Vietnam’s frontier fund managers

Vietnam’s first flirtation with western fund management ended in an embarrassing exit for all but the die-hard few. Now that money is queuing to get in again, those who stuck it out through the downturn advise caution. Chris Leahy reports.

FUND MANAGERS GREETED Vietnam’s arrival on the investment scene 10 years ago with substantial commitments of capital and massive optimism. Within a few years, the optimism had disappeared, along with the managers and most of the capital. Chris Freund, managing director of private equity fund Mekong Capital, based in Saigon, has more cause than most to remember the mass exodus. “I opened the Templeton office here in 1994 and closed it in 1998,” he says.

Thanks for your interest in Euromoney!
To unlock this article: