Professional Summary

Hai is a seasoned lawyer advising clients on inbound private and public M&A transactions as well as joint ventures, cross-border commercial contracts and corporate governance matters, including compliance and anti-corruption. His particular emphasis is on real estate and real estate M&A. His experience extends across a broad range of sectors such as education, healthcare, consumer and retail, F&B, financial services, and thermal and renewable power. He routinely advises multi-nationals, domestic and offshore corporations, private capital firms, financial institutions, real estate developers and energy companies in navigating through the Vietnamese legal framework to achieve their strategic and financial objectives in the market.

With over 15 years of experience, clients value his pragmatic and commercial approach, and he is recognized as a “Leading Associate” in the Corporate and M&A category for Vietnam by The Legal 500 2025.

Notable Engagements

Among notable projects in which Hai has participated include:

• KKR on its US$650m investment in Vinhomes (one of Vietnam’s leading real estate developers), EQuest Education Group (an education platform), KiotViet (a leading merchant platform for micro and SMEs), and Masan Group (one of Vietnam’s largest conglomerates) and its subsidiaries.
• Kinh Do Corporation on its US$465m sale of its confectionery business to Mondelēz International, the world’s leading snack company.
• EQT Private Capital Asia (f/k/a Baring Private Equity Asia) on (i) a US$400m investment by a consortium led by it and Alibaba in The CrownX, the integrated consumer retail arm of Masan Group. Best M&A Deal (Vietnam), The Asset Triple A Country Awards 2021; (ii) its investment in the Vietnam USA Society International JSC, an education business in Vietnam.
• Thai Beverage Plc (ThaiBev) on its USD4.8bn acquisition of a majority stake in Saigon Beer Alcohol Beverage Corporation (Sabeco), Vietnam’s largest brewer, via a competitive offering process. The transaction represents Vietnam’s biggest privatisation to date.
• ESR, Asia’s largest APAC focused logistics real estate platform, on its joint venture with BW Industrial Development JSC, the leading logistics and industrial real estate developer and operator in Vietnam, for the development of an industrial park in Ho Chi Minh City.
• Gaw Capital in relation to several property projects in Vietnam, including the USD1.2bn joint venture to develop the 86-storey Thu Thiem Observation Tower in Ho Chi Minh City.
• Sumitomo Corporation on the US$4.2b next-generation “smart city” in Hanoi, Vietnam.
• CapitaLand on its S$81.4m (approx US$59.4m equivalent) acquisition of a prime residential site in District 2 of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
• United Overseas Bank Limited (UOB) on the Vietnam aspects of its acquisition of Citigroup’s consumer banking franchise in Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand for approximately SGD4.915 billion.
• JERA on its acquisition of an equity interest in Vietnam-based Gia Lai Electricity Joint Stock Company, a renewable energy platform listed on the HOSE.
• VietJet, Vietnam’s leading international low-cost airline, on its innovative, ground-breaking USD170m initial public offering on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange.
• Thanh Thanh Cong Investment on its sale of a controlling stake in TTC Education, a Vietnamese private education platform, to Navis Capital Partners.
• Ageas on the formation of a bancassurance joint venture company in Vietnam with Muang Thai Life Assurance and Military Bank.