The IPO dilemma for Vietnam’s four tech unicorns

[HO CHI MINH CITY] An initial public offering (IPO) is music to the ears for both entrepreneurs and investors. They seek to reap rewards from their early bets on innovative businesses or tap a larger capital pool to drive growth.

Over in Vietnam, the tech community is still waiting for the first major local IPO of one of its home-grown startups to inspire more founders and venture capitalists who have mostly deployed their exit via trade sales.

The hopes largely rest on the South-east Asian country’s four tech unicorns – startups valued at over US$1 billion – with many investors hoping that one or more of them can do something about the dearth of tech listings on local bourses.