There were 19 corporate bond issuance in May worth VND 16,695 billion or US$656.5 million according to data compiled by the Vietnam Bond Market Association. This brings the total value of corporate bonds issued to VND 59,910 or US$2.36 billion since January. Almost half way through the year, this is just 17.68 percent of the VND 338.9 trillion or US$13.3 billion worth of bonds issued in 2023.
Of note, bond market reforms issued at the end of 2022 resulted in the bond market freezing up with issuances reduced to a trickle. These reforms were then put on hold in March of 2023 and the bond market bounced back. They did, however, come to an end at the end of the year and subsequently a renewed fall in bond issuances is playing out.
Though industry bodies, in real estate in particular, have suggested these regulations should be postponed again, there does not seem to be much appetite for postponement among key decision makers. In fairness, in the context of the multitude of bond fraud cases that have surfaced in the last year, the decision to leave things as they are does seem prudent.