Admission to AIM

VietNam Holding Limited 15 June 2006 VietNam Holding Limited ('VHH' or the 'Company') Admission to trading on AIM VietNam Holding Limited is pleased to announce that it has been admitted to trading on AIM, a market operated by the London Stock Exchange plc ('AIM'), and that its ordinary shares commenced trading today on AIM under the symbol 'VNH'. The Company has raised gross proceeds of $112.5 million in a placing of 56,250,000 ordinary shares at US$2.00 per share. Grant Thornton Corporate Finance is the Company's Nominated Adviser and LCF Edmond de Rothschild Securities Limited is the Company's Broker. About VietNam Holding Limited VNH is a newly incorporated closed-end Cayman Islands registered, exempted company created to invest principally in securities of former state-owned enterprises ('SOEs') in Vietnam prior to, at or after such securities become listed on the Vietnam Stock Exchange, including the initial privatization of the SOEs. The Company may also invest in the securities of private companies in Vietnam, whether Vietnamese or foreign owned, and the securities of foreign companies if a significant portion of their assets are held or operations conducted in Vietnam. The investment objective of the Company is to achieve long-term capital appreciation by investing in a diversified portfolio of companies that have high growth potential at an attractive valuation. The Investment Manager and the Investment Adviser Vietnam Holding Asset Management Limited ('VNHAM'), a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands, has been appointed as the Company's investment manager and is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Company's investment portfolio in accordance with the Company's investment policies, objectives and restrictions. VNHAM will establish offices in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and in Zurich. VNHAM has appointed quondam viet nam partners ltd as its investment adviser to provide it with investment advice and additional administrative services. To further supplement the local and international expertise of the VNHAM, an advisory council comprising prominent figures in Vietnam has been formed by VNHAM. Investment Policies and Restrictions The Company will adhere to the following investment policies and restrictions: • Geographical focus: VNH intends to focus its investments on companies operating in Vietnam. • Sector focus: The Company intends to invest in a range of industry sectors including consumer goods and pharmaceuticals, services, power and energy (primarily oil and gas), telecommunications; mining, tourism, financial services, logistics and transportation, construction and construction materials. The Company will pay particular attention to sectors it expects will be most affected by the impending accession of Vietnam to the World Trade Organization ('WTO'). • Type of investment: VNH intends to invest at least 70 per cent of its funds in former SOEs, up to 25 per cent. in private and foreign companies and no more than 20 per cent. in convertible securities. The Company may invest in equity securities or securities that have equity features, such as bonds that are convertible into equity. • Control of investments: Where VNH invests as a minority shareholder in an investee company, VNH will use commercially reasonable efforts to obtain for the Company suitable shareholder protection, for example by way of a shareholders' agreement or board representation, where available and appropriate. VNH will not generally take or seek to take legal or management control of any investee company; it will not invest in companies known to be subject to export restrictions or anti-dumping measures or that are known to be under investigation for the same; it will not be a real estate investor or invest in infrastructure projects with long pay-back periods. VNH will aim to apply international standard corporate governance principles in its investments. • Realization of investments: VNH aims to realize its investments using the advice of VNHAM, who will be responsible for the monitoring of the investments. • Investment size: VNH will adhere to the general principle of diversification in respect of all its assets and will observe certain investment restrictions which include that the Company will not invest more than 10 per cent. of its net asset value at the time of investment in the shares of a single investee company and not more than 30 per cent. of its net asset value at the time of investment in any one sector. Vietnam Vietnam is a country with a population of over 83 million and a land area of approximately 330,000 square kilometers bordered by Cambodia, Laos and China. It has a young population with more than half under the age of 25 and a high literacy rate of 96 per cent. The country's economy is growing rapidly, with 7.2 per cent. average GDP growth per annum over the past ten years, reaching 8.4 per cent. per annum growth in 2005 and projected by VNHAM to grow an average of 7.5 per cent. over the next three years. SOEs have traditionally played a leading role in Vietnam's economy. As at 31 December 2004, there were approximately 3,800 SOEs in Vietnam employing 2.2 million people in various industries. However, many SOEs suffer from inefficiency, outdated technology and equipment, uncompetitive products, poor management and an inability to respond to market forces in a timely manner. The government has instituted a reform programme for SOEs with the assistance of the World Bank and other foreign donors and the SOEs are being restructured, primarily through equitisation, which involves the issuance of new shares by the SOE or the sale by the Vietnamese government of an equity stake in the SOE to employees and other investors. The Vietnamese government has shown its commitment to equitisations, as demonstrated by recent legislation aimed at improving the transparency of the process and to better protect investors. In June 2005, the Vietnamese government named 178 SOEs which should in due course be listed on the Vietnam Stock Exchange. The Directors and VNHAM believe that there are attractive investment opportunities arising from the equitisation process that the Company is well placed to identify and to invest in. VNHAM expects the Vietnam Stock Exchange to undergo a significant expansion upon the listing of the former SOEs which could result in a substantial increase in liquidity. The Directors and VNHAM believe that the economic drivers of the country and the reforms in the securities laws have created and should continue to create a favorable investment environment with investment opportunities in both listed companies and unlisted companies based in, or with substantial assets in, Vietnam. In particular, the Directors and VNHAM consider that there are likely to be attractive investment opportunities generated by the partial privatization of SOEs. These opportunities will be an area of primary focus for the Company. The Directors and VNHAM believe that as a result of their focused and structured approach and combined experience and established contacts in Vietnam, the Company is well placed to take advantage of the investment opportunities in Vietnam and to provide its shareholders with long-term returns. In connection with the Company's AIM listing, Ms Min Hwa Hu Kupfer, the Chairperson of VNH, commented: 'This is a historically important period for Vietnam, as the country prepares its accession to the WTO. The announced wave of privatizations is expected to provide attractive investment opportunities for the global investment community. VNH is excited about being able to contribute to Vietnam's economic growth through its strategic investments.' Enquiries: Vietnam Holding Asset Management Limited Juerg Vontobel Tel: +41 44 213 6514 Grant Thornton Corporate Finance (Nominated Adviser) Philip Secrett Tel: +44 (20) 7383 5100 LCF Edmond de Rothschild Securities Limited (Broker) Claire Heathfield Tel: +44 (20) 7845 5960 This information is provided by RNS The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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