Vietnam has hung a light out for factory investment in Asia. The Southeast Asian country keeps costs and entry barriers low for foreign ventures. But another aspect of investment compares more to power outages: on, off, on again and now off once more. Officials have considered since 2013 opening many of Vietnam’s 865 listed companies to majority ownership by foreign portfolio investors but still haven’t powered up and now people with the capital are wondering why. The old foreign investment limits stop at 49%, a vestige of Communist Vietnam’s fear that foreigners would take control of plum enterprises.
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