Supply overhang threatens condotel market

According to the Việt Nam Real Estate Brokers Association last year around 23,000 units of condotels, or condo-hotels, were offered for sale, and 65-70 per cent of them were snapped up.  However, demand for condotels seems to be falling.

Government bonds lose their sheen

Though the interest rates on government bonds with maturity terms of one to 15 years have increased in recent times, there seems to be little appetite for them among investors.

State-owned banks suffer equity erosion

According to statistics from the State Bank of Việt Nam (SBV), as of May, State-owned banks’ combined equity was VNĐ252.472 trillion (US$10.83 billion), down 0.86 per cent.

VN leaders’ foreign visits expected to up FDI

According to the Foreign Investment Agency, in the first five months of the year foreign direct investment in new projects was worth US$4.66 billion, 17 per cent down from last year’s figure for the same period.

Volatility returns to foreign exchange rates

On May 29 the State Bank of Việt Nam adjusted the đồng-US dollar exchange rate, weakening the Vietnamese currency by VNĐ9 to VNĐ22,605 per dollar, which represented the greenback’s biggest rise so far this year.

Govt vacillates on incentives in special economic zones

The Government plans to develop three special economic zones, which it hopes will spearhead the country’s growth. They will be located in the coastal district of Vân Đồn in the northern province of Quảng Ninh, Bắc Vân Phong in the central province of Khánh Hoà and Phú Quốc Island.

Companies ‘strategic’ share sales raise eyebrows

Many other companies too have opted to go down the equity path to raise funds rather than borrow from banks. Intriguingly, many of them have sold their stakes to strategic partners at several times higher than the market price.

Drug firms spend huge sums to drive growth

After making an entry into the automobile manufacturing industry, Vingroup, the country’s leading property company, has set its sights on the US$5.3 billion pharmaceutical sector.

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