Minh Dang is the Senior Partner of YKVN and the head of its international arbitration practice. Minh has more than 40 years of experience in a wide variety of international matters and has been active in Vietnam matters since 1993.
Minh’s experience in international arbitration includes oil & gas, tax, construction, investment, real estate and shareholders’ disputes and ICC, SIAC, UNCITRAL and VIAC cases. His practice focuses on complex disputes often requiring YKVN to team-up with leading international law firms.
Minh’s standing in the international arbitration community is well-established. He is listed in the Legal500 South-East Asia PowerList for 2022 (the original year) and 2023. He was shortlisted by Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific for the “International Arbitration Lawyer of the Year” Award in 2023. His leadership of the YKVN International Arbitration practice is key to YKVN achieving a GAR 100 listing in 2023. He is serving his third term on the Court of Arbitration of the SIAC and his first term on the International Arbitration Committee of KCAB International.
Minh qualified in California in 1982 and has been a registered foreign lawyer in Vietnam (1994-1999), Hong Kong (2005-2007) and Singapore (1999-2005; 2007-present). He received his JD degree from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law (1981) and his BA from UCLA (1978).
Education
University of California, Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, J.D. (1981)
University of California at Los Angeles, B.A. (1978)
Bar Membership
California Bar Association
Registered Foreign Lawyer in Singapore
Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity Transactions
- Advised GIC in an US$800 million pre-IPO transaction in Vinhomes, a leading Vietnamese real estate developer;
- Advised GIC in pre-IPO transactions involving Vietnamese issuers;
- Advised the Vietnamese shareholders of Euvipharm JSC in the sale of the company to a third party as a part of the settlement of an SIAC arbitration with Valeant, a global pharmaceutical company and the controlling shareholder of Euvipharm;
- Advised Petrovietnam in the acquisition of all of Chevron’s Vietnamese energy assets through the acquisition of three offshore holding companies;
- Advised Petrovietnam Exploration and Production Corporation in two acquisitions in Latin America;
- Advised Vietcombank in the sale of its ownership interest in a joint venture bank to the foreign partner;
- Advised on the buyout, restructuring and recapitalization of OPV, a Vietnamese pharmaceutical business;
- Advised MOL Global, an affiliate of the Berjaya group of companies, in the acquisition of Friendster.com, a California-based social networking site;
- Advised PetroVietnam on a potential takeover bid for Nations Energy, a Canadian company with US$2 billion in Kazakh oil and gas assets; and
- Advised the Government of Vietnam on the London Club Restructuring of Vietnam’s commercial debts and Vietnam’s first international bond issuance.
Real Estate Transactions
- Advised Soil Build, a Singapore investor, and CT Group, a Vietnamese real estate developer in the establishment of a joint venture to develop a mixed-use real estate project;
- Advised Keppel Land in the acquisition of a strategic stake in a mega real estate development project in Ho Chi Minh City;
- Advised a Singaporean investor in the acquisition of an industrial services zone adjoining to a port facility;
- Advised a consortium formed by GIC, Capitaland and Deutsche Bank in the acquisition of Keangnam Tower in Hanoi through the acquisition of secured Korean bank debt;
- Advised Mapletree in the acquisition of Centre Point, a mixed-used building in Ho HCi Minh City;
- Advised Mapletree in the acquisition of Pacific Place, a mixed-use building in central Hanoi; and
- Advised Mapletree in the acquisition of Vivo City, a major mixed-use commercial real estate project in Ho Chi Minh City.
International Arbitrations
- Represented a Korean real estate investment fund in an SIAC arbitration relating to a mixed-use real estate project in Ho HCi Minh City;
- Represented the Vietnamese shareholders of Euvipharm JSC, a Vietnamese pharmaceutical manufacturer they had sold a controlling interest in to Valeant, a global pharmaceutical manufacturer, in an SIAC arbitration and related Vietnamese litigation arising from the sale;
- Represented Vinh-Son Song Hinh JSC (as co-counsel with Drew & Napier (Jimmy Yim SC)) in a US$200 million VIAC arbitration against a consortium of Chinese conractors arising from the construction of the Thuong Kontum hydro-project; and
- Represented Petrovietnam (as co-counsel with Shearman & Sterling (Emmanuel Gaillard and Yas Banifatemi)) in a US$100 million indemnity tax claim ICC arbitration in Singapore against a consortium of two independent oil contractors. This arbitration was an Asia Lawyer 2016 Finalist for Dispute of the Year: Arbitration.
Rankings
Vietnam’s Top 100 Lawyers | Asia Business Law Journal | 2022, 2020
Distinguished Practitioner | Corporate and M&A | Asialaw | 2023, 2022, 2021
Expertise based abroad in Singapore | Corporate and M&A | Chambers | 2021, 2020
Notable practitioner | M&A | IFLR | 2021, 2020
Notable practitioner | Private Equity | IFLR | 2021, 2020
Leading Individual | Dispute Resolution: Arbitration | Legal 500 | 2023, 2022
Comments
“He is particularly experienced advising on transactions in the oil and gas sector.”
“A very sharp lawyer with great strategic vision”
“Very knowledgeable yet very humble and wonderful to work with”
“Strong negotiation strategy and excellent communication skills”
“Spanning the full gamut of corporate issues including joint ventures, restructuring and M&A”
“A very experienced individual”
(Chambers)
“K. Minh Dang is terrific – highly responsive, terrific strategic judgment, and knows the local players as well as the international arbitration players.”
“A very experienced deal lawyer who combines excellent market knowledge in Vietnam and Southeast Asia with a top tier US law firm approach to quality and client service”
(Legal 500)
“On IPO matters, Dang Khai Minh, a Singapore-based senior partner at YKVN, has earned a good name for his top-class legal advice. He has 40 years of experience in a wide variety of international matters, focusing on Vietnam investments and disputes. Ngo Tuu Duc, legal counsel at American multinational food processing and commodities trading corporation Archer Daniels Midland in Ho Chi Minh City, recommends Dang for his in-depth experience on legal practices. “Minh is also a prominent international arbitration lawyer,” says Ngo. “He acted for various state-owned and private entities in international disputes from oil and gas, energy and construction to pharmaceutical.”
(Asia Business Law Journal)
- CHAMBERS ASIA-PACIFIC 2023 GUIDE | Vietnam: An Introduction to Dispute Resolution;
- International Arbitration Review, Vietnam Chapter, 2018 & 2019.
- GAR Know How Commercial Arbitration – Vietnam Chapter – YKVN Vietnam Chapter, 2019.
- The International Comparative Legal Guide to International Arbitration -16th Edition-Vietnam Chapter (2019)
- An Introduction Guide to Arbitration in Asia – Vietnam Chapter – Second Edition, 2018.