LAUSR

PurposeThis paper aims to investigate the effect of foreign ownership on cost of debt financing in an emerging stock market.Design/methodology/approachCost of debt is a function of foreign ownership. Control variables include state ownership, firm profitability, financial leverage, Tobin's Q, asset growth, firm size and asset tangibility. The research sample includes 3,263 observations from 405 firms listed in Vietnamese stock market during the period 2009–2017.FindingsThe authors find that foreign ownership negatively affects cost of debt and this effect is stronger in non-state-owned enterprises and financially constrained firms.Originality/valuePrior research shows that ownership structure is a key determinant of debt financing cost in many developed markets. This paper contributes to the literature of emerging market finance by showing that foreign ownership reduces cost of debt financing.