People
Duc Tran
Biography
Duc is Senior Partner of Vietnam.
He advises domestic and international clients such as regional and global financial institutions, major corporations and private equity funds, across the spectrum of M&A, capital markets, banking, project finance and real estate transactions, with a focus on complex cross-border work. With over 25 years of experience, he is widely regarded as one of Vietnam’s pre-eminent lawyers having led numerous landmark transactions and contributed to the development of Vietnam’s legal framework.
Duc serves as the co-head of the Investment and Trade Working Group and is a member of the Capital Markets Steering Committee of the Vietnam Business Forum (VBF), an ongoing policy dialogue channel between the Government of Vietnam and the business community. He also serves as the Director of the Lawyer Training Centre under the Vietnam Bar Association and is a Board Member of the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association.
Prior to joining the firm in 2013, Duc was the managing partner of a leading Vietnamese law firm.
Practice areas
- Corporate and M&A
- Finance
- Capital markets
- Financial services advisory and regulatory
- Insurance
- Project development and finance
- Restructuring insolvency and capital solutions
- Private equity
Sectors
- Consumer and retail
- Energy
- Banks
- Infrastructure and transport
- Life sciences and healthcare
- Mining and metals
- Real estate
- Technology
Selected experience
- KKR on its USD650m 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.
- EQT Private Capital Asia (f/k/a Baring Private Equity Asia) on (i) a USD400m 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.
- Sumitomo Corporation on the joint venture with a local shareholder in relation to the development of the USD4.2b next-generation "smart city" in Hanoi, Vietnam.
- Sembcorp on its USD160.3m acquisition of majority interests ranging from 73% to 100% in various subsidiaries of Gelex. The transaction will add 245MW of operational wind, solar and hydropower assets to Sembcorp's current Vietnam portfolio.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 privatization to date.
- Kinh Do Corporation on its USD465m sale of its confectionery business to Mondelēz International, the world’s leading snack company.
- Vingroup on a USD200m sale of a 20% equity interest in its subsidiary Vincom Retail to a consortium led by Warburg Pincus.
- Novaland on the USD250m investment by a Warburg Pincus-led consortium into Novaland.
Education
- LLB, Hanoi Law University
- M&A Advanced Negotiation Course, London
- Project Finance Training Course, London
- Loan Negotiation Training Course, Singapore
Admissions
- Admitted as a lawyer, Vietnam, 2002
Languages
- English
- Vietnamese