After a period of hot growth, Vietnam's economy is entering a "post-growth" period - where businesses must restructure, optimize efficiency and find new motivation for sustainable development. In that context, M&A (business mergers and acquisitions) is becoming an important strategic tool, not only helping businesses expand their scale but also creating leverage for business model innovation.

According to data from investment consulting organizations, the value and number of M&A deals in Vietnam, although slowing down in the period 2023–2024, are expected to recover strongly. strongly from 2025 when foreign investment flows return and policies to support the capital market and corporate restructuring are implemented.implementation.

Outstanding trends in the period 2025–2030

a. The wave of domestic M&A is increasing sharply: Large domestic corporations are actively expanding the value chain through acquiring small businesses or projects that are facing difficulties. This is evident in sectors such as retail, food production, energy, logistics and industrial real estate.

b. Cross-border M&A returns: After a period of disruption due to the epidemic and geopolitical fluctuations, Japanese, Korean, Singaporean and Thai investors continue to see Vietnam as an attractive destination. Cross-border M&A deals not only bring capital but also technology, management and expertiseg international distribution network.

c. Focus on "green" businesses and digital transformation: Upcoming deals are expected to focus heavily on renewable energy, green finance, sustainable production and digital technology. Meeting ESG (Environment - Society - Governance) standards is becoming a key factor in the M&A strategies of many international corporations when investing in Vietnam.

d. M&A as a financial restructuring tool: Many businesses are considering M&A as a way to resolve debt pressure, share risks or find strategic partners to maintain operations. In particular, in a context where the capital market is not yet uniformly developed, M&A becomes an effective channel to mobilize capital.resources.

Opportunities and challenges for Vietnamese businesses

The biggest opportunities come from M&A to help businesses quickly expand market share, access new technology, and improve management capacity. However, the challenges are not small: business valuation is not accurate, financial transparency is limited, and differences in management culture can easily lead to post-merger failure.

In addition, the legal corridor for M&A in Vietnam is gradually improving but is still complicated, especially for deals with foreign elements. This requires businesses to carefully prepare legal documents, financial reports and long-term cooperation strategies.

Orientationo the coming period

From 2025 onwards, M&A in Vietnam will not only be a "game of people with money", but a game of people with vision and strategy. Businesses need to proactively:

• Review and standardize financial and legal reports.
• Build a long-term M&A strategy associated with sustainable development goals.
• Cooperate with a professional M&A consulting unit for support in appraisal, valuation and effective negotiation results.

M&A is entering a new period of transformation in Vietnam - where value lies not only in the deal, but in the strategic vision and integration ability. With proper preparation and orientationCorrectly, Vietnamese businesses can fully take advantage of the M&A wave to rise strongly in the post-growth period, affirming their position in the regional market.