Professional Summary

Ngoc has been practicing law for approximately 20 years, with over 15 years with VILAF. Prior to joining VILAF, Ngoc has over 3 years’ experience working for British Petroleum, the operator and major shareholder in the USD 1.3 billion integrated gas-to-power Nam Con Son project.

Ngoc has considerable experience in foreign invested projects, M&A transactions, corporate, finance, energy and infrastructure, capital market, employment, anti-trust, and tax.

Ngoc advises international clients on cross-border multi-million dollar M&A deals in various sectors for direct or indirect acquisitions.

In the recent IFLR 1000 31st edition (2021), Ngoc is regarded as “detailed; provided clear and constructive legal advice.”

Ngoc was the Vietnam National Reporter for the Tax Committee of the International Bar Association (IBA) in 2018 and 2019 and a member of LAWASIA Taxation & Customs Committee in 2022.

Notable Engagements

• Advised Mondelez International in its US$460 million acquisition of the food business of listed company Kinh Do Corporation

• Advised SCG Chemicals in relation to the acquisitions of equity interests of its JV partners in USD5.4 billion Long Son Petrochemicals Project

• Advised SCG Packaging, a subsidiary of Siam Cement Group, in the acquisition of 70% equity stake in Duy Tan Plastics Group, Vietnam’s leading producer of rigid plastic packaging products

• Advised MetroPac Water in two acquisitions of shares in local corporate groups owning a number of water projects in Vietnam

• Advised Minh Phu in the sale of 35.1% stake of its company to one of Japan’s largest trading group, Mitsui & Co. Mitsui for US$150 million. Minh Phu, the world’s largest shrimp integrator from farming to processing and sales, owns two processing plants and shrimp farms equivalent to an area of 900 hectares in Southern Vietnam

• Advised Auchan in the sale of its retail business to Saigon Co.op that included 18 supermarkets nationwide, including its e-commerce platform

• Advised Ngoc Nghia Industry-Services-Trading Joint Stock Company, a pioneer and leading manufacturer of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) packaging in Vietnam in a private equity investment by a consortium led by VinaCapital

• Advised Nawaplastic Industries, an affiliate of SCG Group in acquiring 29.51% stake in Binh Minh Plastics Company for US$102 million

• Advised Sumitomo Corporation as the primary contractor in the construction of Ben Thanh – Suoi Tien Metro Line 1 Project, Vietnam’s first metro line project

• Advised Creed Group in investing USD200 million for 20% equity stake holding in Vietnam’s real estate company, An Gia Investment, and 50% equity stake holding in a number of An Gia Investment’s residential projects held via a holding company, to develop “Japanese quality” housing services in Ho Chi Minh City

• Advised TC Flexible Packaging Co, a subsidiary of Siam Cement Group (SCG) in relation to its acquisition of 99.8% shareholding in BATICO, a Vietnamese packaging manufacturing company in Vietnam

• Advised Earth Corporation, a listed company on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, in relation to its acquisition of A My Gia Joint Stock Company (currently renamed as Earth Corporation Vietnam) in 2017. Founded since 2003, A My Gia Joint Stock Company was one of the main manufacturers and suppliers of homecare and insecticide products in Vietnam market

• Advised Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group in the issuance and listing of USD90 million bonds with the Singapore Stock Exchange, Vietnam’s first international straight bond transaction

• Advised Dragon Capital in relation to tax matters in its restructuring and subsequent divestment from convertible bonds and other instruments in Nui Phao Mining Project and Masan Group

• Advised two USD4 billion integrated casino, hotel and residential projects on tax planning issues concerning management fees and casino operation

• Advised Infineon Technologies AG on Vietnamese merger control in relation to its acquisition of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation

• Advised a Thai investor on Vietnamese merger control in relation to its acquisition of a listed company in Vietnam

• Advised a number of petroleum groups in relation to Vietnamese tax matters concerning upstream oil and gas projects

• Advised a number of foreign private equity funds on the capital gains tax in M&A transactions