YKVN Lawyers

MS. NGUYEN THI DANG
Of Counsel

Nguyen Thi Dang is a leading lawyer in the IFLR1000

Ms. Nguyen Thi Dang is an of-counsel of YKVN and concentrates in banking and finance transactions and has more than 10 years of experience. She was associated with White & Case LLP from 1996 to 1999 and was of counsel to YKVN from 1999 to 2000. From 2001 to April 2004, Ms. Dang was the country legal counsel and compliance head of Citibank N.A., Vietnam. Ms. Dang rejoined YKVN in April 2004.

At Citibank N.A., Vietnam, Ms. Dang was responsible for all legal and compliance aspects of the bank's daily operations. As the country legal counsel, she was in charge of drafting, standardizing and customizing the bank's legal documents, negotiating the bank's contracts with third parties and monitoring the bank's compliance with Citigroup legal documentation policies. Ms. Dang also assisted other Citigroup vehicles on Vietnamese law matters. Ms. Dang was a member of the bank's country management committee and in that capacity she contributed to the bank's business decision-making process through identifying and resolving the legal and compliance risks/issues relating to new services and products. Ms. Dang was the bank's main contact with the regulators and often provided advice to the regulators themselves on banking and finance regulations.

Among other Citibank projects, Ms. Dang was involved in standardizing and customizing the bank's documents on bank accounts, foreign exchange transactions, letters of credit and other trade finance services, and payment services (including Internet-based payment services). Ms. Dang was also involved in most of the bank's significant lending transactions in Vietnam. Recent representative transactions include:

•	US $120 million financing of one B777-200 aircraft for Vietnam Airlines Corporation guaranteed by the US Eximbank;
•	Restructuring of a US $34 million loan to finance an office building in Ho Chi Minh City;
•	US $10 million loan to one of the largest state-owned general corporations of Vietnam;
•	Sale to another foreign bank branch in Vietnam of a US $38 million loan extended to a resort complex in the central part of Vietnam; and
•	US $70 million equivalent VND syndicated loan facility to refinance project debt previously provided to a joint venture company of a major multinational company by a syndicate of offshore lenders led by IFC and a group of Thai banks.

At White & Case and YKVN, Ms. Dang has participated in various projects with respect to infrastructure, contract, insurance and finance law for multinational institutions and agencies, including the International Finance Corporation, Commonwealth Development Corporation, Citibank, Craft Corporation, Sumitomo Metal, Nomura Trading and Mitsui Corporation. Ms. Dang assisted White & Case LLP in preparing the Information Memorandum of Vietnam for the listing of Vietnam's bonds on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange in connection with the London Club restructuring of Vietnam's commercial debts. In particular, Ms. Dang is advising:

•	International Commercial Bank of China, Ho Chi Minh City Branch and a syndicate of foreign bank branches and Vietnamese banks on a US $53 million financing of Phuc Son Cement Plant;
•	Bank for Investment and Devlopment of Vietnam and a syndicate of Vietnamese banks on a US $140 million financing of Binh Phuoc Cement Plant;
•	Bank for Investment and Devlopment of Vietnam and a syndicate of banks on a US $33 million refinancing of project debt of Caravelle Hotel; and
•	Chinfon Bank and a syndicate of Vietnamese banks on a US $33 financing of Saigon South project, Phase 3 of Phu My Hung project company.

Ms. Dang also assisted foreign and Vietnamese clients in relation to many commercial and foreign investment disputes before Vietnamese courts and arbitration bodies. Clients Ms. Dang advises include J. Morita Corporation, Procter & Gamble Vietnam and ExxonMobil.

Ms. Dang also advised on institutional matters in two DANIDA projects, namely "Sustainable Urban Development" and "Capacity Building for Civil Servants."

Education

Kishinev University, Moldova, LL.B., 1990.
New York University School of Law, Master of Comparative Jurisprudence, 1995.

Other Experience

Co-authored the Vietnamese chapter of Banking Yearbook 2004, International Financial Law Review, 2004.
Participated in the International Lawyers Program of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison in New York City.
Worked for the Hai Phong branch of the State Economic Arbitration (the predecessor of the Hai Phong Economic Court ).

Email: dang.nguyen@ykvn-law.com