Bui Thanh Tien

Practice Areas

Tien has been with Freshfields Vietnam offices since 2002 and is the first ever Vietnamese lawyer elected to the Freshfields partnership. He is widely recognised as a top-tier corporate and finance lawyer in Vietnam.

Tien spends substantial time on helping private capital investors and multinational companies on their investments and divestments in Vietnam. As the lead lawyer for Freshfields Vietnam, Tien has advised on some of the most high-profile transactions and the most complex and innovative structures in Vietnam. Tien also has extensive experience in the banking and finance sector, representing clients from all parts of the world in a range of work, including corporate financing, project and asset financings, and restructurings.

Tien has established a reputation among his clients as an effective and commercially minded lawyer who represents the client’s best interests. Fluent in both Vietnamese and English, Tien is also known as an effective communicator with an ability to present complex legal issues to his clients and the counterparties.

He is the author or co-author of many publications, including “Vietnam Corporate Acquisitions and Mergers”, a book published by Wolters Kluwer, now in its seventh edition, the Vietnam chapter of the book entitled “Restructuring and Insolvency 2023”, a book published by Lexology/Getting the Deal Through, the Vietnam chapter of the book titled “International Project Finance and PPPs – A Legal Guide to Key Growth Markets” published by Wolters Kluwer Law & Business, and the Vietnam chapter of the publication titled “Arbitration in Asia”, published by Juris Publishing.

Professional Memberships

• Member of American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam

• Member of European Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam

• Member of the Investment Trade Committee of the Vietnam Business Forum

Work Highlights

Tien’s recent experiences include advising:

• Jardine Cycle and Carriage on its US$350 million convertible bond issued by the Thaco Group, a major Vietnamese industrial, automotive and real estate corporation.

• The developers on all aspects of two on-going LNG-to-power projects in Vietnam.

• International investors on their US$250 million investment by way of convertible bonds and non-convertible warrant-linked bonds issued by one of the leading public property development companies in Vietnam.

• CVC Capital Partners on the acquisition of 60% of Phuong Chau Trade and Investment JSC, the operator of the Phuong Chau-branded maternal and infant care hospitals in southern Vietnam.

• An Asia-focused healthcare private equity firm on its investment in FV Hospital, the leading Vietnamese tertiary healthcare provider and subsequent sale to Thomson Medical.

• A UK multinational school investor on its acquisition of international schools in Vietnam and the establishment of international schools in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi.

• Mekong Capital on its investment in and divestment of over 60 local companies in Vietnam operating in various industries.

• A global energy company on the sale of its entire interest in the Thang Long block in Vietnam, to Bitexco Energy, a subsidiary of the Bitexco Group.

• An investment company on the acquisition of a US$1bn+ stake in one of Vietnam’s largest company listed on the HOSE.

• A Vietnamese fast-growing e-commerce company on its fund-raising activity.

• A U.S. investment bank on the restructuring and further investment in a Vietnamese mobile money company.

• A Singaporean investment company on its Series C investments in Ho Chi Minh City-headquartered Scommerce Investment Corporation.

• A multinational drink and brewing company on the bid for US$5 billion stake in Saigon Beer-Alcohol-Beverage Corporation.

• The sponsors on the US$1.9 billion financing of the 1200MW Mong Duong 2 BOT power project in Quang Ninh, Vietnam.

• On the financing and restructuring of two port projects of more than US$200 million each.

Expert in these Jurisdictions

Admitted to the Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association

Education