Partner Truong Trong Nghia recognized by ALB as one of Asia Top 30 Litigators 2026

YKVN is pleased to announce that Partner Truong Trong Nghia, Co-Chair of YKVN’s Litigation & Arbitration Practice, has been recognized by Asian Legal Business (ALB) as one of Asia Top 30 Litigators 2026.

With 44 years of experience across arbitration, litigation, foreign investment and corporate law, Mr. Nghia is widely recognized as one of Vietnam’s most experienced disputes lawyers. A former government trade official and state arbitrator, he has contributed to the development of Vietnamese legal practice through his work on complex commercial disputes, infrastructure projects and state asset matters. He is also recognized for his role in shaping Vietnamese legal precedent, including a landmark Supreme Court cassation ruling on letters of credit.

Over the past 15 years, Mr. Nghia has also held significant civic and professional leadership roles, including as a member of Vietnam’s National Assembly and its Judiciary Committee, and in leadership positions with the Vietnam Bar Federation, the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association and the Vietnam Society of International Law.

In a conversation with ALB, Mr. Nghia discussed recent developments in Vietnam’s litigation landscape, the role of legal and institutional reform, and the use of AI in litigation.

Read the full interview below:

What case or achievement stands out most for you in the last 12 months?

The most significant matter for us in the past 12 months was representing the former CEO of one of Vietnam’s largest state-owned enterprises in two criminal cases. The enterprise had undergone equitization, a process through which state ownership is converted into shares and partially sold to private investors and employees. Our client was accused of undervaluing the enterprise’s assets during that process, which allegedly caused the state shareholder losses of approximately US$25 million.

During the proceedings, Vietnam entered a period of substantial reform in its criminal law, with a growing willingness to distinguish between violations committed for personal gain and conduct undertaken in the course of public service without improper motive, particularly where the long-term outcome was positive and the damage could be fully or partly remedied. We worked intensively to use those legal developments to our client’s advantage and ultimately secured a more favorable outcome for him.

How has your litigation approach evolved, and where do you see the practice heading?

My litigation approach has become increasingly adaptive and reform-oriented. Vietnam is pursuing an ambitious growth agenda, with targets of average annual GDP growth of at least 10% from 2026 to 2030, upper-middle-income status by 2030, and developed-country status by 2045. Achieving those objectives will require major legal and institutional reform, including changes across the broader legislative framework.

For litigators, this means we can no longer rely only on settled doctrine or established practice. We must follow legal and policy developments closely, compare new rules against prior frameworks, and understand how those changes may affect judicial reasoning, enforcement priorities, and commercial expectations. Looking ahead, I believe litigation in Vietnam will become more sophisticated, more policy-aware, and more closely connected to the country’s broader economic transformation.

Where do you draw the line between AI assistance and human judgment in litigation?

Lawyers who fail to embrace AI will risk becoming less effective and less competitive. At the same time, lawyers who use AI carelessly risk errors in judgment that can materially damage a case. In litigation, AI is a powerful tool for speed, research, and analysis, but it cannot replace the discipline of human review or the quality of professional judgment.

Because the technology is evolving so quickly and reaching into every aspect of legal work, both judges and advocates must remain in a constant state of learning. For me, the line is clear: AI should assist, but never replace human judgment.

About ALB Asia Top 30 Litigators:

The ALB Asia Top 30 Litigators ranking highlights leading litigators across Asia who have demonstrated excellence in handling complex and significant disputes.