David Harrison

Multilateral and commercial lenders and agents seek David's advice on a broad range of secured and subordinated credit facilities extended to banks and corporations in Vietnam and other Asian jurisdictions, including Cambodia, Mongolia, and Sri Lanka.

David has also advised lenders and borrowers on out-of-court workouts and insolvency and restructuring matters in both Vietnam and the United States. David has over 10 years of experience working in Vietnam, in addition to New York.

Clients David has served include HSBC, Asian Development Bank, and LeapFrog Investments.

• GS Energy on the shareholders agreement for a 3GW LNG-to-power project in Vietnam.
• Lead investor in the US$200 million private equity investment in Vincom Retail.
• European Development Finance Institution on the financing of, and equity investment in, an LPG Terminal in Bangladesh.
• Global insurer in relation to the first warranty and indemnity insurance product in Vietnam. This represents the first time that a warranty and indemnity policy (W&I policy) has been used on a Vietnam acquisition.
• Private equity investor in a hybrid debt/equity investment in a casino project in Vietnam.
• Selling shareholders in VNG Corporation (Vinagames) in a disposal of a minority stake in Vinagames to a foreign fund.
• European investors in an equity investment in a publicly traded Sri Lankan insurance company.

Advising:

• FMO, the Dutch Development Bank, on a 15% equity investment in Hamkorbank, one of the largest commercial banks in Uzbekistan and a public company traded on the Tashkent Stock Exchange.
• Leading international banks on the divestment of all shares in a leading domestic commercial bank, which is one of the largest private banks in a SE Asia market.
• FMO (Dutch Development Bank), Belgian Investment Company for Developing Countries (BIO) and Dragon Capital Group on the auction process and strategic sale of their collective 67 percent shareholdings in PRASAC Microfinance Institution, Cambodia's largest microfinance institution with more than US$1.3 billion in assets. The transaction closed in March 2017 and was recognized as being one of the most innovative transactions in 2017.
• TPG Capital on its acquisition of a majority stake in Vietnam Australia International schools from its founder, Mekong Capital and MAJ Invest.
• Foreign investor on a proposed majority acquisition of a Vietnamese commercial bank.
• FMO on its divestment from a Sri Lankan microcredit institution.

Finance

Representing:

• Global commercial banks in their US$200 million onshore/offshore financing of a prominent real estate asset in Hanoi.
• International Finance Corporation, LeapFrog Investments, and DEG on a subscription for Tier 2 Capital Bonds issued by HD Bank.
• Private equity firm with over US$5 billion under management in the cross-border reorganization of its portfolio.
• A syndicate of lenders led by a developmental lender, as agent, in a US$150 million Tier 2 Capital Facility to Sacombank, one of Vietnam's largest listed banks (the first Tier 2 Capital facility in Vietnam).

Advising:

• FMO, the Dutch Development Bank, as international counsel on bilateral and syndicated financings to corporate clients, commercial banks, finance leasing companies, and microcredit institutions in Vietnam, Mongolia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka.
• AES and the BOT project company in the financing of the US$1.8 billion Mong Duong 2 1,240 MW coal-fired power plant project in northern Vietnam (Project Finance deal of the year 2012 by IFLR Asia).
• The Development Bank of Mongolia on a US$300 million syndicated facility arranged by Credit Suisse that is guaranteed by the Mongolian Ministry of Finance.
• Syndicate of lenders led by IFC in the financing of international container terminals at Cai Lan Port in northern Vietnam and Cai Mep Port in southern Vietnam. The borrowers under each project were joint venture companies between Vinalines, Vietnam's state-owned shipping company, and Carrix.
• European development finance institutions in restructuring credit facilities extended to the Vietstar Waste Management Project in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

• Foreign Expert for Bangladesh - Corporate/M&A, Vietnam – Chambers Global
• Leading Individual - Corporate/M&A, Vietnam – Chambers Asia Pacific
• Leading Individual - Banking & Finance, Vietnam – Chambers Asia Pacific
• Highly Regarded Lawyer – Banking, Vietnam – IFLR1000
• Rising Star - Banking and Finance, Vietnam – IFLR1000
• Up and Coming - Banking and Finance, Vietnam – Chambers Asia Pacific
• "He knows Vietnam extremely well. He can identify the expertise within the firm and deliver it to us in a very efficient and client-friendly way." – Chambers Global 
• "It is an all-round positive experience working with David. He is responsive, client-centric and provides commercially sound insights." – Chambers Global
• "David is a well-versed 'legal eagle' possessing an in-depth knowledge of the ins and outs regarding the complexities of the local market. David understands when a deal needs to be done and his commercial finesse navigates parties through the white water." – IFLR1000
• "We feel that he is a safe pair of hands when it comes to navigating the complexities of the Vietnamese regulatory environment and commercial realities"– IFLR1000
• "He is an exceptional lawyer, his local expertise is unmatched. Not only is he a lawyer but a valued adviser that gets deals done. "– IFLR1000
• "David Harrison is a brilliant and outstanding lawyer and a point of reference whenever there is a highly complex deal. His technical ability, coupled with exceptional soft skills and commercial sense, make him a formidable legal adviser on any transaction." – Chambers Asia Pacific 
• "David Harrison is a well-balanced commercial lawyer with in-depth experience and knowledge relating to Vietnamese M&A deals. David has assisted us to commercially navigate through the legal gauntlet of frontier markets." – The Legal 500 Asia Pacific
• "David Harrison is perhaps the top foreign transaction lawyer working in Vietnam today. He has a depth of experience in the country and world-class legal expertise. He is invariably my first call for all things Vietnam related." – The Legal 500 Asia Pacific
• "David Harrison and his team are professional, courteous, warm, honest, deal-makers and competent." – The Legal 500 Asia Pacific
• "Hands-on approach, results-oriented, people-driven practice, efficient" – The Legal 500 Asia Pacific
• "Proactive, supportive and knowledgeable of the Vietnam market." – Chambers Asia Pacific
• "He is able to do exactly what you want from a lawyer: solve problems and envision ways of sidestepping problems in the future." – Chambers Asia Pacific
• "Very responsive and solution-oriented." – Chambers Asia Pacific 
• "'Practical as well as theoretical' and 'commercially focused.'" – Chambers Asia Pacific