The Legal 500 - Asia Pacific (2019)
Banking and Finance - Tier 3
Corporate and M&A - Tier 2
Dispute Resolution - Tier 1
Intellectual Property - Tier 2
Labour and Employment - Tier 1
Projects and Energy - Tier 3
Real Estate and Construction - Tier 1
Shipping - Tier 1
Tax - Tier 1
TMT - Tier 1
Leading Lawyers:
Chau Huy Quang - Dispute Resolution, Intellectual Property, Shipping, Tax
Vu Thi Que - Labour and Employment, TMT
Next Generation Lawyers:
Logan Leung - Corporate and M&A, Dispute Resolution
Tran Thi Phuong Thao - Shipping
Banking and Finance
Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers has a track record advising borrowers, as well has handling bank-side work. Nguyen Dinh Nha and Vu Thi Que are key contacts at partner level, with Samuel Peirce a key foreign counsel. Hoang Thi Thanh Thuy has vessel finance expertise, with Tran Duc Son and Tran Chi Anh leading fintech work.
Corporate and M&A
Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers' team is 'responsive, knowledgeable and has an understanding of clients' business needs' and 'provides professional advice on both Vietnamese law and cross-border regulatory and compliance matters, which is very helpful to foreign investors'. Practice head Vu Thi Que, senior counsel Tran Thi Phuong Thao and foreign counsel Ai Kawakami advised Sumitomo Forestry on an investment in An Cuong Woodworking. Thao and foreign counsel Logan Leung, who is 'responsive, provides practical advice and is understands of clients' needs and concerns', also acted as Vietnamese counsel to NakedHub on its sale to fellow co-working landlord WeWork. Que, Leung and senior associate Trinh Minh Duc assisted NIBE Industrier with its purchase of BriskHeat Corporation, which has its key manufacturing plants in Vietnam. Tran Duc Son is also involved in key deals; he advised Pilmico Foods Corporation, which is part of Filipino listed company Aboitiz Group, on its purchase of a 70% stake in animal feed producer Europe Nutrition. IT contracting is another area of expertise. Other clients include HP Inc, which the firm is advising on its integration of Samsung Electronics' printer business, The Weir Group and other businesses from Europe, Korea, China and Japan. Hoang Thi Thanh Thuy is now general counsel at Siemens Vietnam.
Dispute Resolution
At Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers, Chau Huy Quang handles work in sectors including shipping and construction. His recent highlights include representing PetroVietnam Technical Services Corporation in a charterparty dispute, as well as handling heavyweight construction disputes work concerning major infrastructure projects. Hoang Thi Thanh Thuy also has an active arbitration practice, including landlord and tenant disputes, and the 'very experienced' Tran Duc Son is another name to note for arbitration. Foreign counsel Logan Leung, who is qualified in Australia and is 'client focused', is another key contact. On the local litigation front, Quang is a key name for commercial disputes. Tran Chi Anh, who has competition law expertise, joined the firm from Baker McKenzie, where she was a special counsel.
Intellectual Property
Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers is active in both contentious and non-contentious IP work, including franchising and cross-border licensing deals. Managing partner Chau Huy Quang's litigation practice includes various IP disputes. Clients include several well-known names in sectors including food and beverage, education, and healthcare. Chi Tran joined from Baker McKenzie.
Labour and Employment
Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers has an active practice in contentious areas such as those concerning anti-corruption, internal investigations and executive exits, as well as handling non-contentious matters such as internal restructurings and other transactional work. Department head Vu Thi Que works with clients from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Korea. Other clients include international names in the consulting, food and beverage, technology, travel, entertainment and financial services industries.
Projects and Energy
Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers handles work concerning international investment in hydropower and solar projects. Other work includes Huynh Thi Thu Thuy and Logan Leung's advice to The Weir Group on the Vietnamese elements of its purchase of KOP Service Products, which has roles in multiple Vietnamese projects. Drawing on the wider firm's shipping law expertise, the team also advises on issues concerning vessels used in the oil and gas industry. Senior counsel Tran Thi Phuong Thao is also a key contact.
Real Estate and Construction
At Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers, foreign counsel Logan Leung and senior counsel Tran Thi Phuong Thao advised serviced office company NakedHub as Vietnamese counsel on its sale to WeWork. Nguyen Dinh Nha assisted Keppel Land with purchasing a further stake in the company that owns the Saigon Centre development in Ho Chi Minh City. The firm also handles contentious construction work, with Chau Huy Quang handling work pertaining to megaprojects, as well as landlord and tenant disputes, which is also a key part of Hoang Thi Thanh Thuy's practice. Vu Thi Que and Tran Duc Sonare other names to note. Other clients include real estate investment funds and DP Architects.
Shipping
Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers handles work including vessel arrests, ship finance matters, shipbuilding cases and port projects, with many mandates concerning vessels used for offshore oil and gas production and exploration. Chau Huy Quang and senior counsel Tran Thi Phuong Thao represented key client PetroVietnam Technical Services Corporation in a dispute with Yinson Holdings concerning the need to terminate a charterparty for a floating production, storage and offloading unit used on a liquified natural gas production unit in the wake of the liquidation of the operator of the Lam Son oil and gas field; the dispute ultimately settled. Logan Leung is also a key contact. Named lawyers are based in Ho Chi Minh City.
Tax
Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers has a tax practice that falls under the umbrellas of its corporate and disputes practice, and is particularly known for disputes with the tax authorities and matters concerning tax indemnities. The team gives ‘responses of high quality and in agreed timetable’. Practice head Chau Huy Quang handles contentious tax matters and customs disputes. Other recommended individuals include ‘true expert in the field of tax’ Tran Duc Son and the ‘smooth and flexible’ foreign counsel Logan Leung. Clients come from industries including manufacturing, market research, steel and financial services.
TMT
Rajah & Tann LCT Lawyers offers ‘excellent service, efficiency and a very carefully researched and produced end product’. TMT practice leader Vu Thi Que advises well-known names from the Chinese-speaking world, and foreign counsel Logan Leung is ‘responsive, intelligent, well-spoken, prompt, pragmatic, and extremely knowledgeable about the issues in the cases’. Among other work for technology multinationals, Vu Thi Que continues to advise HP on its $1.05bn acquisition of Samsung's printer business and also Nguyen Dinh Nha advised Sea Group (which owns Garena and Shopee) on the Vietnamese aspects of its 2017 listing of American depositary shares on the New York Stock Exchange, which raised $884m.