What are the most significant cases and transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

In 2020, I was the head of legal and compliance department of Pharmacity, the biggest pharmacy chain of Vietnam, and we managed to raise $100m to complete Series C. After that, in early 2022, I supported IDP, a dairy product manufacturer in fundraising $100m. The project was completed in five months. In general, one of the greatest strengths is in building and completing internal processes of legal compliance.

Could you share an example of a time when you came up with an innovation that improved how your legal team works and did not come at a large expense?

My role revolves around building up an efficient legal team in start-ups; not only do I work internally on legal issues, but I also collaborate cross-departmentally to develop and innovate operational processes within the whole company. The highlight of this job lies in negotiating with relevant departments to align with newly adapted strategies, aiming at resources optimisation, including human resources, time, and budget.

How do you see the general counsel role evolving in Vietnam over the next five-ten years?

Vietnam is at a rapid development momentum and businesses have a rising tendency to globalise; legal and transactional issues have become very complicated. One of the most outstanding problems is disputes between shareholders and investors.

Compliance with legal aspects is significant in managing risks in governance and operations, which are handicaps in globalising context, to guarantee the safe and sustainable development of the company.

What are some of the main trends impacting your industry in Vietnam?

In this day and age, the expectations of legal compliance of specifically Vietnamese companies and generally, international companies are extremely high. Consequently, my industry – internal legal counselling – is flourishing.