Vietnam’s Masan High-Tech Materials (MHT) and Japan's Mitsubishi Materials Corporation (MMC) have signed a commitment contract to establish a strategic alliance to develop a leading high-tech tungsten material platform.

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide’s official visit to Vietnam some days ago caught attention from international investors.

Under the commitment, Mitsubishi Materials Corporation will register to buy 110 million ordinary shares to be issued privately with total cash value of $90 million, or 10 percent of MHT shares.

After the share issuance is completed, MMC will hold 10 percent of fully diluted shares of MHT, becoming the second largest shareholder. The two sides will discuss the development of an independent business unit to promote and strengthen synergies for each side's nearly-deep processing tungsten basis.

This is more evidence of the ongoing cash flow from Japan to Vietnam following Vietnam’s impressive achievements and its rising position in the world with the possibility of becoming an important destination for global capital flow.

Japanese Prime Minister Suga Yoshihide’s official visit to Vietnam days ago caught attention from international investors. This was his first overseas trip since taking office.

The World Bank said that Vietnam now enjoys unprecedented advantages following impressive results in the fight against Covid-19. Vietnam is the only economy in the top 5 economies in ASEAN which has maintained a positive GDP growth rate in the context of Covid-19.

Japanese investment capital is now flowing to Vietnam not only through FDI, but also through portfolio investment. More and more Japanese corporations are buying into Vietnam’s enterprises.

JX Nippon Oil & Energy Vietnam, of ENEOS Corporation, last September wrapped up a deal to buy 13 million shares of Petrolimex to raise its ownership ratio to 9 percent. Prior to that, in 2016, it spent VND4 trillion to acquire 8 percent of Petrolimex shares.

Capital keeps flowing not only from Japan, but also from other countries, and the investments are going to business fields which had never received foreign investment.

Masan Resources (MSR) of billionaire Nguyen Dang Quang in September 2019 reported that Masan Tungsten (MTC), a subsidiary where MSR held 100 percent of capital, signed a contract on buying the tungsten basis owned by H.C. Starck GmbH, headquartered in Germany.

The predecessor of Masan High-tech Materials is Masan Resources, a business operating in the field of mineral exploitation.

Masan Horizon Corp held 96 percent of Masan High-tech Materials. As such, after the private share issuance to the Japanese partner, Masan’s ownership ratio in Masan High-Tech Materials fell to 86.4 percent. 

M. Ha

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