Leading Japanese law firm Nishimura & Asahi has strengthened its Vietnam practice with the addition of veteran lawyer Nguyen Ngoc Phuc as a partner in Ho Chi Minh City from rival Mori Hamada & Matsumoto (MHM).
Phuc brings over 25 years of experience in real estate, mergers and acquisitions, corporate law, and finance. He joined MHM in 2022 from Zico Law, where he was a partner, and previously ran his own practice, Garnet Law, for nearly a decade. Phuc had a stint as an auditor at EY early in his career.
Nishimura's expansion in Vietnam aligns with the growing Japanese investment in the country, which reached $4.8 billion in 2022, according to the Vietnam Foreign Investment Agency.
The firm launched its Ho Chi Minh City office in 2010 and expanded to Hanoi the following year. Phuc’s appointment means Nishimura now has nine partners in Vietnam.
