RHTLaw Taylor Wessing first entered into a joint venture with PBC Partners in 2014, in a deal that gave the firm access to local legal professionals in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi under the banner of PBC Partners & RHTLaw. PBC Partners was founded in 2005 and has been active in developing Vietnam's legal current legal system.

RHTLaw Taylor Wessing Vietnam

Following the integration, the firm will be rebranded as RHTLaw Taylor Wessing Vietnam.  It has 25 lawyers across the two offices covering a range of practice areas including foreign direct investment, M&A, real estate, energy, banking and tax.

RHTLaw Taylor Wessing Vietnam will be led by Tran Thanh Hai as managing partner and Benjamin Yap as senior partner. Mr Hai has over 19 years of legal experience and was formerly with PwC Legal Vietnam. Mr Yap, a Vietnam-registered foreign lawyer who is called to the Singapore and English Bar, has more than 20 years of experience handling M&A and real estate matters for local and international clients.

‘One of the fastest growing emerging markets’

RHTLaw Taylor Wessing’s managing partner Tan Chong Huat said: ‘The opening of our new Vietnam office signals our commitment to intensify our ASEAN growth strategy via our ‘ASEAN+’ network.’

‘Vietnam is one of the fastest growing emerging markets in the world and is poised to play an important role in the ASEAN economy,’ he added.

‘A gateway to the IndoChina region’

Deputy managing partner of RHTLaw Taylor Wessing Azman Jaafar said: ‘The country [Vietnam] also serves as a gateway to the Indochina region, potentially opening up avenues for us to service clients in the promising Laos, Cambodian and Myanmar markets.’

Forging alliances

RHTLaw Taylor Wessing launched the ASEAN plus group in 2014 to enhance its coverage across the region. Under the group, the firm has forged strategic alliances with leading Indonesian law firm, Hanafiah Ponggawa and Partners, and South Korean firm DR & AJU, together with several other leading firms in Asia under the ASEAN Plus Group.