Lawyer Tran Duy Canh is the founder and currently serves as the Managing Partner at Dentons Luat Viet, practicing in Ho Chi Minh City. With nearly 30 years of experience, Mr. Canh is known as one of Vietnam's leading lawyers, particularly in the fields of dispute resolution, business, commercial, and investment law. In addition to litigation in courts and arbitration, Mr. Canh regularly advises numerous domestic and foreign enterprises on corporate, commercial, investment, and M&A matters, as well as land, real estate, and construction law. His clients include major Vietnamese corporations and globally-scaled foreign-invested enterprises.
With many years of practice and extensive knowledge in various fields, Mr. Canh is capable of analyzing legal issues from an economic perspective to provide creative legal solutions tailored to clients' business realities. He has accumulated in-depth knowledge of litigation and arbitration procedures through his roles as defense counsel and arbitrator. This understanding has helped him achieve positive outcomes in numerous high-value and complex commercial disputes.
Mr. Canh's expertise in litigation and arbitration has been recognized by many prestigious organizations. In 2024, he was also ranked among the Top 50 Litigators in Asia by Asian Legal Business, a Thomson Reuters publication. For many consecutive years, he has been honored in the list of Vietnam's Top 100 Lawyers by Asia Business Law Journal and highly rated in this field by Chambers Global.
Experience
- Thomson Medical Group (TMG): Represented the client in one of the largest M&A transactions in the healthcare sector in Southeast Asia as of 2023, successfully acquiring the entire FV Hospital, including its polyclinics and specialized clinics. This transaction was valued at up to USD 381.4 million, marking a significant milestone in expanding and enhancing the client's position in the regional healthcare industry. Dentons Luat Viet participated from the due diligence phase, contract negotiation, to transaction completion, ensuring all legal and regulatory aspects were strictly adhered to.
- Confidential Client: Represented a group of company shareholders, the seller as Respondent, in a dispute at VIAC (Vietnam International Arbitration Centre). The Claimant, a foreign investment fund and shareholder of the company, sought recovery of the transferred amount and damages totaling USD 27 million. Dentons Luat Viet helped the seller achieve a favorable award.
- Multinational Transport Company: Assisted the client in the appeal process regarding an advertising contract dispute, including reviewing contractual obligations, ensuring compliance, and developing a dispute resolution strategy.
- Multinational Oil and Gas Installation and Maintenance Group: Advised the client, an EPC general contractor, on resolving a dispute in an offshore oil rig construction contract with a subcontractor at VIAC, with a dispute value of approximately USD 2.8 million. Our work included reviewing the contract and related legal documents, collecting evidence of the subcontractor's breaches, and developing a dispute resolution strategy in arbitration.
- Industrial Real Estate Development Company: Dentons Luat Viet represented the client in a dispute before the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (VIAC) regarding the recovery of an initial deposit in a warehouse lease contract from an automotive sales and repair service provider. The contract could not be performed due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our strategy focused on thoroughly analyzing the force majeure clauses in the contract, negotiating to achieve a fair agreement on the deposit refund, and maximally protecting the client's financial interests.
- Korean Real Estate Project Development Company: Advised on enforcement procedures for an award obtained at VIAC related to the recovery of client capital. Our work included liaising with legal and financial institutions and overseeing the implementation of the agreement's terms.
- Leading Vietnamese Company in Aquatic Feed Production and Trading: Provided legal advice for a merger with another Vietnamese company operating in the same sector to expand market, workforce, and production capacity, fully meeting market demand, with a value exceeding USD 13 million.
- Leading French Group: Advised on the acquisition of equity stakes in a Vietnamese mining company with a transaction value of USD 12 million.
- Singapore Investment Fund: Advised on an investment in an education startup in Vietnam in the form of a convertible loan with a value of USD 30 million.
- Hong Kong manufacturing company: Advised the client on investment and corporate regulations related to establishing a manufacturing branch, and importing and exporting electronic components in Vietnam.
- Leading Vietnamese Logistics Company: Advised, reviewed contracts and related legal documents concerning the transfer of land use rights and warehouse ownership in VSIP Industrial Park with a transfer value exceeding USD 22 million.
- BVI Investor: Provided a legal due diligence report for the target company and its seven subsidiaries. Drafted a convertible loan agreement and other related legal documents for a USD 25 million loan.
- Leading Vietnamese Beverage Joint Venture Company: Provided legal advice on compliance with Vietnamese regulations related to commercial business activities and licensing requirements.
- Multinational Group Based in Thailand: Represented the client as Respondent in a service contract dispute at VIAC. The IT service provider, as Claimant, failed to complete the work, causing millions of USD in damages to the client. VIAC's award favored the Respondent.
- Confidential Client: Provided legal advice and represented the client in negotiations and dispute resolution with a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands following a VIAC arbitration award regarding a share transfer contract dispute.
- Multinational Group Based in Japan: Represented the client in a dispute before SIAC (Singapore International Arbitration Centre), where the client was the Claimant and the Respondent was a Vietnamese listed company. Dentons Luat Viet helped the client achieve a favorable award and enforced it in Vietnam.
