Revisiting the Historic Bank and Credit Union Merger: Insights from Đặng Văn Thành

Deputy Minister of Finance Tran Quoc Phuong shared these insights at the 17th Vietnam M&A Forum 2025, organized by the Finance and Investment Newspaper under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance, on the afternoon of December 9th.

In the economic landscape, foreign investment continues to shine. Over the first 11 months of 2025, total registered foreign investment (including new projects, adjustments, and share acquisitions) reached $33.69 billion, a 7.4% increase compared to the same period last year.

According to Tran Quoc Phuong, foreign investors are gradually returning to Vietnam’s M&A market with deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

In recent years, Vietnam has become a strategic destination for many global corporations, playing a crucial role in the global supply chain, particularly in high-tech sectors such as electronics, semiconductors, and AI.

Notably, NVIDIA and Qualcomm have acquired shares from domestic corporations to expand their research and development (R&D) activities and strengthen their AI initiatives in Vietnam.

“This is a significant achievement, especially as global investment flows slow down. Vietnam will maintain its top position in the region for attracting foreign investment, particularly in high-tech and pioneering sectors like semiconductors and AI. M&A remains a vital channel for capital inflows,” Tran Quoc Phuong noted.

At the forum, Dang Van Thanh, Chairman of TTC Group, highlighted that while M&A has been present in Vietnam for over 20 years, it remains relatively new to many businesses. Nonetheless, M&A is an indispensable component of a modern market.

Thanh recalled a 2001 M&A deal where he successfully merged a bank and a credit fund. During the same period, he also witnessed the merger of a credit fund with Cai San Rural Bank (Can Tho City), before M&A deals surged in later years.

According to Thanh, to effectively attract investment, especially foreign direct investment (FDI), Vietnam requires not only appropriate government policies but also proactive efforts from domestic businesses to enhance their capacity to receive such investments.

Thanh shared that during his tenure as a bank chairman, he approached investment funds to raise capital and adopt modern management techniques. This is a common need among many Vietnamese businesses today.

From 2026 to 2030, with the implementation of new policies, particularly Resolution 68 on private economic development, Vietnamese businesses will have ample opportunities to expand cooperation, improve management capabilities, and attract international investment.

Thanh emphasized that this is a “golden” moment for Vietnamese entrepreneurs to actively engage in the M&A wave, viewing it as an opportunity to elevate their businesses, drive innovation, and expand their scale as Vietnam becomes increasingly attractive to foreign investors.