Photo of Oanh Nguyen

Oanh Nguyen

Managing Partner
Baker & McKenzie (Vietnam) Ltd.

Biography

Oanh Nguyen is a managing partner of Baker McKenzie Vietnam and also heads the Finance & Projects Practice Group. She has been practising capital markets, banking and finance, M&A, and commercial law for more than 30 years. Knowledgeable about all aspects of investments, she advises on all types of transactions, ranging from investment structures to project structures and their related financing. She has focused on banking and finance, public M&A matters, including major IPOs and projects finance.

Oanh is a respected presenter in the areas of finance and capital markets. In addition, she has lectured at the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association. She also serves as a legal advisor to the Capital Market Committee of Ho Chi Minh City American Chamber of Commerce.

Practice Focus

Oanh leads the Firm’s Banking & Finance and Capital Markets practice. She has 25 years’ experience in advising on foreign direct investment, project/project finance, IPO, banking and finance, financial services, and M&A.

Representative Legal Matters

  • Acted for a local bank on the issuance of USD 400 million in international bonds, listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange.
  • Assisting an international financial institution to complete the papers relating to the legal assessment and analysis on strengthening Vietnam’s debt trading market for consultation with the Ministry of Finance.
  • Assisted SK Holdings on its USD 1 billion investment in Vingroup, a public listed Vietnamese company. The deal is reported to be amongst the largest acquisition in Vietnam in 2019.
  • Assisted HDBank on its USD 300 million IPO in 2018. The deal is considered the second largest deal in the Vietnamese banking sector's history since Vietcombank’s USD 463 million IPO in 2007.
  • Assisted VietJet in multiple transactions, including the sale of secondary shares, going public, and issuance of shares to raise capital, with a deal value of USD 300 million. The VietJet IPO was named “Best Vietnam Deal” in 2017.
  • Assisted Singha Asia on its USD 1.1 billion investment in Masan in the food, beverage and brewery business. The deal is reported to be amongst the largest acquisition in Vietnam in 2016.
  • Assisted a group of investors on the acquisition of a 15% stake in Asia Commercial bank from Standard Chartered Bank in 2017.
  • Advised SK Holdings Co., Ltd. on their USD 470 million acquisition of a stake in the Masan Group.
  • Acting for VPBank on its IPO transaction in the banking sector.
  • Advising the State Securities Commission and the Economic Committee of the National Assembly on the Securities Law, the Enterprise Law and the Investment Law, as well as their draft implementing decrees. This work is performed on behalf of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as part of its technical assistance support for Vietnam in implementing its obligations under the terms of its accession to the World Trade Organization.

Professional Honors

  • Leading Individual Lawyer (Banking & Finance; Capital Markets - Vietnam), Asia Pacific Legal 500, 2012–2020
  • Band 2 Lawyer for Banking & Finance and Capital Markets, Chambers Asia Pacific, 2011–2020 
  • Highly Regarded Lawyer for Banking & Finance and Capital Markets, IFLR1000, 2010–2020 
  • IFLR1000 Women Leader 2020, recognized for transactional work in Asia Pacific

Professional Associations and Memberships

  • Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association  ̶  Member since 1999
  • The American Chamber of Commerce, Ho Chi Minh City Chapter  ̶  Member
  • Arbitrator of Pacific Internal Arbitration Center
  • Member of Asia Working Group-South East Asia National Contact Group

Admissions

  • Vietnam (2002)

Education

  • Academy of American and International Law (Certificate on Comparative & International Law) (2000)
  • University of Ho Chi Minh City (Bachelor of Economic Law) (1995)

Languages

  • English
  • Vietnamese

Previous Offices

  • Hong Kong
  • Author of the Comments to the Enterprise Law and Investment Law
  • Editor of the Monthly Banking and Finance Letter