(VEN) – “Geographical position, access to other ASEAN and Asia-Pacific markets, tax and legal incentives, relatively low costs, excellent diplomatic relations and safe cities represent elements that create a very favourable environment for Italian and other foreign companies in Vietnam,” said Italian lawyer Federico Vasoli who is dMTV (de Masi Taddei Vasoli)’s partner and admitted in Italy as a foreign attorney in Vietnam, in a talk with Vietnam Economic News’ Hoa Le and Nguyen Huong.
Could you tell us the story about dMTV in Vietnam? Why did you choose Vietnam as a destination to establish a branch office?
We first started working with Vietnam in 2005, following previous experiences in the region, especially in Hong Kong-China, where we eventually decided not to open our own office. However, thanks to our exposure to the Asia-Pacific region, we were impressed by Vietnam’s growth and decided to learn more about this country.
We were absolutely fascinated by it, especially by Vietnamese people. The people are Vietnam’s greatest asset. Generally speaking, they are hard-working and have a solid cultural structure rooted in their DNA, whatever their studies and background.
Geographical position, access to other ASEAN and Asia-Pacific markets, tax and legal incentives, relatively low costs, excellent diplomatic relations and safe cities also represent elements that create a very favourable environment for Italian and foreign companies in Vietnam. This was confirmed by our clients that, remembering our distinctive expertise in the region, gently pressured us to be assisted also in this new jurisdiction. We thus studied the country, its culture, its legislation, its way of doing business, established good relations with institutions, set close ties with local top law firms and finally opened in 2007.
The most impressive thing I notice about Vietnam when working here is its dynamism and the passion, at times even the dire pessimism when things do not go as wished, Vietnamese people place in doing business: you can tell they are truly committed to growing and helping their families.
What are some services which dMTV provides customers, especially in Vietnam? What are dMTV’s strengths and core values?
dMTV is a boutique Italian law firm with a distinctive expertise on corporate international law, particularly in jurisdictions in Western Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific, inheriting a three-century old family legacy in the legal profession.
dMTV provides legal services mainly to companies and entrepreneurs, notably in international operations, for instance establishing a representative office or a company in a new market, selling or purchasing goods, services, businesses, shares, assets to/from international partners, protecting intellectual property rights, giving legal opinions on how companies can reach their goals or how their industries are regulated, assisting on bankruptcy, insolvency proceedings and debt restructuring.
We also cooperate regularly with institutions like Italian and Vietnamese embassies, the Italian Trade Commission, the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam and others, as well as with the academic world for conferences, publications and education projects. We definitely provide these and other services to foreign clients that conduct business in or with Vietnam such as entering into agency contracts, opening a representative office and transferring technology.
Besides, we provide support for Vietnamese clients who wish to protect their positions when doing business abroad, especially in Italy and Europe. For instance, we have established a Vietnamese owned company in the fashion industry in Italy, we have provided legal advice on food safety and food labeling to Vietnamese players in this industry.
One of our strengths in Vietnam is that, also thanks to our resident partner, Riccardo Bianco Levrin, who has been living in Hanoi for almost 20 years, we have a good knowledge of the local culture, including business-culture, as well as of what opportunities can arise for Italian and foreign clients that are thinking of tapping into the Vietnamese market. On a more core legal standpoint, when cross-border operations take place, it is essential that lawyers understand legal implication of the two or more jurisdictions involved: our Director in Vietnam, Patricia de Masi Taddei, and I, both Italian lawyers admitted in Vietnam as foreign lawyers, are in the position to bridge such gap.
Could you share with us your plan of doing business in Vietnam in the time to come?
We definitely want to play our role alongside institutions to promote Vietnam as a good solution for many Italian businesses, especially in the manufacturing and service industries. We aim at assisting more Vietnamese companies abroad and to use Vietnam as a platform for serving clients throughout South-East Asia./.
Đăng ký: VietNam News
