Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A)activities have become a more important part in the business culture inVietnam and will continue bustling in the future, said an economist ofthe world-renowned finance consultant PriceWaterhouseCooper.

The remarks were made by Stephen Gakill, an M&A expert, at aninternational workshop entitled “M&A in the context of globalintegration and economic recession” on July 20 in Ho Chi Minh City .

Vietnam is considered to lead the Asia-Pacific region in thegrowth rate of M&A deals. The first M&A deal in Vietnam was in2000. In 2007, the number of successful M&A deals hit 113 with thetotal value hovering around 1.8 billion USD.

Although the total value of the 146 deals registered in 2008 onlytopped 1 billion USD, a 40 percent drop from 2007, it was stillconsidered an encouraging development against the backdrop of theglobal economic crisis.

According to international experts at the workshop, more and moreenterprises are looking to M&A as a solution to avoid the threat ofclosure or bankruptcy in the post-crisis period.

The Government of Vietnam encourages and facilitates investmentactivities through M&A transactions, said Vo Thanh Bien, ViceMinister of Industry and Trade. However, he added, deals of this kindshould be kept under state supervision in order to ensure efficiencyand fairness.

The workshop, co-organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and theMinistry of Industry and Trade, drew the participation of more than 200local and foreign enterprises as well as experts from the US TradeCommission, the Japan Fair Trade Commission, the European Chamber ofCommerce and PriceWaterhouseCooper.

The workshop is expected to help boost local investment as well as draw more foreign capital to the country./.