Private equity funds in Vietnam are proving themselves invaluable as more of the country’s state-owned enterprises are privatised. Peter Janssen reports.

Vietnam’s banks are pushing into retail, buoyed by a young and growing population. How will competition between new, tech-savvy private lenders and the big four public sector banks play out? Peter Janssen reports.

Having narrowly survived a financial crisis in 2011, Vietnam is rolling out reforms to tackle low capitalisation and high numbers of NPLs. But given that the country has yet to implement Basel II, will these reforms still leave the country's lenders playing catch-up? Stefania Palma reports.

Vietnam is on its way to becoming a heavyweight presence in south-east Asia, with the top ranking for asset growth, while Indonesia retains its crown as the most profitable country in the region.  

There might not be much movement among the top positions in this year’s Top 100 Association of South-East Asian Nations Banks ranking, but Filipino lenders are on the rise, while Indonesia’s banks boast the highest returns. 

Already on the way to recovery after a crisis in 2012, Vietnam’s banks now face further challenges in the shape of the increased competition that integration of the Asean Economic Community will bring about.

Vietnam’s third trip to the international bond markets in a decade became one of the most oversubscribed Asian bond offerings ever.