As in other jurisdictions, the acquisition of a business in Hong Kong may be structured either as a sale of shares or as a sale of assets (or a combination of the two). Particularly, the buyer may purchase the shares in the company operating the business from its shareholders or purchase the assets of the business directly from that company.
Auction processes are quite common in Hong Kong. They often involve a two-stage bid process, using nonbinding bid letters at the indicative offer stage and binding bid letters at the final offer stage.
Broadly defined, a merger involves the absorption of one company (that ceases to exist) into another that retains its own identity and acquires the assets and liabilities of the former. Hong Kong provides for a simple, court-free amalgamation procedure for effecting the merger of Hong Kong companies as long as the companies are sister companies or parents-subsidiaries and the statutory requirements can be satisfied. Complex amalgamations may be effected through a court-sanctioned scheme of the arrangement, though this is rarely used in practice. The court-free amalgamation procedure was introduced in March 2014 and the authorities have since provided guidance on the treatment of key elements, such as tax and employees. Where the legal position is unclear(e.g., whether employees transfer automatically), a more conservative approach is recommended. The economic results of a merger can also be achieved through:
− transfer of one company's business assets to another company, followed by liquidation or disposal of the transferor company;
− establishment of a new company that acquires the assets of two or more entities, which, following the transfer of assets, are liquidated or disposed of; or
− transfer of one company's (Company A) shares to another company(Company B), followed by liquidation of Company A and distribution of its assets in their present form to company B.
The contents of shared books and materials express the authors' point of view, not FDVN Lawyers'. We back up and store them for academic and non-commercial purposes. We object to using these books and materials for commercial purposes.
Link for download: Global Private M&A Guide - Baker Mckenzie
CONTACT US:
Lawyers in Da Nang:
99 Nguyen Huu Tho, Quan Hai Chau, Da Nang city
Lawyers in Hue:
56A Dien Bien Phu, Hue City, Thua Thien Hue
Lawyers in Phu Quoc:
65 Hung Vuong, Duong Dong town, Phu Quoc island district
Lawyers in Quang Ngai:
359 Nguyen Du, Quang Ngai City, Quang Ngai Province.
Lawyers in Ha Noi
Room 501, 5th Floor, No. 11, Lane No. 183, Dang Tien Dong Street, Dong Da District, Ha Noi
Lawyers in Nghe An
No. 19 V.I Lenin street, Vinh City, Nghe An Province
Website: www.fdvn.vn www.fdvnlawfirm.vn www.diendanngheluat.vn www.tuvanphapluatdanang.com
Email: fdvnlawfirm@gmail.com luatsulecao@gmail.com
Phone: 0935 643 666 – 0906 499 446
Fanpage LUẬT SƯ FDVN: https://www.facebook.com/fdvnlawfirm/
Legal Service For Expat: https://www.facebook.com/fdvnlawfirmvietnam/
TỦ SÁCH NGHỀ LUẬT: https://www.facebook.com/SayMeNgheLuat/
DIỄN ĐÀN NGHỀ LUẬT: https://www.facebook.com/groups/saymengheluat/
Other Articles
- ACADEMIC LEGAL WRITING: LAW REVIEW ARTICLES, STUDENT NOTES, SEMINAR PAPERS, AND GETTING ON LAW REVIEW BY EUGENE VOLOKH
- THE CONTRACT COMPASS BASIS PRINCIPLES FOR DRAFTING AND READING EVERY AGREEMENT BY HERMAN, HENRY & DOMINIC
- CÔNG VĂN 7751/BNG-LS CỦA BỘ NGOẠI GIAO NGÀY 03 THÁNG 09 NĂM 2026 VỀ VIỆC TRIỂN KHAI THỰC HIỆN CÔNG ƯỚC APOSTILLE
- PRIVATE M&A NEGOTIATION A PRACTITIONER'S COMPANION TO THE SHARE PURCHASE, SUBSCRIPTION & SHAREHOLDER'S AGREEMENT BY HERMAN, HENRY & DOMINIC
- LITIGATION IN TWO WORLDS CIVIL AND CORMMERCIAL COURT PROCEDURE IN VIETNAM AND THE UNITED STATES: A PRACTITIONER'S COMPARATIVE GUIDE BY HERMAN, HENRY & DOMINIC
- HƯỚNG DẪN THỰC HIỆN LUẬT THƯƠNG MẠI ĐIỆN TỬ VÀ NGHỊ ĐỊNH 248/2026/NĐ-CP
- THE M&A DICTIONARY BY HERMAN, HENRY & DOMINIC
- THE CAMBRIDGE HANDBOOK OF PRIVATE LAW AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE EDITED BY ERNEST LIM AND PHILLIP MORGAN
- ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY EDITED BY JYH-AN LEE, RETO M HILTY, AND KUNG-CHUNG LIU
- ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE LAW CYBERCRIME AND CRIMINAL LIABILITY EDITED BY DENNIS J. BAKER AND PAUL H. ROBINSON
- ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN LEGAL SYSTEMS (BRIDGING LAW AND TECHNOLOGY THROUGH AI) EDITED BY ERIONA CELA, NARASIMHA RAO VAJJHALA AND BEHROUZ ASLANI
- NGHỊ ĐỊNH 342/2026/NĐ-CP QUY ĐỊNH CHI TIẾT LUẬT THƯƠNG MẠI VÀ LUẬT QUẢN LÝ NGOẠI THƯƠNG VỀ HOẠT ĐỘNG MUA BÁN HÀNG HOÁ VÀ HOẠT ĐỘNG LIÊN QUAN TRỰC TIẾP ĐẾN MUA BÁN HÀNG HOÁ CỦA NHÀ ĐẦU TƯ NƯỚC NGOÀI, TỔ CHỨC KINH TẾ CÓ VỐN ĐẦU TƯ NƯỚC NGOÀI TẠI VIỆT NAM
- THE LAW OF INTERNATIONAL LAWYERS BY WOUTER WERNER, MARIEKE DE HOON AND ALEXIS GALÁN
- ABSOLUTE LEGAL ENGLISH BY HELEN CALLANAN AND LYNDA EDWARDS
- THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF LEGAL STUDIES EDITED BY PETER CANE AND MARK TUSHNET
- DUE DILIGENCE IN THE INTERNATIONAL LEGAL ORDER EDITED BY HEIKE KRIEGER, ANNE PETERS AND LEONHARD KREUZER
.jpg)



