Le Nguyen Huy Thuy has 21 years of legal experience in Vietnam, with major experience in property & construction, mergers & acquisitions, corporate & commercial, labour & employment, inward investment and dispute resolution.

He joined Indochine Counsel in 2006 as a partner. Before that he worked four years as the legal manager for Vision & Associates at the Ho Chi Minh City Branch Office. He also worked as an associate for Le Nguyen Law Office.

Thuy has advised and assisted a number of foreign companies and large foreign and local investors in property development projects. He is also active in representing foreign clients in construction & commercial disputes in Vietnam. Some of his representative clients include: CapitaLand, Gamuda Berhad Group, Suoi Tien Culture Tourist Corporation, Dai Quang Minh Corporation, Laguna Lăng Cô, VinaCapital, Tien Phuoc, Nirvana Asia Group, Crossland Marketing (2000) Pte. Ltd., Tran Thai Co., Ltd., Khang Dien House Trading & Investment JSC, Ben Thanh Land, American International School (AIS), Levis Strauss & Co, Yahoo!, Plenitude Berhad, CROWN Beverage Cans (Dong Nai) Limited, SAVICO, Toyota Ly Thuong Kiet Co., Ltd. 

He recently presented a topic on “How to develop a property project in Vietnam” to the group of lawyers of Taichung Bar Association during their visit in Vietnam. He spoke at InCham seminars on Vietnam rules and regulations on property acquisition and ownership of foreigners in Vietnam, M&A transaction in property project in Vietnam. He was also invited to provide training on Vietnam laws on property development and sales for management personnel of several property developers.

He has written for Asian Legal Business, Vietnam News, being a local contributor for “Doing Business Project – Vietnam,” a World Bank publication, since 2006 and one of the contributors for the “Corporate Governance ROSC Assessment for Vietnam”. He has recently contributed to Global Employment Factsheets (2019 Edition) – Vietnam Chapter issued by the Law Firm Network (LFN).

He is also a member of Law Asia, IPBA, IBA, the Law Firm Network (LFN) and the ASEAN Legal Alliance (ALA). This helps him to establish and extend his network not only in the Asia Pacific region but also in other regions and jurisdictions. 

He has been recognized as a leading lawyer for Construction & Real Estate and Dispute Resolution & Litigation in the Asialaw Leading Lawyers (2014 to 2018)

Experience

Thuy’s recent notable transactions include:

• Advised a Singapore-based property development company in an M&A deal for acquisition of a mix-use property project of 20 ha of land in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam;
• Advised a Singapore-based manager and developer of premium resorts, hotels and spas in the Asia Pacific on the restructure and disposal of sub-projects in a 280 hectare project of luxury resorts, villas & apartments, hotels, spas, recreational areas in Thua Thien Hue Province, Vietnam;
• Acted as the legal counsel for one of the leading Singapore-based property developers in a deal for acquisition of 70% shares in a local property developer for development of a 2.9 hectare residential and complex property project in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam with the total project investment capital of US$70 million;
• Acted as the legal counsel for a top Malaysian property group in relation to the implementation of a 324 hectare sub-project (part of an 800 hectare project) for a premier business district development including Grade ‘A’ office space, 4 and 5 star hotels, a convention centre and shop offices in Hanoi, Vietnam, with the total project investment capital of US$400 million;
• Advised a joint venture company owned by Vietnamese and Malaysian property developers in a deal for the transfer of 3.5 hectares of commercial land belonging to a luxury residential project in Tan Phu District, Ho Chi Minh City, to a leading Japan-based retailing group for development of a US$109 million project;
• Advised Malaysian South-South Corporation Berhad (MASCORP) and conducted the legal due diligence and drafted the transaction documents in a deal for acquisition of 80% of shares in a local developer for development of a 3 hectare luxury villa project in Dong Nai Province, Vietnam;
• Advised Visa International (Asia-Pacific) on restructuring of its operations in Vietnam;
• Advised Yahoo! Vietnam on various legal issues with respect to their operations;
• Advised Levi Strauss & Co on various corporate and compliance matters for operations of its subsidiary in Vietnam;
• Advised Toyota Ly Thuong Kiet on employment issues (e.g. dismissal of employees due to breach of labour rules);
• Represented a local group engaged in the distribution of high-end cosmetics, perfumes and spa facilities, in an M&A deal for sales of 30% equity to a Danish investment fund;
• Advised a large property developer on the establishment of a joint venture for the development of a 100+ hectare industrial, residential and commercial complex in Dong Nai Province, Vietnam;
• Acted for a Singapore-based, listed company in acquiring a 100% foreign owned company in VSIP, Binh Duong Province, Vietnam;
• Advised one of the largest local property developers on land acquisitions and property development projects;
• Acted for a Malaysia-based property investment fund in acquisition of a 12-story apartment building project in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam;
• Acted as local counsel in the formation of a US$250 million offshore investment fund with a focus on the Vietnam equity market; and
• Assisted a publicly listed company in Singapore in the acquisition of a 51% stake in a foreign invested company in VSIP, Binh Duong, Vietnam, including legal due diligence and the preparation of transaction documents.