VIETNAMESE CONGLOMERATE SEEKS M'SIAN PARTNERS

From Zuhafizah Ahmad Zaki

HO CHI MINH CITY, Nov 1 (Bernama) -- Vietnamese conglomerate Bitexco Group is
looking for Malaysian investors who are keen on taking part in the growth of the
easternmost country on the Indochinese peninsula.

Areas for collaboration would include real estate, construction and
infrastructure under the government's public-private partnership model, said Bitexco
Chairman Vu Quang Hoi.

"We're ready to have joint ventures with foreign investors to develop our
country whose economy is very active and fast growing.

"So far, we don't have any joint ventures with Malaysian companies but we will
welcome any of them to become Bitexco Group's international partners," he told
Bernama here.

Vietnam has a population of 80 million and 70 per cent of them are of working age.

Hoi said the Bitexco Financial Tower (BFT) on Nguyen Hue Street, the tallest
building in Vietnam, offers suitable and secure office space to foreign
investors including leading multinational corporations, intending to expand into
the country and the region.

"The supply of international-standard office space here is very low and now, BFT
hopes to meet this growing demand for grade A facilities," he said.

Over 40 per cent of the space in BFT is currently under negotiation and the
strong level of interest in the project is epitomised by Regus, the world's
largest provider of workplace solutions.

With its inauguration ceremony last night, the 262-metre high 68-storey BFT has
now become an architectural icon on the skyline of Ho Chi Minh City and also a
symbol of Vietnam's growth.
-- BERNAMA