A Meritas member firm.
Member Contacts
Sesto Vecchi – sevecchi@russinvecchi.com.vn
Nhut Nguyen – nhmnhut@russinvecchi.com.vn
Young Lawyer
Viet Le – ltviet@russinvecchi.com.vn
For the complete list of lawyers, please click here.
Russin & Vecchi is an international law firm comprised of independent and affiliated offices around the world. The firm’s practice focuses on international investment, mergers & acquisition, infrastructure, finance, and commercial matters, with an emphasis on developing countries.
The firm had an office in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City) from 1967 until 1975, and was the only international law firm in Vietnam during that time.
The firm reestablished its office in Ho Chi Minh City in January 1993. It opened its office in Hanoi soon afterward.
Legal services in Vietnam are provided by attorneys located in the firm’s offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. The firm’s Indochina practice group is headed by Sesto E. Vecchi, a founding partner of the firm. Mr. Vecchi opened and ran the firm’s office in Saigon between 1967 and 1974.
All Vietnamese law graduates are bilingual.
Russin & Vecchi’s Vietnam practice serves multinational clients investing, financing, and providing services within Vietnam. Russin & Vecchi advises clients on alternative structures available to establish themselves in Vietnam, helps clients to establish their presence, and provides advice on operating issues. It is well know as a firm that can find solutions in unstructured and dynamic legal environments, such as Vietnam. The firm’s primary practice areas are as follows:
Direct Foreign Investment. Structuring, planning and documenting inbound foreign investment through joint ventures, business cooperation contracts and 100% foreign invested entities under Vietnam’s Foreign Investment Law; local partner due diligence investigations; negotiating and documenting the transaction; navigating the government approval process.
Mergers & Acquisitions. Advising on cross-border M&A transactions involving foreign and domestic companies; conducting due diligence investigations; preparing transaction documents; supervising and monitoring both closing and post-closing formalities and integration.
Infrastructure. Advising on multi-billion energy projects in various types: coal-fired plant, LNG port facilities and LNG power plant; solar power projects; hydropower plants; advising clients in other infrastructure involving seaport facilities, water plants, road and bridge work.
Real Estate. We assist clients to structure, negotiate and document real estate project investments, and advise on hotel/resort management agreements.
Operating Issues. Assisting clients in their commercial arrangements: restructuring; drafting contracts, advice on labor issues, completing necessary registrations, securing permissions, interacting with government bodies at a local and central government level.
Banking and Finance. We advise banks, those with branches in Vietnam and those which operate from overseas, on variations issues, ranging from operational and regulatory compliance issues, to transactions with local parties. We have prepared commercial financing documentations, project financing documentations. We advise client and issue opinions in relation to credit facilities and related transactions, derivatives and ISDA types of transactions under Vietnamese law.
Taxation. Assisting clients to handle tax disputes with local taxation authorities; providing tax advice and tax-related matters under international tax treaties to which Vietnam is a signatory; assisting clients to handle income tax in respect of inbound/outbound assignment of mobile employees; conducting tax due diligence investigation in respect of the client’s operation in order to avoid tax risks; providing tax advice and tax planning to foreign contractors during the bidding and operating stages.
Intellectual Property. Registration and defense of trademarks and patents; preparation of technology transfer and licensing agreements; protection of intellectual property rights against infringers.
Agency and Distribution. Legal guidance to clients establishing sales and distribution networks. Creation of agency relationships to provide services or sell goods in Vietnam on behalf of a foreign principal.
Representative Offices and Branches. Advising on available structures and forms; preparation of applications and securing approvals from local and national agencies to establish resident representative offices and branches and advising on operational issues.
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Vietnam’s Anti-Corruption Law and UK Bribery Act. Advising on proposed conduct, in-house training, investigations.
