Edelman has expanded its presence overseas with two acquisitions.

The firm is taking its first steps into the Vietnamese market with the purchase of AVC Communications. Once the firm has government approval, the new company will be known as AVC Edelman.

AVC Communications was founded in 2000 and has a staff of 35 focused on various industries (healthcare, technology, and consumer electronics among them) across PR, public affairs, and digital services.

According to the press release announcing the purchase, Vietnam has the 13th largest population in the world and a GDP that has tripled over the past 10 years, with five or six percent growth expected in 2012.

Edelman has also acquired K Comms GmbH in Zurich, Switzerland. The CEO of K Comms, Alexander Fink, will now be head of Edelman Schweiz, head of the corporate practice for the Germany, Switzerland, and Austria region, a member of the German management team, and deputy MD for the EMEA region. Edelman Schweiz has seven staffers and a partnership with FTC Communication in Lausanne. The K Comms LinkedIn page also says the firm was the Swiss partner for Ketchum Pleon. According to an Edelman spokesperson, that “is no longer the case.”

Robert Phillips, president and CEO of Edelman EMEA says Switzerland is of strategic importance to the firm, housing the global HQs of many clients.