Participants benefited from the program that is aimed at imparting clear understanding of the requirements, processes and benefits of listing on Bursa Malaysia, Malaysia's stock exchange.

"Bursa Malaysia is proud to collaborate with the State Securities Commission of Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh Securities Trading Center and Hanoi Securities Trading Center in presenting an unparalleled opportunity for Vietnamese companies to list on Bursa Malaysia. In today's era of diversification and globalization of financial markets, our collaboration will seek to fulfill the needs of Vietnamese businesses as they look to internationalize and broaden their investor reach," said Yusli Mohamed Yusoff, Chief Executive Officer of Bursa Malaysia.

Bursa Malaysia offers a clear advantage in that it offers one of the lowest listing fees in the region. Companies listed on Bursa Malaysia are able to tap funds from many sources both locally within Malaysia and internationally, especially from the burgeoning Middle East. Furthermore, Bursa Malaysia's wealth of experience in international corporate governance and disclosure standards, excellent technology and trading platform, and a full range of exchange related products on equities, derivatives and offshore markets will certainly bode well for Vietnamese companies who are looking for a quality driven listing destination.

As part of its intent to enhance the ASEAN securities market's attractiveness, Bursa Malaysia has forged avenues for close cooperation between exchanges in the region. This has been demonstrated by the signing of Memorandums of Understanding with both the Hanoi Securities Trading Centre and Ho Chi Minh City Securities Trading Center to foster closer cooperative ties that will mutually benefit both countries. Bursa Malaysia has committed to working with all parties in a wide range of programs, which include helping Vietnamese companies on cross-border listings, technology collaboration, training on corporate governance, listing rules and accounting standards, amongst others.

"All these efforts will pave the way for Vietnam to tap on Malaysia's capital markets as an additional channel to connect with global investors, especially from the Middle East. As a well-managed pro-business marketplace, Malaysia is particularly appealing to international companies seeking an offshore listing. Malaysia has the necessary expertise to help companies from both mature as well as emerging markets meet their capital-raising needs," continued Yusli.

Bursa Malaysia is offering a waiver of listing fees for the first 10 Vietnamese companies to be listed on Bursa Malaysia. In addition, these 10 companies will be included at no cost in the CMDF- Bursa Research Scheme, where independent reports prepared by globally recognized research houses are made available for free on the Bursa Malaysia website. These reports are regularly accessed and analysed by a substantial number of foreign retail and institutional investors.