Leading Partners

Foreign desks in Vietnam

Clifford Chance

Clifford Chance’s Vietnam focus group, operating principally from the firm’s Singapore office, offers considerable combined experience in structuring and implementing transactions in the country. The practice has a well-established relationship with leading local law firm, VILAF, as well as with Vietnamese local authorities, including MOF and MOJ. The group is jointly led by finance partner Fergus Evans, specialising in banking, asset finance, and leasing matters, and projects practice co-head Ross Howard, with expertise advising sponsors and lenders in relation to the financing of large-scale energy and infrastructure projects. Tokyo-based projects lawyer Hans Menski works closely with practitioners at VILAF to advise clients on their Vietnamese investments. Valerie Kong, managing partners of the firm’s Singapore office and member of the Asia Pacific Leadership Group, regularly handles high-profile M&A deals involving companies based in Vietnam.

Responsables de la pratique:

Fergus Evans; Ross Howard


Autres avocats clés:

Hans Menski; Valerie Kong


Principaux clients

PT Medco Energi Internasional Tbk


ACEN


Principaux dossiers


  • Advised Medco Energi on the disposal of its interest in Sinphuhorm Gas field in Thailand to Jadestone Energy, and Block 12W in Vietnam to Bitexco Energy as part of its assets optimisation programme.
  • Advised the Ayala Group’s listed energy platform ACEN Corporation, through ACEN Renewables International Pte. Ltd. and ACEN International, Inc., on the international aspects of its partnership with and investment into renewable energy producer BrightNight’s India platform.

Linklaters

Linklaters’s Vietnam desk, led by Philip Badge, Amit Singh, Wanwisar Nakarat, and Ying Fu, combines local knowledge with international experience and leverages the firm’s integrated alliance with Australian law firm Allens, with offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, to advise clients operating in Vietnam in relation to international and Vietnamese legal issues. The team specialises in assisting corporations looking to expand into Vietnam in the projects and energy sector and makes use of strong working relationships with key ECA, DFIs, and commercial banks to advise on project financing. Badge, who leads the firm’s banking offering in Asia, and Singh, a capital markets expert leading operations in South and Southeast Asia, are both based in Singapore. Project finance and M&A specialist Nakarat is managing partner of the firm’s Bangkok office, while Hong Kong-based Fu is an energy and infrastructure expert who is active in the Vietnamese renewables sector.

Responsables de la pratique:

Philip Badge; Amit Singh; Wanwisar Nakarat; Ying Fu


Principaux clients

Actis


Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited


Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited


Commonwealth Bank


Credit Suisse


Citibank


CLP Holdings Ltd.


GreenYellow Mekong B.V.


International Finance Corporation


JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A.


PTT Global Chemical Public Company Limited


Mainstream Renewable Power


Principaux dossiers


  • Advised Citi on the sale of its six consumer banking franchises in Southeast Asia and EMEA.
  • Advise Actis on the acquisition of a majority stake in Levanta Renewables, a Southeast Asia-focused renewables platform with 300MW of onshore wind power projects in advanced development in Vietnam.
  • Advised Bangkok Bank Public Company Limited on the loan facilities to subsidiaries of Super Energy Corporation Public Company Limited for the project financing of Loc Ninh 1-3 solar projects in Vietnam.

DLA Piper

DLA Piper Tokyo Partnership Gaikokuho Kyodojigyo Horitsu Jimusho’s widely experienced and growing Vietnam practice, jointly led by Lance Miller in Tokyo and Trinh Hoang in Hong Kong, offers clients M&A, project finance, restructuring, intellectual property, data privacy, employment, and real estate expertise. Native Vietnamese speaker Hoang joined the firm from Linklaters LLP in December 2022 as head of the Hong Kong and China restructuring and insolvency team, bringing considerable expertise in special situations financing and debt restructuring. M&A and finance specialist Miller continues to assist overseas clients in relation to their investments into Vietnam, as well as Vietnamese clients on their outbound investments. Having joined from Baker McKenzie in 2023, Bangkok-based Thananan Sangnuan strengthens the team’s M&A, asset management, restructuring, private equity, and capital markets offering.

Responsables de la pratique:

Lance Miller; Trinh Hoang


Autres avocats clés:

Thananan Sangnuan


Principaux clients

BCPG Public Company Limited


Global Power Synergy Public Co Ltd


Thai Oil Public Company Limited


VinFast Trading & Production Limited


VinGroup Joint Stock Company


VinSmart


Principaux dossiers


  • Advising various clients in relation to potential investments into and acquisitions of renewable energy businesses in Vietnam.
  • Advising IRPC Clean Power Co Ltd in relation to debt and equity investments.
  • Advising a multinational F&B business on its international franchise programme involving Vietnam.

Latham & Watkins LLP

Latham & Watkins LLP’s Vietnam practice, led by Hong Kong and Singapore-based Amy Beckingham alongside Sharon Lau based in Singapore, continues to assist major Vietnamese companies, financial institutions, private equity firms, and fintech startups. Global corporate vice chair Beckingham specialises in M&A, joint venture, and equity capital markets deals throughout Asia. She has considerable experience advising international investors in relation to their investments into Vietnam. Lau, a member of the firm’s global executive committee, regularly represents issuers and underwriters in connection with IPOs and securities offerings in Vietnam or with Vietnamese elements. She has recently led a team representing electric-vehicle producer VinFast in relation to its US IPO, the first Vietnamese company to publicly file for an IPO in the US.

Responsables de la pratique:

Amy Beckingham; Sharon Lau


Principaux clients

Warburg Pincus Asia


Vingroup Joint Stock Company Limited


Milbank

Milbank’s 9-strong Vietnam practice, jointly led by Jacqueline Chan in Singapore alongside Hong Kong-based James Grandolfo, has considerable experience handling high-end transactions in Vietnam. The firm has a strong presence in the Asia Pacific region, including in Singapore, Hong Kong, Beijing, and Tokyo, and continues to gain traction in Ho Chi Minh City, specialising in energy and infrastructure, capital markets, technology, aviation, and commercial mandates. Chan regularly acts for financial institutions, corporates, investment funds, and private equity funds in relation to cross-border matters throughout Asia. With capital markets, M&A, and private equity expertise, Grandolfo heads the firm’s Hong Kong office and having helped launch the firm in the Philippines, is now active in Vietnam.

Responsables de la pratique:

Jacqueline Chan; James Grandolfo


Les références

‘Jacqueline Chan is very experienced and pragmatic, she finds resolutions instead of creating issues.’

‘Jacqueline Chan is a sophisticated attorney with a depth of knowledge on a broad range of critically important matters.’

‘Not only is Milbank good in respect of subject matter knowledge, but they’re also great in client relations. They are very responsive and business-friendly.’

Principaux clients

Masan Group Corporation


UBS


ADB


Australia and New Zealand Banking Group, Ltd


Emergent Capital Partners


VietJet


Principaux dossiers


  • Advising Asian Development Bank and other lenders in connection with the Monsoon 600 MW wind project, a greenfield wind power project which will sell power from Lao into Vietnam under a long term PPA with EVN as off-taker.
  • Advised Masan Group Corporation in its US$65m investment in Trusting Social Company JSC, a Singapore and Vietnam-based credit scoring startup.
  • Advising ANZ, HSBC, KEXIM and K-SURE in connection with a US$1bn term loan facility for LG Display Vietnam Haiphong Co., Ltd.

White & Case Pte. Ltd.

White & Case Pte. Ltd.’s global banking and M&A practices continue to expand its operations into Vietnam, particularly through cross-border financing, M&A, and trade mandates. With expertise in credit transactions across Southeast Asia, ‘standout partner‘ Charles McConnell in Singapore heads the firm’s Vietnam Practice Group. He regularly advises clients on a wide variety of financings, including leveraged, acquisition, margin, and structured financings.

Responsables de la pratique:

Charles McConnell


Les références

‘Charles McConnell is a standout partner who leads from the front.’

‘Charles McConnell has been doing a substantial amount of work in Vietnam. He is knowledgeable and is able to stay on top of the local market developments.’

‘White & Case is committed to delivering optimal commercial outcomes for clients whilst being level headed enough to recognise that concessions may be required to get the deal done for the other side.’ 

Principaux clients

RATCH Group


Casino Group


ESR Singapore Pte Ltd


BBAM Aircraft Management LP


Strategic Value Partners, LLC


Meta


Deutsche Bank


Principaux dossiers


  • Represented the RATCH Group PCL on its US$605m acquisition of the Nexif Energy Group, a renewable energy platform with wind, solar, and hydro energy assets across Australia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand.
     
  • Represented ESR Singapore on its US$208m investment in BW Industrial, one of the largest logistics and industrial real estate developers in Vietnam.
  • Represented BBAM Aircraft Management LP as lease manager in respect of lease and loan defaults and enforcement of the lease to NBB affiliated special purpose companies.

A&O Shearman

A&O Shearman’s Singapore practice regularly advises clients operating in Vietnam in relation to large-scale energy and infrastructure projects. The multidisciplinary team, drawing on the expertise of projects, finance, M&A, and capital markets lawyers, handles cases for both sponsors and lenders. Project development and finance lawyer Bill McCormack leads the team.

Responsables de la pratique:

Bill McCormack


Principaux clients

The Export-Import Bank of Korea


Principaux dossiers


  • Representing the Export-Import Bank of Korea in connection with the Danang LRT Feasibility Study.

Herbert Smith Freehills

Herbert Smith Freehills LLP’s Vietnam focus group, drawn from lawyers in Singapore, Hong Kong, and mainland China, regularly handles cross-border energy and infrastructure cases, particularly in the renewables space, involving Vietnam. Singapore-based senior partner Glynn Cooper heads the firm’s Southeast Asia energy and infrastructure practice and leads the focus group. He specialises in renewable energy and transport infrastructure, as well as M&A and equity investment into infrastructure assets.

Responsables de la pratique:

Glynn Cooper


Les références

‘Fantastic team of bright, competent, innovative individuals.’

‘Committed, enthusiastic, energetic and easy to work with.’

‘Always focused on achieving the clients’ objectives and ensuring that the clients’ interests are protected.’

Principaux clients

International Finance Corporation No


Armstrong Clean Energy Fund No


Mitsui & Co. No


Hibiscus Petroleum


Principaux dossiers


  • Advised International Finance Corporation and Armstrong Clean Energy Fund on their joint sale to JERA of their interest in Gia Lai Electricity, a listed Vietnamese renewables company.
  • Assisted longstanding client Mitsui & Co., Ltd. on its agreement with Aker Horizons ASA to acquire a 27.5% equity stake in Aker’s subsidiary Mainstream Renewable Power for €575m, including renewables assets in Vietnam.
  • Advised Hibiscus Petroleum in relation to its acquisition of Repsol’s upstream interests in Malaysia and Vietnam.

Stephenson Harwood LLP

Stephenson Harwood LLP’s Vietnam desk, operating principally from the firm’s Singapore and Hong Kong offices, regularly advises both domestic and multinational clients on their operations in Vietnam, including in the aviation, consumer goods, energy, financial services, healthcare, real estate, and telecommunications sectors. Tom Platts, Saugata Mukherjee, and Gregory Xu in Singapore lead the practice alongside Hong Kong-based Simon Wong. Platts is a cross-border M&A and capital market deals specialist with considerable experience in Southeast Asia.

Responsables de la pratique:

Tom Platts; Saugata Mukherjee; Simon Wong; Gregory Xu


Principaux clients

TotalEnergies Renewables Asia Pte. Ltd.


The Mines Advisory Group


Eurofins Product Testing LUX Holding Sarl


r-pac International


Principaux dossiers


  • Advised TotalEnergies on its complex joint venture and associated commercial arrangements with Japanese energy group, ENEOS, to develop onsite B2B solar distributed generation across Asia over the next five years.
  • Advising The Mines Advisory Group, a mine clearance charity working to clear the way for a new 100MW wind project, which is located in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam.
  • Advised Eurofins Product Testing LUX Holding Sarl on its acquisition of the Modern Testing Services Group, a company whose business is mainly based in Hong Kong and the PRC, but also includes entities under common ownership in a number of other jurisdictions.