Vietnam among top 3 regional destinations for Singapore firms

HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Vietnam is among the top three investment destinations in Southeast Asia for Singapore-based companies in the next two years, according to the latest HSBC study.

The survey, done by the Singapore Business Federation for HSBC, asked 1036 companies about their interest in overseas expansion.

Eighty-six percent of them are SMEs, defined as those with an annual turnover of 100 million SGD (73 million USD) or less than 200 workers.

Seventy-six percent said they already have operations in Vietnam and 30 percent of them expect to expand their business in the country in the next two years, a rate exceeded only by Indonesia and Malaysia.

Vietnam’s growing consumer market and overall investment climate are key drivers for future inbound investment, the survey found.

It said 81 percent of respondents who plan to invest or expand in Vietnam cited potential customer demand in the country, 75 percent highlighted overall investment climate and 63 percent pointed to business costs.

Winfield Wong, country head of wholesale banking, HSBC Vietnam, said: “Whilst Vietnam’s growing consumer base is already well recognised by Singapore corporations, the report shows that many businesses are looking to double down on our demographic dividend.

“Beyond the consumer piece, Vietnam’s manufacturing – whilst already strong - is now entering into the higher-end space. So while many corporations may base their treasury and other back-office functions in Singapore, a lot of revenue-making operations are [carried out in] Vietnam. This is only expected to ramp up with Vietnam climbing up the supply and value chain.”

Partnership opportunities

Most of the Singapore-based SMEs entering or expanding in Vietnam will have or are seeking an in-country relationship. The research found more than 63 percent of those surveyed had a distributor or joint-venture arrangement in Vietnam.

“Most Singapore-based SMEs recognise that the recipe for success in overseas ventures includes selecting the right local partners and advisers,” Wong said.

“To seize these opportunities, local enterprises need to take a proactive stance, by plugging into the network and actively reaching out to expanding Singapore-based SMEs in advance,” he added.

In 2016 Singapore was the third largest source of FDI for Vietnam, accounting for 2.41 billion USD.

As of October last year the island nation had invested a cumulative 41 billion USD, according to the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency.-VNS/VNA