Four Asian conglomerates dominate business landscape in Vietnam
The four Asian giants predicted to be able to change the face of some industries and economic branches in Vietnam include CJ Group (the Republic of Korea), Ayala (the Philippines), SCG (Thailand) and Central Group (Thailand).
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CJ has also injected money into the food processing sector: it runs four animal feed factories with the total investment capital of US$200 million in Vietnam. In 2011-2015, CJ witnessed the impressive growth rate of 86% per annum in the sector and it projects the 71% growth rate in 2016.
CJ stated that it will continue pouring big capital into Vietnam with the investment capital in 2016 equal to the total investment capital in the last five years, about US$400 million.
Besides cinema and food, CJ has also invested in pharmacy, which saw the 26% per annum growth rate in 2011-2015, and retail & logistics which it hopes would see 8% growth rate this year.
Thai Siam Group has been present in Vietnam since 1992. However, it only became well known recently when it successfully took over a series of Vietnamese plastics packaging and building material companies.
In 2012, SCG bought 85% of stake of Prime Group. In 2015, it acquired 80% of stake of Tin Thanh Plastics, 20% of Binh Minh’s and 25% of Tien Phong’s Plastics Companies.
It also holds stakes in 18 other household-used plastics companies. To date, SCG has spent US$121 million to acquire plastics companies.
Siam’s 2015 finance report showed total revenue of VND14.1 trillion, or US$638 million, an increase of 7% over the year before.
Ayala, the Filipino group with the investments in banking, telecom, real estate and water supply, has conducted a lot of takeover deals recently, including the acquisition of a 49% of stake of the Thu Duc BOO Water Supply.
Ayala has also invested in a series of water supply companies in HCM City, including Kenh Dong Water, Sai Gon – Pleiku, Vietnam-Philippines Infrastructure Investment.
In late 2015, Ayala stated that it would pour US$13 million more into the projects in the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, including US$4.26 million in Vietnam in the time to come.
Analysts believe that Thai Central Group showed the intention to expand its market share in Vietnam in 2014 when opening the first Robins shop at Royal City Shopping Mall, the retail super-project with total area of 200,000 square meters and 5,000 apartments in Hanoi.
Central Group has step by step taken over a series of Vietnamese retail chains, including Nguyen Kim (it bought 49% of Nguyen Kim stake in January 2015). Sources said it is eyeing Pico and competing for Big C.
