PRACTICE AREAS
FDIs & Project Financing
We guide domestic and international investors through the full lifecycle of cross-border investments and large-scale project financing across Vietnam and Singapore. Combining deep regulatory insight with practical commercial structuring, we ensure your projects are optimized for tax, compliance, and long-term success.
Our Core Expertise
FDI Advisory & Structuring
Inbound and outbound structuring, investment licensing, regulatory approvals, and foreign ownership restrictions.
Project Finance & Capital Raising
Structuring and negotiating complex financing arrangements with commercial banks, private equity, and institutional investors.
Infrastructure & PPPs
Advising on Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs), joint ventures, and large-scale infrastructure developments.
Transaction Documentation
Drafting and negotiating shareholder agreements, project documentation, and security packages.
Navigating Singapore
National Security Scrutiny (SIRA)
Under the Significant Investments Review Act (SIRA), the Ministry of Trade and Industry actively screens transactions involving critical entities. Investors must carefully navigate notification thresholds at 5% equity and strict prior-approval rules at 12%, 25%, and 50% stakes.
The "Calling-In" Trapped Wire
SIRA grants the government retrospective "calling-in" powers for up to two years after a transaction is completed if an entity is found to have acted against Singapore's economic security, introducing residual transactional risk.
Strict Sector-Specific Licensing
For projects crossing into financial services, digital assets, or capital markets, navigating the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) requires meeting exceptionally high bars for fit-and-proper criteria and capitalization.
A Gold Standard for Structural Optimization
Singapore acts as a premier holding company hub. Its vast network of Double Taxation Agreements (DTAs) and robust IP protection frameworks allow investors to safely pool capital and hold regional assets.
Unmatched Bankability and Predictability
Project financing in Singapore is highly efficient due to its trusted English common law legal system. International lenders readily accept complex offshore security packages and world-class dispute resolution via SIAC.
Navigating Vietnam
The Foreign Bankability Gap
Foreign lenders are statutorily prohibited from taking direct mortgages over land use rights, requiring highly creative multi-tiered security packages — often utilizing local onshore agent banks to hold security for international syndicates.
Foreign Exchange & Capital Repatriation Controls
Vietnam maintains strict foreign exchange controls administered by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV). Inbound foreign loans and outbound profit repatriations must flow through strictly regulated specialized bank accounts.
Sector-Specific Foreign Ownership Limits
Vietnam maintains a strict "Negative List" approach to foreign investment. Dozens of sectors remain conditional or subject to strict foreign equity caps in logistics, telecommunications, and digital commerce.
The New Era of Investment Fast-Tracking
Vietnam's new "Special Investment Procedure" (SIP) allows foreign investors in high-priority sectors to establish their enterprise prior to obtaining an Investment Registration Certificate and bypass traditional pre-construction appraisals.
A Decisive Pivot to High-Tech Incentives
Vietnam now ties corporate tax breaks, land rent exemptions, and expedited licensing to qualitative criteria: green energy production, semiconductor manufacturing, R&D centers, and advanced digital infrastructure.
