DFDL Legal & Tax > Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam > Firm Profile

DFDL Legal & Tax
UNIT 2, 19TH FLOOR, GREEN POWER BUILDING
35 TON DUC THANG STREET, DISTRICT 1
HO CHI MINH CITY
Vietnam

Vietnam > Tax Tier 1

DFDL Legal & Tax is well-equipped to handle a broad range of tax matters, including tax advisory, compliance, transfer pricing and tax controversy. Team head Jack Sheelan regularly advises clients on corporate and international tax planning, tax treaties and transfer pricing, while tax director Lan Hua is well-versed in cross-border transactions and restructurings. Senior tax manager Phan Thi Lieu is a key name to note for tax audits, cross-border tax planning and tax on financial services and customs procedures.

Practice head(s):

Jack Sheehan

Other key lawyers:

Work highlights

  • Advised a company in the energy sector headquartered in Germany on Vietnamese tax analysis of an offshore windfarm project, which will be built in Vietnam but then sent to Taiwan for grid connection.
  • Assisted with the buyer-side warranty and indemnity insurance policy’s negotiation and completion process for an insurance provider.
  • Advised a multinational fund manager, operating a number of Vietnamese funds, on the tax implications of various structures to enable the payment of carried interest to the participants from Vietnam.

Vietnam > Corporate and M&A Tier 2

A firm that has witnessed a wave of internal promotions including partnership for both Dave Seibert and Paul Volodarsky in January 2023, DFDL Legal & Tax possesses a strong and experienced bench that has a wide sector breadth and engages with a number of premium domestic and cross-border deals across the Southeast Asian region. Beyond continued distinguished work in the energy sector, the team is a go-to for aviation expertise as well as telecommunications, manufacturing, real estate, and finance-related corporate issues. Spearheading the practice is Jérôme Buzenet, whose banking and capital markets knowledge ensures he is a regular port of call for the group’s growing list of longstanding multinational platform investor clients. Both Martin Desautels and PhongAnh Hoang possess broad practices and have been engaged in a variety of foreign investment deals, whereas Kevin Hawkins is principally noted for his acumen regarding energy and infrastructure assets.

Practice head(s):

Jérôme Buzenet

Testimonials

‘I have worked with DFDL Vietnam for many years now and regularly recommend them for their knowledge of the market and responsiveness.’

‘Jérôme Buzenet and Hanh Tran are well known and regarded practitioners. They are both responsive, personable and easy to work with.’

Key clients

Banpu Public Company Limited

Sunseap Commercial & Industrial Assets (Vietnam) Co. Ltd (matter #3)

RATCH Group Public Company Limited

DIF Capital Partners

Aker Horizons

Decowraps Holdings

Work highlights

  • Assisted Banpu in relation to acquisition of 100% equity of two renewable energy vehicles to own 2 operating solar power projects of 35MWp in Ninh Thuan province and 15 MWp in Gia Lai province, Vietnam.
  • Assisted Aker Horizons AS, a leading Norwegian planet-positive investment company, on its acquisition of a 75% stake in Mainstream Renewable Power, a leading Irish independent renewable energy company in the onshore/offshore wind and solar power sector with operations in Europe, Africa and Southeast Asia.
  • Assisted DIF Capital Partners, a leading global independent investment manager, on its minority stake acquisition in Qair Group, an independent producer of renewable energy and a renewable energy project developer.

Vietnam > Projects and energy Tier 2

DFDL Legal & Tax provides a wide offering owing to its depth and breath of practitioners located in and beyond Vietnam, and is particularly geared to act on major renewable projects, most notably solar and wind. Beyond established expertise in M&A, capital markets and financing, the firm has been active on regulatory and project development aspects of builds, including project structuring, document preparation and investment structuring. PhongAnh Hoang co-leads the practice alongside Dave Seibert, with both possessing a broad practice working closely with a stellar range of developers and investors. Martin Desautels is an M&A specialist, with proficiency across the relevant due diligence and regulatory aspects, while Kevin Hawkins has been primarily active on solar rooftop projects.

Practice head(s):

PhongAnh Hoang; Dave Seibert

Other key lawyers:

Testimonials

‘They are trusted experts in the local energy industry.’

‘Good local law and practice knowledge, combined with partners who have international experience to assist with tone and style of advice for international investor clients.’

Key clients

Banpu Public Company Limited

Sunseap Commercial & Industrial Assets (Vietnam) Co. Ltd

RATCH Group Public Company Limited

DIF Capital Partners

Aker Horizons

Work highlights

  • Advised a consortium comprising of two energy companies on participating in an auction sale process involving the sale of 100% of Singapore-based Nexif Energy, a leading Asia-Pacific renewable energy-focused platform.

Vietnam > Real estate and construction Tier 3

DFDL Legal & Tax advises domestic, Asian and European investors on large-scale development projects, including hotel and resort constructions, expansive office developments, and rebranding and renovation work. The firm has started 2023 with a string of promotions, including Dave Seibert and group head Paul Volodarsky elected to the partnership. Martin Desautels continues to be the leading figure alongside Thang Huynh on the team’s most consequential matters, while Hanh Tran has been a strong supporting member of the group.

Practice head(s):

Paul Volodarsky

Key clients

Zannier Hotels Bai San Ho Ltd.

Work highlights

  • Assisted Zannier Hotels on the development of a hotel and resort villas project under construction in Phu Yen province, Vietnam.

The firm: With its regional legal and tax expertise, DFDL has assisted clients in Vietnam since 1995, advising on both local and international legal and tax matters from its offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

Drawing on more than 20 years of in-depth experience in the country and the Mekong Region, DFDL has built a reputation as the preferred choice of legal and tax services provider in Vietnam, advising on all aspects of investments from general regulatory matters to commercially robust, complex, and bespoke sophisticated transactions.

Providing international quality, seamlessly integrated, and relentlessly solution-oriented legal and tax services to establish, structure and protect our clients’ business interests, are key cornerstones of DFDL’s culture, approach, and strategy worldwide. Positioned as the preeminent full-service, legal and tax integrated law firm in Vietnam, DFDL has developed a reputation for technical excellence, creativity, and integrity coupled with in-depth knowledge of the local environment.

Areas of practice: Our advisers have represented leading international and Asian investors in Vietnam, including leading international and Asian financial institutions. Our involvement in major projects in Vietnam includes major power projects, large real estate projects, and mergers and acquisitions.

Department Name Email Telephone
Aviation, Banking, Finance & Technology, Corporate & Commercial, Employment & Labour, Mergers & Acquisitions, Real Estate & Construction Jerome Buzenet jerome.buzenet@dfdl.com
Compliance & Investigations, Restructuring & Insolvency Hanh Tran hanh.tran@dfdl.com
Taxation & Accounting Lan Hua lan.hua@dfdl.com
Energy, Mining & Infrastructure Kevin Hawkins kevin.hawkins@dfdl.com
Photo Name Position Profile
Jérôme Buzenet photo Jérôme Buzenet Partner and Co-Managing Director, Vietnam
Martin Desautels photo Martin Desautels Senior Partner
Kevin Hawkins photo Kevin Hawkins Partner
Dave Seibert photo Dave Seibert Partner, Head of Regional Energy, Natural Resources and Infrastructure | Head of…
Hanh Tran photo Hanh Tran Partner, Vietnam Deputy Managing Director & Head of Ho Chi Minh City…
Partner : 6
Advisor : 23
English (fluent)
Vietnamese
French
European Chamber of Commerce
French Chamber of Commerce
World Services Group (WSG)
Marcalliance
Official Website : https://www.dfdl.com/locations/vietnam/
  • Tax