KPMG Law in Vietnam > HANOI, Vietnam > Firm Profile

KPMG Law in Vietnam > Firm Profile

The firm: KPMG Law is a leading provider of legal services in Vietnam. Our team comprises approximately 100+ legal professionals spread across four offices representing the major financial and commercial hubs in Vietnam and Cambodia. This coverage ensures that we are able to bring our depth and breadth of experience to support our clients when and where they need it most.

KPMG Law has direct access to KPMG Global Legal Services’ extensive network, covering 85 jurisdictions with +3,750 lawyersr and providing international legal solutions to global clients as they conduct cross-border projects. KPMG has 16 cross-functional industrial groups working on both international and local projects and KPMG Law’s professionals actively participate in these groups, bringing a unique sector-specific knowledge to bear.

KPMG Law offers its clients a wide range of legal services, including contract drafting, market-entry strategy, business restructuring and commercial advice, labor and employment, commercial dispute resolution, M&A services (from pre-deal structuring, due diligence, drafting and negotiating of transaction documents, completion services, to post-acquisition integration), regulatory and compliance issue resolution and the implementation of remediation measures.

Our services

Market Entry & Business Setup: KPMG Law specializes in guiding clients through the entire process of setting up a business in Vietnam, from initial planning to post-licensing compliance. The team has a proven track record of working with both domestic and foreign clients across a range of industries, including retail, healthcare, and manufacturing.

Mergers and acquisitions: By combining M&A legal expertise with specialists from KPMG’s corporate finance, tax and accounting services, KPMG Law can execute promptly and efficiently to service all aspects of a transaction, such as origination and structuring, transaction documents and negotiations, due diligence and implementation.

Banking & Finance: KPMG Law provides comprehensive services from drafting and reviewing loan agreements to assisting with licensing procedures and foreign loan registrations. The team has experience with complex syndicated loans and cross-border transactions, ensuring its clients’ interests are protected while adhering to Vietnam’s prevailing laws.

Labour & Employment: KPMG Law’s lawyers, based in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, have experience advising on employment issues during mergers or reorganizations, reviewing and revising labour contracts, advising on terminations and discrimination, and providing guidance on compliance with employment laws.

Real Estate & Construction: KPMG Law advises clients on real estate and construction matters, handling large, complex transactions, and providing practical and solutions-based advice. The team assists clients in conducting legal due diligence, advising on optimum deal structure, and preparing and negotiating sale & purchase agreements.

Intellectual Property: KPMG Law’s intellectual property practice group distinguishes itself through its comprehensive understanding of the local and global IP landscape. With their award-winning team of multidisciplinary experts, they assist clients with the complexities of IP protection, registration, enforcement, and commercialization, while addressing their unique challenges.

Restructuring & Liquidation: KPMG Law’s restructuring team understands the unique challenges that companies face in Vietnam and has the expertise to guide them through complex legal and regulatory frameworks.

Corporate Secretarial Services: KPMG Law’s dedicated licensing team provides a comprehensive solution to ensure all routine and recurring company secretarial matters are addressed in a timely and efficient manner.

Dispute Resolution: KPMG Law is equipped to handle a wide range of disputes, including debt recovery, breach of contract, and disputes related to the supply of goods and outstanding payments. The team has experience representing clients in arbitration proceedings at the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (VIAC) and are well-versed in the complexities of enforcement proceedings.

Technology, Media & Telecommunication: KPMG Law’s close collaboration with KPMG’s technology, media, and telecommunications professionals allows the team to deliver a holistic approach that combines legal insights with industry-specific expertise.

Commercial Contracts: With KPMG Law’s deep understanding of Vietnamese law and international commercial practices, the team provides tailored solutions to address these challenges. Their expertise enables them to draft and negotiate contracts that protect clients’ interests, minimize risks, and maximize opportunities for success.

Corporate Regulatory Compliance: KPMG Law provide clients with practical guidance on navigating the regulatory framework, conducting compliance reviews, and implementing necessary procedures to ensure adherence to applicable laws and regulations.

Data Privacy & Protection: KPMG Law advises clients on regulatory compliance, conducting gap analysis and providing remediation advice and support, reviewing and assisting in drafting personal data processing related clauses and agreements, providing training on personal data and cybersecurity, assisting with mandatory notification and response plan for privacy breach, etc.

Competition & Antitrust: KPMG Law has a successful track record in securing merger control clearances with a high success rate, owing to the team’s extensive experience in preparation of merger filing and merger control clearance applications.

Lawyer Profiles

Photo	Name	Position	Profile
	Ms Phuong Nguyen	Partner, Head of Hanoi branch – KPMG Law	View Profile
	Ms Ly Nguyen	Director, KPMG Law	View Profile
	Ms Ngoc Pham	Director, KPMG Law	View Profile
	Mr Richard Stapley-Oh	Managing Partner, Head of KPMG Law	View Profile
	Ms Minh Tran	Director, KPMG Law	View Profile

Interviews

Richard Stapley-Oh, Managing Partner

Richard Stapley-Oh, Managing Partner of KPMG Legal, Vietnam and Cambodia

1) What do you see as the main points that differentiate KPMG Legal Limited from your competitors?

KPMG Law stands out from our competitors due to our strong integration with other service lines within the KPMG network. By collaborating closely with tax advisors, consultants, and other professionals, we provide clients with comprehensive, multidisciplinary end-to-end solutions to their legal, financial, and business challenges. This integrated approach enables us to offer innovative, tailored solutions that align with clients’ overall objectives and mitigate risks across various fronts, going beyond traditional legal services.

2) Which practices do you see growing in the next 12 months? What are the drivers behind that?

I anticipate that our Market Entry, M&A, Labour Law and Corporate Reorganisation practices will continue to deliver significant growth in the next 12 months, and beyond.  In terms of market sector growth, we are seeing continued interest from foreign investors in the manufacturing and retail sectors, and there has been a lot of interest in infrastructure, particularly in the renewable energy sector.

There are many drivers behind this, and obviously Vietnam’s liberalization of the economy is the key. The Government continues to remove conditions on foreign participation in business activities, which has accelerated investment across all sectors. In addition to this, Vietnam’s entry into a number of bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements also serves as a major impetus for foreign investors to enter or expand in the Vietnam market.

Secondly, I can’t overstate the impact of the “Vietnam growth story.” Vietnam has a dynamic, young, and increasingly affluent population. As a consequence, Vietnam is experiencing increasing demand for social infrastructure and services, such as education and healthcare, and services and products that respond to greater discretionary spending, such as in F&B and entertainment.  This demand is being noticed by, and met, by foreign investors.

Finally, the imposition of tit for tat tariffs by the United States and China is forcing foreign investors in China to seek an alternative production base. Vietnam is a logical destination for manufacturers leaving China. What is interesting here is that there is a greater potential for underperforming local manufacturing enterprises to be attractive M&A targets. We also anticipate that US companies will look to Vietnam to expand operations with the ultimate aim of exporting products to China.

3) What’s the main change you’ve made in the firm that will benefit clients?

Our Deal Advisory, Tax, and Legal (“DTL”) practices have been reorganized and consolidated into one cohesive unit with a functional head whose role is to coordinate and drive efficiency and ensure on-point and responsive advice are provided to our clients. Our clients have already recognised that our integrated approach drives efficiency through a client-centric lens, and our reorganisation formalises that value proposition.

4) Can you give us a practical example of how you have helped a client to add value to their business?

As a global multidisciplinary professional services firm, we can draw on experience, expertise, and relationships from across our global network. For example, we have a client that was looking to expand its business in the Vietnam market, but needed a partner well-versed in the specific sector. We reached out to the global network, which returned a shortlist of viable business partners. Once the selection was made, and the principals reached alignment on their business plan and strategy, KPMG was tasked with implementation. It was incredibly powerful to have senior professionals from various countries and with varied expertise come together as an effective client service team that delivered real results.

The services that KPMG provided were broad and comprehensive, encompassing the development of a business model, strategic analysis of the market and market participants, investment modelling, cross-border tax advice, and a slew of legal services, such as drafting and negotiating a number of commercial contracts, company establishment, and regulatory and licencing assistance.

5) Are clients looking for stability and strategic direction from their law firms – where do you see the firm in three year’s time?

The professional services industry, in general, and legal services, in particular, are very much a people business. Our brand might be a reason for a client to walk through our doors, but it is the professionals involved, and the dedication they show and the trust that they cultivate, that ensure that new and existing clients will remain as life-long business partners, and KPMG Legal’s professionals are considered to be their trusted advisors.

KPMG Legal places considerable emphasis on developing its professionals through detailed and life long learning and development initiatives, international secondment opportunities and great importance placed on work-life balance to ensure a safe, happy, and healthy workplace. KPMG in Vietnam prides itself on being an employer of choice.

By attracting the best clients, we will win the best work available in the market, which in turn provides learning and development experiences to the best people.  In three year’s time, KPMG Legal will continue to be a market leading law firm in Vietnam.