The Vietnam M&A Forum 2020 took place in the new normal while Vietnam, as part of the global economy, is trying to shake off the blow from the coronavirus
pandemic and make the most of the new investment trends of the region and the world at large. Nevertheless, unlike most other economies, the outlook for the
Vietnamese economy remains quite positive thanks to the country’s efforts to take drastic measures to reform the domestic investment and business climate, effectively curb the pandemic, and potentially benefit from a noticeable shift in foreign investment flows.

Experts have high hopes for an upsurge in the scale and value of M&A deals in the Vietnamese market in the coming time. This expectation seems to be very much in line with the forecasts of many domestic and foreign organisations as Vietnam is one of the rare bright spots on the radars of international investors.

In November 2019, BIDV signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Hana Bank - the foreign strategic shareholder who owns 15 percent of BIDV’s charter capital. Particularly, BIDV issued over 603.3 million shares as a private placement to Hana Bank with a total value of nearly VND20,300 billion (USD875 million). This is the biggest M&A deal with a strategic investor in Vietnam's banking industry. Hana Bank's large investment in Vietnam is a clear testament to the optimism and confidence in the stability and development potential of Vietnam's economy and the finance and banking industry in general and BIDV in particular.