You were in Vietnam recently. What is your assessment?
Marc Faber : There are a lot of bad loans in the banking system, and the stock market has
fallen 70% from the highs. But exports are strong, and the people are
hard-working. There is a 35-kilometer stretch of beach between Danang and Hoi An
that will be a huge resort area in the future. It is only an hour and 10 minutes
by plane from Hong Kong, and two hours from Singapore. A Park Hyatt resort in
the area has been selling villas and condos, and almost all have been bought by
Vietnamese. I visited during a holiday, and 90% of the people on the beach were
Vietnamese. One man even brought his Lamborghini.
You can find companies in Vietnam with yields of 5% to 7%. I like
Military Commercial Bank [MBB.Vietnam], and I'm overweight
Vietnam Dairy Products [VNM.Vietnam]. It is a dominant force in
the diary-foods industry and has been growing by about 20% a year for the past
10 years. It could keep growing by 10% to 15% per annum, and the valuation is
low. Sooner or later, it will be acquired. - in Barron's
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