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☆ Sri Lanka travel visa costs doubled to $100 last month. The reason for the hike is disputed
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Erica Lamberg | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The cost to obtain a short-term visa to visit Sri Lanka rose from $50 to $100 in April. In response, VFS Global said, "Visa categories were introduced as per the directives of [Sri Lanka's] Department of Immigration and Emigration (DI&E)." Both parties agreed that 30-day travel visas priced at $50 had been reinstated as of May 7. But VFS Global's fees angered many in Sri Lanka's travel industry and led to allegations of corruption by Sri Lankan opposition leaders. "The government of Sri Lanka won't be charging, but the platform … will," he said.

Persons: Harin Fernando, VFS, scammers, Fernando, — Organizations: VFS, Sri, Harin, CNBC, of Immigration, E, Sri Lanka's Ministry of Public Security, VFS Global Locations: Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka's, Sri Lankan, India, China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Russia, Thailand

☆ Sri Lanka visa problem caused by a 'technical issue,' says tourism minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailSri Lanka visa problem caused by a 'technical issue,' says tourism ministerSri Lankan Tourism Minister Harin Fernando said 30-day visas, priced at $50. He said the visa was "missed" on VFS Global's website, after the company began processing e-visas for Sri Lanka on April 17, reports CNBC's Monica Pitrelli.

Persons: Tourism Minister Harin Fernando, CNBC's Monica Pitrelli Organizations: Sri, Tourism Minister Locations: Sri Lanka, Sri

☆ VinFast expects sales to founder's taxi venture to extend into 2024
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Phuong Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

In an interview, VinFast CEO Le Thi Thu Thuy said VinFast had not provided any financing to GSM. "For the next two quarters we still see GSM having demand for our vehicles, both EVs and e-scooters," Thuy said. A VinFast survey showed riders who had experienced a ride in a VinFast taxi operated by GSM were four times more likely to buy than customers who took standard test drives, she said. GSM launched Vietnam's first pure EV taxi service earlier this year. Thuy said no deliveries had been made to Autonomy yet, and that VinFast was "working on options for contract execution."

Persons: VinFast, Pham Nhat Vuong, Le, Thuy, Nguyen Van Thanh, Thanh, VinFast's, Phuong Nguyen, Raju Gopalakrishnan Organizations: Green SM, GSM, EV, Thomson Locations: HANOI, Vietnam, Laos, India, Indonesia, United States, U.S, Autonomy

☆ Vietnamese EV maker VinFast fails to cement meme stock status as eye-popping rally fades quickly
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Yun Li | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Frantic trading in VinFast has raised eyebrows, but it's still far from becoming a meme stock. After a head-scratching six-day winning streak, VinFast has lost 60% this week, cutting its gains since its market debut to about 170%. No meme stock VinFast's short-lived rally is reminiscent of the trading frenzy last year in AMTD Digital, a little-known Hong Kong-based fintech company, where the stock was up more than 20,000% in just two weeks. The stock is now trading at $5.60 apiece, nearly 30% lower than its initial public offering price of $7.80. The SPAC market dried up over the past year as interest rates surged and regulatory pressure ramped up.

Persons: VinFast, Marco Iachini, I'm, Iachini, Alex Harring Organizations: Ford, GM, Vanda Research, AMTD, GameStop, Nasdaq, Black Locations: VinFast, Hong Kong

☆ Veteran short-seller Jim Chanos calls soaring electric carmaker VinFast a '$200 billion meme stock'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Joseph Wilkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Vietnamese electric carmaker VinFast has seen its shares skyrocket since it went public on August 15. Its market capitalization now stands at over $190 billion – but some investors cannot hide their disbelief. Veteran short-seller Jim Chanos called the carmaker a "$200B meme-stock" in a post on X. Monday's close saw the market capitalization of the lossmaking EV firm hit an eye-watering $190 billion – more than Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler Stellantis combined. AdvertisementAdvertisementFor veteran short-seller Jim Chanos, however, the stock is being driven by a retail investor craze and little else.

Persons: Jim Chanos, Monday's, Drew Dickson, Dickson, VinFast, Le, Thuy Organizations: Service, Ford, General Motors, Chrysler Stellantis, Vanda Research, Bloomberg, Albert Bridge Capital, Toyota Locations: Wall, Silicon

☆ What's going on with VinFast stock? The electric vehicle SPAC has soared more than 800% since its debut and is worth more than Ford.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Matthew Fox | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

VinFast soared as much as 830% since it went public via a SPAC IPO earlier this month. The Vietnam-based electric vehicle maker released its cars on the US market earlier this year. The small float of available shares of VinFast could be the main factor behind the sharp stock rally. Vietnam-based VinFast has seen its stock soar as much as 830% since it went public via a SPAC IPO earlier this month. So why is VinFast stock so high?

Persons: it's, VinFast, MotorTrend, Faraday, Pham Nhat Vuong, Jim Chanos isn't Organizations: Service, Toyota, Ford, General Motors Locations: Vietnam, Wall, Silicon, VinFast's, VinFast

☆ VinFast stock soars again on Nasdaq as buzz over Vietnamese EV maker grows
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —Shares of VinFast, the Vietnamese electric vehicle maker that went public in a red-hot Wall Street debut last week, enjoyed another stunning rally again Tuesday. The strong market performance could make it easier for VinFast to raise more money from investors, a move CEO Thuy Le told CNN the company was considering. A similar story played out last week, when VinFast began trading on the Nasdaq. Public trading of VinFast (VFS) is based on razor-thin volumes — just 1% of the shares, which means price moves can be extremely volatile. On Tuesday, VinFast was one of the top trending companies and “most watched” stocks on Stocktwits, a social network for investors.

Persons: Thuy Le, VinFast, Pham Nhat Vuong, CNN’s Julia Chatterley, Le, “, ”, ” Le, Nhac Nguyen, Pham, CNN’s Livvy Doherty Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, CNN, Nasdaq, Volkswagen, Ford, Getty, Volkswagen Group Locations: Hong Kong, New York, lockup, Hanoi, AFP, North Carolina, Asia, United States

☆ Vietnam's EV firm skids for third session after debut boom
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Medha Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The loss-making company was last valued at $32.4 billion, compared to $85 billion in its Wall Street debut on Tuesday. With about 99% of the firm controlled by founder Pham Nhat Vuong, the small amount of publicly available shares makes the stock prone to volatility. Just $28 million worth of its shares had been traded by late morning, compared to $13 billion worth of shares in Tesla (TSLA.O), according to Refinitiv data. That may be a material overhang for VinFast shares for some time to come," Benowitz said. Shares of Vietnam's largest conglomerate and VinFast parent Vingroup (VIC.HM) closed down 7% in Ho Chi Minh trading.

Persons: Mike Blake, Pham Nhat Vuong, Jason Benowitz, Benowitz, Nikola, Medha Singh, Noel Randewich, Arun Koyyur Organizations: Los Angeles Auto, REUTERS, Nasdaq, U.S, Reuters, Roosevelt Investment Group, Faraday, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, Tesla, Vietnam, VinFast, Ho Chi, Bengaluru

☆ After stellar debut, Vietnamese EV maker VinFast drops for second straight session
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Medha Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The logo of VinFast is pictured at the 2022 Paris Auto Show in Paris, France October 17, 2022. VinFast had hit an eye-popping valuation of $85 billion on its first day of trading on Tuesday. Shares of other EV firms including Lucid (LCID.O) and Fisker (FSR.N) that listed through blank-check deals have also fallen since their debut. Meanwhile, its lofty valuation could be at risk as it looks to raise more capital over the next 18 months. Reporting by Medha Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur and Sriraj KalluvilaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stephane Mahe, Ford, Pham Nhat Vuong, Rick Meckler, VinFast, Meckler, Medha Singh, Arun Koyyur Organizations: REUTERS, General Motors, Nasdaq, Cherry Lane Investments, Spade, Asia Pacific's, VinFast's, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, New Jersey, Asia, Bengaluru

☆ Vietnam’s Tesla charges itself up for a big fall
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Anshuman Daga | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

VinFast (VFS.O) shares leapt 270% on Tuesday following the group’s $27 billion merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). It catapults the enterprise’s value to $90 billion, a grand outcome only possible because Vuong and related entities still own 99% of the Tesla (TSLA.O) wannabe. The pop values the unprofitable Vietnamese company at 142 times its sales in 2022, some 16 times Tesla’s multiple. VinFast has pushed back plans to operate its $4 billion plant in North Carolina by a year to 2025. Ultimately, VinFast is heavily reliant on Vuong who is betting big on electric vehicles.

Persons: Mike Blake, Pham Nhat Vuong, Rivian, VinFast, topline, David Mansfield, Reuters Breakingviews, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Los Angeles Auto, REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Tesla, Elon Musk’s, P Global Mobility, Nasdaq, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, North Carolina, Vingroup

Shares of dedicated EV maker VinFast, which merged with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Black Spade, surged on their Nasdaq debut on Tuesday. Other EV SPAC deals, including Lucid (LCID.O), which Black Spade used as the basis of its initial $23 billion valuation of VinFast, have seen their shares tumble after listing. Lucid is valued now at under $15 billion, nearly 40% less than its $24 billion SPAC valuation in 2021. Through the first seven months, it has sold over 16,000, including its sales in Vietnam. The Tesla Model Y is almost $7,000 cheaper than VinFast's VF8 after including federal subsidies.

Persons: Stephane Mahe, Black Spade, Pham Nhat Vuong, David Mansfield, Le, Thuy, VinFast, Vuong, Mansfield, AlixPartners, Tesla, Kevin Krolicki Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Nasdaq, Ford, General Motors, Tesla, VinFast, VinFast's, EV, U.S ., Thomson Locations: Paris, France, Rights HANOI, U.S . West Coast, Vietnam, United States, Haiphong, North Carolina, China

A few hours before its Nasdaq debut, VinFast more than doubled its value in premarket trading involving less than 4% of its shares. Nikola now commands a market value of $1.4 billion, versus $13.9 billion before listing while Lucid has a current market value of $15.5 billion, versus $24 billion during its 2021 SPAC deal. It is still unclear how many of the company shares will trade on Tuesday and at what price. VinFast's founder, Vietnam's richest man Pham Nhat Vuong, pledged $2.5 billion in April to bolster the EV maker, including $1 billion from his personal fortune. He is the beneficial owner of 99% of the ordinary shares of the EV maker after the merger.

Persons: Mike Blake, Black Spade, Nikola Corp, Nikola, Lucid, Rivian, Pham Nhat Vuong, VinFast, Phuong Nguyen, Yantoultra, Jaiveer Singh, Francesco Guarascio Organizations: Los Angeles Auto, REUTERS, Nasdaq, Nikola, Tesla Inc, Rivian Automotive Inc, VinFast, P Global Mobility, Investors, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, HANOI, Dealogic, North Carolina, Vietnam, United States

☆ Vietnamese EV maker VinFast gets go ahead for Nasdaq SPAC listing
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Phuong Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Shareholders of Hong Kong-based Black Spade Acquisition (BSAQ.A), a blank-check company, voted on Thursday to approve the merger with VinFast. VinFast, in a joint statement with Black Spade, said it would list on the Nasdaq under the ticker symbol VFS "on or around August 15". It leaves VinFast's existing shareholders, including parent company Vingroup and Vuong, Vietnam's richest man, with 99% of shares in the company. "The voting results today are a vote of confidence in VinFast from Black Spade shareholders," VinFast's global head Thuy Le said in the statement. Black Spade was founded by the private investment arm of Lawrence Ho, son of the late gambling mogul Stanley Ho.

Persons: Mike Blake, VinFast, Black Spade, Pham Nhat Vuong, Thuy Le, Nikola Corp, EVs, VinFast's, Vuong, Lawrence Ho, Stanley Ho, Phuong Nguyen, Kirsten Donovan, Susan Fenton Organizations: Los Angeles Auto, REUTERS, U.S, Nasdaq, of Hong, VinFast, Black, Black Spade, Faraday, Nikola, Vingroup, Tesla, Thomson Locations: Los Angeles , California, U.S, HANOI, of Hong Kong, VinFast, North Carolina, Black, United States, Haiphong, Vietnam

☆ Vietnam EV maker VinFast to list in U.S. via a SPAC
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Vietnamese electric automaker VinFast said on Friday it will list in the United States via a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Black Spade Acquisition Co . The company has said it has almost 55,000 orders globally and is able to churn out 300,000 EVs per year. Black Spade Acquisition is a Hong Kong-based SPAC which listed on the NYSE in July 2021 with a plan to merge, within two years, with a company ideally in the entertainment business, according to its website. It was founded by Black Spade Capital Limited, the private investment arm of Lawrence Ho, the head of Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd, which operates casinos in Macau and the Philippines, according to the company's website and Refinitiv. "The partnership with Black Spade and listing of VinFast in the U.S. represents the perfect capital raising avenue for our future global ambitions," Thuy Le, VinFast's global chief executive, said.

SINGAPORE/HANOI, March 17 (Reuters) - Asian real estate giant CapitaLand Group is in talks to acquire assets worth roughly $1.5 billion from Vietnam's biggest listed property firm Vinhomes JSC (VHM.HM), two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. A deal of that size would mark one of the largest real estate transactions in Southeast Asia in the last few years. The talks come as Vietnam's property sector is struggling with a cash crunch following an anti-graft campaign launched by the government last year. Vinhomes, Vietnam's biggest real estate developer by market capitalization, is part of Vingroup (VIC.HM), the country's largest conglomerate. Shares of Vinhomes have lost 10% so far this year, after tumbling 40% in 2022 as the property crisis deepened.

☆ EV startup Vinfast to cut U.S. jobs amid restructuring
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-06 | by ( Phuong Nguyen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Vietnamese company, a subsidiary of conglomerate Vingroup JSC (VIC.HM), has been moving to expand in the United States, where it hopes to compete with existing automakers. A VinFast spokesperson said headcount would not shrink in Vietnam where most of the company's staff, including its factory and engineering operations, are located. It was not immediately clear how many jobs would be affected by the U.S. restructuring. VinFast said it had hired about 150 people in the United States, many in sales, support and distribution roles as part of a model that bypasses traditional dealerships. VinFast vehicles are not eligible for the $7,500 tax credit in the United States because they are not built in North America.

☆ EV maker Vinfast files for U.S. IPO
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 6 (Reuters) - Vietnam-based electric-vehicle maker VinFast said on Tuesday it has filed for an initial public offering in the United States and plans to list its ordinary shares on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol "VFS". While no time frame was specified on Tuesday for the offering, the IPO was initially slated for the fourth quarter of this year, the company had previously said. The company's parent, Vingroup conglomerate, said in May that the IPO maybe delayed to 2023 due to market uncertainty. In April, VinFast's Singapore-based holding company filed for a confidential IPO with U.S. securities regulators, as it readied a $4-billion investment to build a factory in the United States. Reporting by Eva Mathews in Bengaluru and Phuong Nguyen in Hanoi; Editing by Shounak DasguptaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Vietnamese EV maker VinFast files to go public in the U.S.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( John Rosevear | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The VF-8 electric vehicle from VinFast, a Vietnamese automaker producing electric cars and SUV's, is on display at their showroom in Santa Monica, California, on July 18, 2022. Vietnamese EV maker VinFast is going public in the U.S.VinFast on Tuesday said it has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the first formal step toward a public offering next year. The company in March announced plans for a $2 billion factory in North Carolina and hopes to deliver its first vehicles to American customers by year-end. It's now focused entirely on electric vehicles – production of its last internal-combustion model ended in early November. Founded in 2017, VinFast is a unit of Vingroup, Vietnam's largest conglomerate, which has interests in real estate development and education as well as a number of technology businesses.

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