Overview:

Banking and Finance:

Tier 2

The Lawyers: At Vision & Associates, managing partner Pham Nghiem Xuan Bac and Luu Tien Ngoc have been particularly active. Highlights included advising the World Bank on setting up a pilot City Infrastructure Financing Facility and acting for a large domestic company in obtaining loans for a high-profile real estate development

Corporate and M&A:

Tier 4

The Lawyers: At Vision & Associates, practice co-heads Luu Tien Ngoc and Dang Trong Hieu and managing partner Pham Nghiem Xuan Bac are regularly instructed by domestic and international clients on advisory and transactional matters.

Dispute Resolution:

Tier 2

The Lawyers:  Vision & Associates’ key partner Le Tuan Anh handles a steady flow of domestic litigation over a broad range of disputes such as debt recovery, sale and purchase agreements and employment contracts.

Insurance:

Tier 2

The Firm: Vision & Associates’ recent highlights include assisting Asia Capital Reinsurance Group with the review of its Vietnamese establishment licence.

The Lawyers: Luu Tien Ngoc and Le Tuan Anh regularly handle insurance-related instructions.

Intellectual Property:

Tier 1

The Firm: The firm advised Ponaflex on a requested cancellation of trade mark to allow ‘Pona & device’ to be licensed in the client’s name in Vietnam and has experience in handling litigation over counterfeit products. Other clients include Yahoo! and Hewlett-Packard.

The Lawyers: Nguyen Nguyet Dzung and Do Quang Hung are key names in the large team at Vision & Associates, which also includes well-respected managing partner Pham Nghiem Xuan Bac [Leading Individual].

Labour and Employment:

Tier 2

The Firm: Vision & Associates’ cross-practice team receives a steady flow of referrals from international law firms and such recent instructions include advising Electrolux on rolling out an online recruitment system and assisting QBE with the review and revision of its labour contract template in Vietnam.

The Lawyers: Le Tuan Anh is a name to note in the area.

Real Estate and Construction:

Tier 3

The Firm: Vision & Associates which advised City Garden Apartments Vietnam on amending its investment licence and assisted Berjaya Hotay with reviewing its bar licensing agreement at Sheraton’s hotel in Hanoi.

The Lawyers:  Le Quynh Anh is the main contact.

TMT:

Tier 2

The Firm: Vision & Associates undertook several data-related matters in 2015, including advising Microsoft on data protection under Vietnamese law and assisting Pfizer with the proposed establishment of e-signature documents in the country…  Altus Group is another key client.

The Lawyers: Le Tuan Anh and Dang Trong Hieu led on these matters respectively.

Tax:

Tier 3

The Firm: Vision & Associates recently advised a client on the tax consequences of transferring shares of its subsidiary and assisted another client with import duties in Vietnam.

The Lawyers: Dang Trong Hieu and Le Tuan Anh are the key contacts in the practice.

Overview:

Banking and Finance:

Vision & Associates is highly recommended.

The Firm: The banking group at Vision & Associates has recently been advising financial regulators on Vietnam’s legal framework as well as the establishment and operation of credit institutions. Instructed by one of the borrowers on the $560 million Cam Lo-Tuy Loan highway project. Luu Tien Ngoc and Dang Trong Hieu have been reviewing and revising the facility agreement and other documents.

The Lawyers: Mr. PHAM NGHIEM Xuan Bac is ranked as Market-leading Lawyer.

Capital Markets:

Vision & Associates is recommended.

Competition & Anti-trust:

Vision & Associates is recommended.

Construction & Real Estate:

Vision & Associates is recommended.

Corporate and M&A:

Vision & Associates is recommended.

The Lawyers: Mr. LUU Tien Ngoc, Mrs. LE Quynh Anh and Mr. DANG Trong Hieu are ranked as Leading Lawyers

Dispute resolution:

Vision & Associates is highly recommended.

The Firm: Pham Nghiem Xuan Bac leads Vision & Associates’s dispute resolution and litigation practice, which has been particularly successful at representing retainer clients, such as Vietmindo, an Indonesian mining company, and Kei Sei, a Japanese rail company, before courts such as the People’s Court of Hanoi City. Le Tuan Anh advised Lintec on the successful settlement of a construction contract dispute.

The Lawyers: Mr. Pham Nghiem Xuan Bac is ranked as Leading Lawyer

Financial Service Regulatory:

Vision & Associates is recommended.

Insurance:

Vision & Associates is highly recommended.

The Firm: Luu Tien Ngoc and Dang Trong Hieu, of the insurance practice at Vision & Associates, advised Asia Capital Reinsurance Group on a review of the establishment licence granted by Vietnamese authorities to a representative office of the organisation in Vietnam.

Intellectual Property:

Outstanding

The Firm: Bolstered by a team of more than 45 fee earners in its IP group, Vision & Associates advises domestic and foreign clients on all sectors of IP including copyright, designs, patents and trade marks. Headed by Pham Nghiem Xuan Bac, the practice regularly cooperates with reputable IP firms in Cambodia, China, Europe, Singapore and Thailand. Do Quang Hung represented Ponaflex, a Korean plastic hose manufacturer, in a trade mark dispute. The NOIP initially rejected the client’s application but the firm was able to convince the authorities that Ponaflex was the appropriate mark owner.

The Lawyers: Mr. Pham Nghiem Xuan Bac is ranked as Market-leading Lawyer.

Investment Fund:

Vision & Associates is recommended.

IT, Telco & Media:

Vision & Associates is highly recommended.

The Firm: Vision & Associates’s IT, media and telecommunications team tends to handle matters involving internet privacy, data protection and transfer, technology licensing and outsourcing. Dang Trong Hieu also advised pharmaceutical company Pfizer on how Vietnamese laws affected the use of e-signatures in its local operations.

Labour & Employment:

Vision & Associates is recommended.

Project & Infrastructure: 

Vision & Associates is recommended.

Restructuring & Insolvency:

Vision & Associates is highly recommended.

Taxation:

Vision & Associates is recommended.

Overview:

THE FIRM

Banking and Finance:

Band 3

What the team is known for: Typically represents domestic banks and government agencies on a range of banking and capital market transactions. Active on project financing for the infrastructure sector.

Notable practitioners:  Luu Tien Ngoc [Band 3]‘s specialisms include M&A, FDI, insurance, private equity and securities trading. He has a strong roster of international clients and is noted for his depth of experience interacting with governmental bodies.

Significant clients: HSBC, Korea Development Bank, Sumitomo Mitsui Bank, Standard Chartered, OCBC.

Corporate and M&A:

Band 3

What the team is known for: Busy on M&A mandates across a range of industry sectors and additionally advises on business restructuring and corporate governance. Especially active working with asset managers and investment funds with targets in Vietnam.

Notable practitioners:  Luu Tien Ngoc [Band 3] has been involved in the corporate law sphere for more than two decades. His broad expertise spans FDI, private equity, insurance and TMT. He remains active in advising key clients on sale and purchase arrangements.

Significant clients: Boston Consulting Group, Unilever, Duxton Asset Management, Sony Electronics, VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund.

Dispute Resolution:

Band 3

What the team is known for: Experienced in both international arbitration and litigation in the Vietnamese courts. Recent cases have included complex disputes in the real estate and construction sectors.

Significant clients: Fujita, LG Electronics, Readymix Concrete, PT Vietmindo Energitama.

Intellectual Property:

Band 1

What the team is known for: Advises blue-chip clients across media, consumer products and technology on the protection of IP rights in Vietnam. Frequently assists in both prosecution and enforcement. Additional capacity in respect of domain name registration and resolution of cybersquatting issues.

Strengths (Quotes mainly from clients)

“Key players in the market; they’ve been around a long time and have developed a good team.”

Notable practitioners:  Le Thi Kim Dzung [Band 1] heads the patent team at the firm and is described as “a guru” by a leading peer in the market. She is especially well versed in the prosecution of patents and has recently assisted clients in challenging patents filed by other groups.

Head of the trade mark department Do Quang Hung [Band 2] assists multinational clients on trade mark infringement proceedings in Vietnam. He also has experience advising on IP rights in Laos and Cambodia.

Founding partner Pham Nghiem Xuan Bac [Band 3] represents high-profile clientele with prosecution and enforcement mandates across a range of industry sectors. Lately, he has been acting for an international company regarding a series of major patent infringements in Vietnam.

Significant clients: Christian Dior, Hewlett-Packard, Honda, Lacoste, Warner Bros.

Real Estate:

Vision & Associates‘ executive partner Le Quynh Anh [Band 2] is a real estate expert. She has been active in this market for almost 25 years and is particularly known for her focus on industrial property matters. One recent highlight saw her advising on a joint venture between Vietnamese and Korean engineering firms for a construction project located in China

TMT:

Band 2

What the team is known for: Sizeable department which frequently advises major international companies on their Vietnamese operations. Significant expertise in outsourcing, data protection, licensing and internet privacy.

Strengths (Quotes mainly from clients)

“A very well-known firm with a good reputation.”

Work highlights: Assisted VMS through a range of matters, including reviewing co-operation and service supply contracts.

Notable practitioners:  A key contact is Luu Tien Ngoc, who leads the office’s TMT practice.

Significant clients: Wintek Vietnam, BT, Motorola, Atotech Vietnam, Toyota Industrial Equipment Vietnam.