Vietnam 2023 – GC Powerlist
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Vietnam 2023

Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel

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  • Industries

  • Powerlist

Bui Anh Tu

Senior legal counsel | UPC Renewables Vietnam Management

Energy and utilities

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Chau Ta

Executive director, legal transactions | SC Capital Partners

Industrials and real estate

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Danh Nguyen

Head of legal and public affairs | Galaxy Entertainment and Education

Sports and media

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Do Hoang Anh

Head of legal and external affairs | British American Tobacco Vietnam

Food, beverages and tobacco

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Doan Thi Huong Thanh

Legal director | WinCommerce General Commercial Services

Consumer products

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Elaine Chew

Managing counsel, head of legal | Hoan My Medical Coporation

Healthcare

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Hai Ho Long

Head of legal and compliance | SkyX Solar

Energy and utilities

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Hai Nguyen Hoang Minh

Head of legal | Go Viet Technology Trading

Information technology

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Han Le

Legal director, Vietnam and Indochina | Pfizer

Healthcare

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Hoang Nguyen

Legal director | PepsiCo Foods Vietnam

Food, beverages and tobacco

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Huan Duc Nguyen

Head of legal and compliance | WHA Vietnam

Industrials and real estate

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Huynh Vu Yen Thao

Associate director, legal and compliance | CBRE

Industrials and real estate

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Kim Dung Nguyen

Director, legal and government affairs | British University Vietnam

Education

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Lâm Vũ Thao

General counsel, Vietnam and personal care Southeast Asia | Unilever

Consumer products

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Lan Anh Thi Tran

General counsel | Mercedes-Benz VN

Consumer products

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Lan Cao

Senior legal counsel | EDP Renewables Vietnam

Energy and utilities

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Long Ho

General counsel | HSBC Vietnam

Financials

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Luis Nuno Mesquita de Melo

Chief legal officer - general counsel | Asian Coast Development (Canada)

Industrials and real estate

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Luu Ngoc Anh

General counsel and compliance officer | AES Vietnam

Energy and utilities

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Ly Pham Thi Hai

Head of funding legal | Home Credit Vietnam Finance Company

Financials

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Mai Anh Doan

Deputy CEO in charge of legal and compliance division | VinES Energy Solutions

Energy and utilities

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Mai Phuong Thao

Legal and compliance manager | Roche Vietnam

Healthcare

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Minh Vu

Legal director, Thailand and Indochina | Haleon

Healthcare

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Nam Phan

Country finance controller, head of legal, tax and compliance | ofi (Olam Food Ingredients) Vietnam

Food, beverages and tobacco

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Nguyễn Đức Anh (Daniel)

Legal director | Pharmacity Pharmacy

Healthcare

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Nguyễn Hoàng Anh

Head of legal and compliance | Premier Oil Vietnam Offshore

Energy and utilities

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Nguyen Hong Lieu

Legal and public affair director | Gene Solutions

Healthcare

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Nguyen Ngoc Ha

Country head of legal | AppleTree Service

Industrials and real estate

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Nguyen Ngoc Phuc Dang

Contract manager and legal specialist   | EVNPECC3

Energy and utilities

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Nguyen Thi Minh Xuan

Head of legal and company secretary | Hong Leong Bank Vietnam

Financials

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Nguyen Thi Phuc

Senior legal manager | Industrial and Commercial Bank of China - Hanoi City Branch

Financials

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Nguyễn Thị Trinh

Legal, compliance and quality director | Novo Nordisk Việt Nam

Healthcare

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Nguyen Thi Tu Trinh

Senior legal manager | Sembcorp Vietnam

Energy and utilities

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Nguyễn Thuy Dung

Head of legal | Gelex Infrastructure

Industrials and real estate

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Phat Nguyen

Legal manager | Asia Clean Capital Vietnam

Energy and utilities

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Phuoc Doan

Senior director, legal and corporate affairs | M_Service (MoMo e-Wallet)

Financials

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Son Duc Nguyen

General counsel | G Group

Information technology

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Thanh Hoa Lai

Chief legal and compliance | One Mount Group

Information technology

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Thu Pham

Senior legal manager | B.Grimm Power

Industrials and real estate

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Thuy Tran

Legal affairs head | Cathay United Bank

Financials

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Tran Long Ha

Legal and ethics and compliance director | AES Vietnam

Energy and utilities

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Tran Manh Duc

Chief legal and compliance officer | Home Credit Vietnam Finance Company

Financials

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Tran Ngoc Thich

Head of legal | Talentnet Corporation

Commercial and professional services

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Tran Vo Quoc Son

Chief legal officer | TTC Group

Industrials and real estate

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Anh Pham

Head of legal | Kusto Home

Industrials and real estate

Anh Van Duong

Group legal manager | OpenAsia

Financials

Chau Ho

Head of legal and compliance | Sony Electronics Vietnam

Information technology

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Dinh Nam

Legal officer | Sapporo VietNam 

Food

Do Thu Trang

Head of legal and compliance divison | MCredit

Financials

Dong Hoang Nam

Head of legal | Prudential Vietnam Assurance Private

Insurance

Giang Nguyen Huong

Legal and compliance country head | Fujifilm

Industrials and real estate

Giang Nguyen Van

Senior counsel | Mondelez Kinh Do

Food

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Ha Hue Kinh

Senior legal manager | BW Industrial

Industrials and real estate

Hang-Nga Nguyen

Country head of legal | Citibank

Financials

Hans Sevenants

Head of legal | Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical

Energy and utilities

Hao Tran

Head of legal | BW Industrial Development

Industrials and real estate

Harvey Duc Vo

Legal executive | Sembcorp Industries

Energy and utilities

Hien Vu

Head of legal and compliance | GreenYellow Asia

Energy and utilities

Hoai Nguyen

Regional general counsel | POPs Worldwide

Sports and media

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Hoan Bui Khuong Diem

In-house counsel | Renova

Energy and utilities

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Hoang Thi Thanh Hoa

In-house counsel | GTJAVN

Financials

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Huong Nguyen

General counsel | DKSH

Commercial and professional services

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Huyen Thi Thanh La

Legal director | Abbott

Healthcare

John Harris

General counsel | Vinfast

Consumer products

Kevin Ma

SVP - head of legal | Lazada Vietnam

Consumer products

Kim Loan Nguyen

Chief legal and compliance officer | Manulife Vietnam

Insurance

Kodee Phu

Head of legal and compliance | Japfa Comfeed

Food

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Lan Le

General counsel head of legal, compliance and public affairs | Marsh Vietnam

Insurance

Le Nguyen Thuy Dung

Director of legal affairs and organizational capacity development | AstraZeneca

Healthcare

Linh Chi

Head of legal | Pacific Airlines

Transport and infrastructure

Loan Huynh

Regional legal counsel - head of legal and compliance | Hello Health Group

Healthcare

Mai Vo Sang Xuan

Legal director | Johnson and Johnson

Healthcare

Michelle Thuy-Ngoc Thai

General counsel | INSEE Vietnam

Materials and mining

Nam Nguyen

Senior counsel Indochina | Philip Morris International

Food

Ngo Viet Hoa

Indochina general counsel | Kimberly-Clark

Materials and mining

Nguyen Manh Dung (Donk)

Legal contracts manager | Gelex Group Joint Stock Company

Industrials and real estate

Nguyen Tran Van Quanh

Deputy general director of legal affairs | AIA Vietnam

Insurance

Nha Phan

Head of legal and compliance | Galaxy Joy Co

Information technology

Nhiên Trần

Head of legal | Orient Commercial Joint Stock Bank

Financials

Pham Thi Bich Viet

Legal section manager | Banpu

Energy and utilities

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Phuong Dang

Head of legal | Kim Long Motors

Consumer products

Quang Tuong Tran

Legal director | Techtronic Industries

Industrials and real estate

Ryan Galloway

Country director | Funding Societies

Financials

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Sa Huynh

Chief legal officer | Thanh Cong Textile Garment Investment

Consumer products

Sarah Vuong Bui

Deputy director, head of legal and compliance | Mirae Asset Finance

Financials

Son Dinh Van

General counsel | Forbes Vietnam

Sports and media

Tam Nguyen

Head of legal and compliance | The Dairy Farm Group

Consumer products

Thanh Hua

Senior legal manager, legal and compliance | SEA Logistic Partners (SLP)

Transport and infrastructure

Thao Cung

General counsel | VinaCapital

Financials

Thu Hien Pham

Country head of legal | 3M

Industrials and real estate

Tong Huyen Tran

Head of legal and compliance | PYMEPHARCO-STADA

Healthcare

Tran Bui

Vice president, legal | Coca Cola Beverages Vietnam

Food

Spotlight on… Tran Bui currently serves as the vice president, legal and local ethics officer at Coca-Cola Beverages Vietnam. She joined the company in 2019, with her role operating as...

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Tran Phuong Bac

General counsel | Masan Group

Industrials and real estate

Trang Huynh

Investment and corporate legal manager | A group of companies in renewable energy

Energy and utilities

Truc Duong

Senior legal counsel | Standard Chartered Bank

Financials

Tu Dinh

Head of legal Indochina | Sanofi

Healthcare

Tuan Le

General counsel | FWD Vietnam

Insurance

Van Anh Trinh

Head of legal | Maybank Vietnam

Financials

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Viet Anh Thi Nguyen

Head of Legal and Compliance | Vietnam Investors Service and Credit Rating Agency

Financials

Vinh Tran

Head of legal | UPC Renewables

Energy and utilities

Vinh Tran

General counsel | Propzy VN

Industrials and real estate

Vu Phan H T

General counsel - Vietnam | AIG

Financials

On behalf of The Legal 500, we are truly delighted to introduce our first-ever GC Powerlist: Vietnam 2023This edition marks a milestone publication for the Vietnamese legal community, as this meticulously researched document represents our inaugural Vietnamese edition of the GC Powerlist series, The Legal 500’s premier title celebrating and awarding the world’s top in-house lawyers. After covering  Southeast Asia as a region for many years, we decided it was high time to highlight and recognise the exceptional community of in-house counsel active within one of the world’s most dynamic and rapidly-growing economies, and the excellent corporate counsel who make it work. This research could not have been possible without the cooperation of three of Vietnam’s leading law firms: DFDL Legal & Tax, Frasers Law Company and VILAF, whose expertise and assistance was instrumental in making this edition such a success. 

We are proud to present insightful conversations with Vietnam’s finest corporate counsel as we look to celebrate their respective achievements. Our in-depth interviews have yielded fascinating insights into the intricate and often complex world of corporate legal counsel. The publication showcases the many impressive transactions, projects and innovations led by these individuals, the evolving role of in-house counsel in Vietnam, and the trends that are transforming the traditional legal approach to business operations.  
 
In the interviews our research team conducted, there is a noticeably prevailing belief that the scope of the general counsel role should extend beyond its conventional boundaries. The general counsel is not solely a highly skilled legal professional; rather, they are expected to now serve as a business partner responsible for influencing strategic direction and crucial decision-making. For example, Mai Phuong Thao, legal and compliance manager at Roche Vietnam envisions that “in the next five to ten years, the function of the general counsel will undergo significant change due to the constantly shifting and intricate nature of Vietnam’s legal framework. This transformation requires a multidimensional and strategic approach. In addition to providing regulatory guidance, the general counsel’s responsibilities must extend beyond traditional legal activities. They should take on greater responsibilities in the areas of corporate governance and sustainability, including actively shaping the company’s strategy, with a strong emphasis on compliance and risk management, while simultaneously ensuring business effectiveness. Additionally, it is essential for general counsel to interact with the larger legal community and advocate for government policies. This activity not only strengthens their position within their respective organisation but also raises awareness of crucial legal issues, ultimately contributing to Vietnam’s social development”.
 
Alongside the evolving role of the general counsel, there is the emergence of novel technologies which are transforming the way in-house teams perform. The implementation of AI for research, the digitalisation of contracts, and the creation of repositories all enhance the capabilities of the legal function. However, despite the opportunities there are potential pitfalls that must be considered. a sentiment shared Nguyen Thi Phuc, senior legal manager of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China – Hanoi City Branch. They believe that that the growing digital revolution  ‘brings new opportunities and marketsbut it also increases regulatory and cybersecurity risks’.   
 
These interviews offer a thoughtful yet engaging understanding of Vietnam’s legal community, providing insight into the mindset of top-tier corporate counsel and the wide array of challenges they must navigate – from regulation to technological innovation and beyond – to play an integral part in their business’s success. By reading these interviews it is clear to see why these individuals are trusted legal and business partners in equal measure.  
 
On behalf of everyone at The Legal 500, and especially our GC Powerlist research team, we would like to extend our congratulations and gratitude to everyone who was featured in this inaugural edition of the Vietnam Powerlist. We thank them for sharing their time and insights, allowing us to celebrate their achievements and acknowledging their rightfully earned spot in this milestone edition. We also look forward to future publications celebrating the achievements of the excellent Vietnamese GC community. 

 

From our editorial team on this project:

Joe Boswell | Global Editor, The Legal 500 Powerlist Series 

Jugroop Singh | Research Analyst

 

GC Powerlist: East Africa 2025

Legal 500 was proud to host the second edition of the GC Powerlist: East Africa 2025 in Nairobi, honouring the top General Counsel, Chief Legal Officers, Legal Directors, and senior in-house legal professionals across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. This year’s reception brought together over 100 of the most influential and innovative corporate counsel from the region, and was an unrivalled success, cementing Legal 500’s role as the leading voice in recognising in-house legal excellence across Africa.

The evening was opened by Joe Boswell, lead editor of the GC Powerlist publication at Legal 500, who highlighted the growing prestige of the East Africa edition and the increasing challenge of selecting honourees from such a deep (and rapidly growing) pool of talent.

Guests were then treated to some particularly relevant insights from distinguished speakers. Rachel Musoke, Head of ENS Uganda, delivered a thoughtful welcome that reflected on the importance of collaboration between private practice and in-house teams. This was followed by a powerful keynote from Habil Waswani, Company Secretary & Director Legal Services and Regulatory Compliance at Kenya Airways, who shared reflections on leadership, regulatory stewardship, and the evolving role of corporate counsel in East Africa.

The highlight of the evening was the certificate ceremony, where this year’s honourees were formally recognised. Certificates were presented by senior representatives of ENS, including Désiré Kamanzi (Head of Rwanda), Rachel Musoke, Nigel Shaw (Head of Kenya), Donald Nyakairu (Executive, Uganda), Dieudonne Nzafashwanayo (Executive, Rwanda), Rahema Nakirya Ssemyalo (Executive, Uganda) and Binti Shah (Executive, Kenya) whose participation underlined the depth of the firm’s support for the GC Powerlist initiative.

The GC Powerlist: East Africa 2025 reaffirmed The Legal 500’s commitment to shining a spotlight on the region’s most talented in-house lawyers. With an even stronger field of candidates, this year’s edition stands as a powerful testament to the influence and expertise of East Africa’s legal leaders. Habil Waswani’s excellent speech, which got a raucous reception from those in the room, is reproduced below with his permission:

‘My name is Habil Waswani, and I have been an inhouse legal practitioner for the past 21 years in different sectors (having done law-firm practice for 2 years before that). Tt is indeed a true privilege and honour for me to be here tonight, surrounded by the sharpest legal minds and calmest crisis-handlers the East African corporate world has to offer.

First, let me thank the Legal 500 and ENSAfrica teams, for organising such a fantastic event and for bringing us together in such style. Congratulations to each of tonight’s honourees. You represent the very best of general counsel in this very dynamic corporate space the businesses we support operate in. Strategic, ethical, resilient, and, let’s be honest, often underappreciated leaders of industry.

I am so happy that this evening is not about contracts, or compliance checklists, or board packs. Tonight is about celebrating you, the people behind all of that. The steady hands guiding companies through complexities, uncertainties, and ensuring that the opportunities that lie within those difficult circumstances are lawfully realized.

We all know the role of GCs has evolved. We are no longer tucked away at the end of a corridor marked “Legal” or labelled the proverbial “cost centres”. These days, the GCs sit at the big table – helping drive corporate strategy, shaping desired culture, providing leadership and safeguarding business reputations. We have become indispensable partners to businesses, interpreters, navigators, protectors… and on some (many) days, therapists with law degrees. And yet, we mostly do it all so quietly. No victory laps, no press releases. Often, success for us means the expected disaster didn’t happen.

But tonight, we break that rule. Tonight, we raise a glass to the GCs who’ve blazed the trail courageously, with clarity, conviction, and tremendous resilience that only matches the expectations of the Leadership Guru John Maxwell when he said, “resilient leaders don’t wait for the storm to past — they learn to dance in the rain”. You have managed to balance growth and governance, risk and reward regularly. And, of course, always managed to deal with those 10pm messages: “Hey, just a quick question…Are you able to talk right now…?”

Let this evening serve as a reminder that you are not just experienced legal advisors. You are leaders — spear heads and enablers of execution — and without a doubt critical pillars of business strategy.

To all the honourees, congratulations once again for the well-deserved recognition. This is for the heavy lifting that you do, the standards you uphold, and the impact you make – quietly, consistently, and brilliantly so. You’ve earned this spotlight.

And now, let’s gather and celebrate this milestone. And while we’re at it I plead with you to stay away from your phones …you might just spot a message that says, “please quickly review this and we can discuss your views in the morning?”