Vietnam Business Investment Forum

The Inclusive Business Investment Forum, jointly organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Ministry of Planning and Investment of Vietnam (MPI), and SNV the Netherlands Development Organisation, was the first forum of its kind to be held in Ho Chi Minh City on April 1st 2011.

The event promoted fruitful exchange between companies interested in Inclusive Business and potential financial institutions and proposed initial seed funds for Inclusive Investment in Vietnam. A feasibility study conducted by ADB, MPI and SNV proposed ADB as the initial investor for this fund with US$20 million. The study also determined the need for US$5-6 million in regional technical assistance to facilitate Inclusive Businesses in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Philippines and Vietnam.

This Forum analyzed other key findings of this study including possible investment opportunities and highlighted that some 70 companies are already involved in Inclusive Business in Vietnam and approximately 16 investors could be interested in debt or equity investments in this Inclusive Investment Fund.

The Vietnamese Government backs the IB approach as a poverty reduction strategy and expects to broaden these initiatives in the country through private sector involvement.

Among others, the forum participants were officials from the Ministry of Planning and Investment; the Vietnam Business Council for Sustainable Development (VBCSD) Asia; along with development and business organizations.