A seminar to help domestic businesses raise their competitiveness through merger and acquisition (M&A) took place in the capital city of Hanoi on June 2.

Speaking at the seminar jointly held by the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and Japan ’s Daiwa Securities Group Inc, Dr. Ta Thanh Binh from the State Securities Committee stressed the state management on M&A to ensure transparency and fairness as well as prevent unhealthy transactions leading to monopoly in the country.

Meanwhile, VCCI Deputy Chairman Pham Gia Tuc affirmed that M&A are good ways to sharpen businesses’ competitive edges and bring about a sustainable development as most of the domestic small and medium-sized businesses are not strong enough to venture into fields that require a large capital and modern technologies.

However, Tuc reckoned that M&A should be in line with the country’s process of restructuring state-owned enterprises.

M&A are new but promising in Vietnam, a Daiwa official said, adding that Japanese investors are seeking Vietnamese partners in automobile, household utensils, machinery, paper, steel, chemical, information technology services, cosmetics, foodstuff, beverage, retail service, construction, finance, transport and communications./.