hostile bids due to limited publicly available information about the target and reluctance to disclose information.
However, the number of hostile bids in Vietnam has been increasing since 2011, for example:
· Singapore-based Platinum Victory Ptl Ltd became Refrigeration Electrical Engineering Corp (REE)’s largest shareholder, accumulating a 10.2% interest in the company.
· Chile’s CFR International Spa acquired a 46% stake in healthcare equipment company Domesco Medical Import-Export Co (DMC), making it the first foreign deal in the pharma sector.
During 2010 and 2011, there were two takeover deals in Vietnam:
· The acquisition of Ha Tay Pharmacy in 2010.
· The acquisition of Descon, a construction company, in 2011. Binh Thien An Company acquired a 35% shareholding in Descon, officially took over Descon and made significant changes to its management body.
The Government’s Decree No. 155/2020/ND-CP lifted the foreign equity cap regarding public companies, with some exceptions (a 49% cap was previously in force). Specifically, the rules on foreign ownership in a listed company can be generally classified into the five following groups:
· If Vietnamese law, including international treaties, provides for a specific ownership cap, the maximum foreign ownership (MFO) must not exceed such a cap (group 1).
· If Vietnamese law treats a business activity as conditional on foreign investment (pursuant to the list of conditional sectors under the Investment Law) but does not yet provide any ownership limit, MFO must not exceed 50% (group 2).
· In cases that do not fall within group 1 and group 2, MFO can be up to 100% (group 3).
· In case a public company operates in multiple industries and trades with different regulations on the foreign ownership rate, the foreign ownership rate must not exceed the lowest level in the industries and trades with determined foreign ownership rates (group 4).
· Where a public company decides on the maximum foreign ownership ratio lower than the rate specified above, the specific rate must be approved by the General Meeting of Shareholders and included in the company’s charter.
This lift of the foreign equity cap can introduce more hostile bids in Vietnam.
What do you believe will be the three most significant factors influencing M&A activity over the next 2 years?
The country’s deeper and wider integration into the world’s economy is offering new opportunities for M&A activities.
Another factor includes the high pressure faced by the government to privatise state-owned enterprises to meet requirements under signed trade pacts, especially the EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement, which came into force on 1 August 2020.
Encouraging signs for foreign investment include:
· Reformed policies to allow wider access to foreign investors.
· ASEAN Economic Community single market and production base.
· The conclusion of free trade agreements (FTAs), including the EU – Vietnam FTA and The Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).
· Vietnam’s super rich population is growing faster than anywhere else and is on track to continue leading the growth in the next decade.
· Equitization of state-owned enterprises will speed up.
The introduction of the new Investment Law, Enterprise Law, Resolution No. 42 on handling bad debts and other laws and policies are creating an improved legal environment for investment and trade in general, and the M&A market in particular. However, the following factors also affect M&A transactions:
· Divergent interpretations and implementations by local licensing authorities of international treaties such as Vietnam’s WTO Commitments.
· Different licensing procedures applied to different types of transactions (for example, for foreign invested companies and domestic companies, public companies and private companies, and for buying state-owned shares or private shares).
Although legal and governance barriers, along with macro instability and the lack of market transparency are still the greatest concerns for investors, M&A deals in Vietnam are still expected to be one of the key, effective channels for market entry.
The major expected trends in the Vietnam M&A market include:
· Bank restructurings.
· Acquisitions and anti-acquisitions, particularly in the real estate sector.
· Growing Korean, Japanese and Thai investment in Vietnam through M&A transactions.
· Reform of SoEs.
Cost coverage mechanisms
Cost coverage mechanisms include:
· Locked Box mechanism: where the seller and buyer agree on a net purchase price upfront in the Sales Purchase Agreement and this price remains effective until the financial closing/completion date of the transaction – recommended for fast-growing target companies
· Completion Account mechanism: base purchase price, plus cash, less debt, plus excess or less shortfall in working capital.