VinaCapital Ventures announced the appointment of Dr. Philipp Rosler, the former Vice Chancellor of Germany, as chairman of its advisory board, as well as its two latest investments in UrBox and Wee Digital.

The US-North Korea Summit in Hanoi has focused global attention on Vietnam and how it has transformed its economy from one of the most isolated in Southeast Asia to one of the world’s most vibrant, in just 30 years. Our Chief Economist Michael Kokalari highlights the dramatic benefits Vietnam has reaped from opening its economy in a balanced and considered way, and how the country could serve as a model for North Korea when it is ready to open itself up to the world.

VinaCapital and Kiwoom Asset Management have signed an MOU under which Kiwoom’s clients in Korea will be able to invest in Vietnam via VinaCapital products.

Vietnam’s economy continues to be strong: GDP growth is expected to be around 7%, inflation is under control, and the VND has been more stable than most regional peers. In 2019, external, rather than internal, factors are likely to have a bigger impact on Vietnam. We take a brief look at some of the key issues likely to affect Vietnam’s economy and stock market.

Vietnam’s currency has been more stable than most of its emerging market peers this year, but our Chief Economist Michael Kokalari thinks depreciation pressures will increase in 2019.

This year’s investor conference marks VinaCapital’s 15th anniversary. During that time, the company has invested more than USD4 billion in more than 100 companies and projects.

Over the past few months, the international business news media has published several articles about the “emerging market crisis” and the fear of “contagion” spreading from a handful of countries to other markets. Turkey, Argentina, Brazil and Pakistan, as well as some Southeast Asian countries, have all experienced significant economic and political challenges. As one of the larger frontier markets, Vietnam was unable to escape this broad sell-off. The fact is, however, that Vietnam is far better positioned than its frontier market peers across a range of key factors. We make the case that Vietnam’s strong macroeconomic and other factors justify our bullish outlook for the opportunities we continue to see in the market.

The new USD100 million venture holding company targets entrepreneurs with big ideas and helps them build companies that make a significant impact on the lives of people in Vietnam and beyond. Its first investments are Logivan and FastGo, two technology enabled startups providing solutions for the transportation and logistics markets in Vietnam.

VinaCapital has become a founding partner of Zone Startups Vietnam, an extension of Ryerson Futures’ successful startup accelerator programs in Canada and India.

The escalation of US-China trade tensions is weighing on Vietnam’s stock market, despite the country’s solid macroeconomic fundamentals and despite the fact that a protracted US-China trade war would benefit Vietnam by accelerating the move of manufacturing from China to Vietnam.