VietNamNet Bridge - ANA Holdings, which operates All Nippon Airways (ANA), is seeking to purchase a strategic stake of Vietnam Airlines.

ANA Holdings may become Vietnam Airlines' strategic shareholder.

ANA Holdings told Financial Times that it intended to invest in a Southeast Asian airline after raising $1.4 billion from issuing stocks in 2012. This is part of its international and regional development strategy. However, its discussion with many airlines was not successful. Last year, ANA Holdings canceled the plan to buy 49% stake in Asian Wings Airways of Myanmar with $25 million.

Vietnam could be an attractive market for ANA. Many Japanese firms have been actively investing in this market, given the need to reduce dependence on China. Direct investment by Japanese companies in Vietnam tripled to $9 billion in the 2011-2014 period, compared to four years earlier, according to the Japanese Trade Promotion Organization (JETRO).

ANA may have many opportunities as the Vietnamese Government is seeking a strategic partner for Vietnam Airlines after the carrier sold a 5% stake to investors in the IPO last year. A source said that Vietnam wanted to sell an additional 20% of shares to a partner.

At the meeting with the Minister of Transport in late September, Vietnam Airline Chairman Pham Viet Thanh said the corporation was negotiating with a big Japanese investor.

At the first shareholders' meeting in March 2015, Vietnam Airlines announced that it would release more than 282 million individual shares (equivalent to 20% of charter capital) to no more than three strategic investors (airlines or financial investors). 

The selling prices for strategic investors shall be determined on the basis of commitments of strategic investors, but not less than VND22,300 per share. At this price, Vietnam Airlines can raise nearly VND6,300 billion from the issuance for expanding its fleet. 

In related news, the Vietnam Tobacco Corporation (Vinataba) has transferred the entire 29% stake in Sapporo Vietnam (SVL) to Sapporo International Inc. (Japan).

After the deal, SVL has officially become a 100% Japanese owned firm. The value of this deal was not disclosed but according to Nikkei, Sapporo International spent $8.28 million to buy these shares.

According Vinataba, the divestment is to implement the Vietnamese government’s policy on the disinvestment of state-owned groups from non-core businesses.

Sapporo is the oldest beer brand in Japan, which started in 1876 and is now available in 40 countries around the world. Sapporo Vietnam Ltd., a joint venture between Vinataba and Sapporo Holdings was founded in 2010, with a factory in Long An province, which has a designed capacity of 150 million liters of beer/year. Along with the domestic market, Sapporo Premium beer produced in Vietnam is exported to 12 countries worldwide.

VNE/DT