Vietnam National Shipping Lines will begin writing a new chapter in its history when it goes ahead with its long-mooted initial public offering on 5 September.

The state-owned shipowner — better known as Vinalines — hopes to raise VND 4.89trn ($210m) when it releases a 34.8% stake to private investors.

Vinalines has featured prominently in the pages of shipping and business publications for the past decade due to the financial problems caused by badly timed investments and financial mismanagement before the 2008 financial crisis that brought it to the brink of bankruptcy.