TRUSTED LEGAL GUIDANCE WHEN IT MATTERS MOST

Living, working, investing, or operating a business in Vietnam often involves legal and administrative challenges that can be difficult to navigate without experienced professional guidance. Understanding local laws, government procedures, regulatory requirements, and commercial obligations is essential to protecting your personal and business interests.

SJP provides General Counsel Services for expatriates, international families, retirees, investors, entrepreneurs, and foreign-owned businesses throughout Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Our service is designed to give clients access to a trusted legal advisor who can provide practical, strategic, and ongoing guidance across a wide range of legal matters.

Rather than consulting multiple professionals for different issues, clients benefit from having a single point of contact who understands their personal, family, and commercial circumstances. This allows for more effective advice, faster responses, and greater consistency when addressing legal concerns.

Our General Counsel services cover a broad range of areas, including legal consultation, contract review and drafting, business and commercial matters, company registration support, regulatory compliance, government liaison services, powers of attorney, notary assistance, wills and estate planning, property matters, immigration concerns, dispute resolution, and legal document review.

Many expatriates and foreign business owners face legal issues that overlap multiple areas of law. A business decision may affect immigration status, while family or property matters may have wider legal implications. Our role is to provide clear, practical advice that helps clients understand their options, manage risk, and make informed decisions.

One of the key benefits of engaging SJP as General Counsel is continuity. By developing a long-term understanding of a client’s circumstances, we can provide advice that is tailored, proactive, and aligned with their personal and business objectives.

For more than two decades, SJP has assisted foreign nationals throughout Vietnam and Southeast Asia with professionalism, discretion, and integrity. Our General Counsel service provides the reassurance of knowing that experienced legal guidance is available whenever it is needed, allowing clients to focus on their families, businesses, investments, and future plans with confidence.

ADDITIONAL AREAS OF PRACTICE

Legal Advisory & Risk Management

Proactive Legal Guidance to Protect Your Interests

Many legal problems can be avoided through proper planning, informed decision-making, and early identification of potential risks. At SJP, we assist expatriates, investors, business owners, retirees, and foreign nationals in understanding their legal obligations and reducing exposure to unnecessary legal, regulatory, and administrative complications.

Our Legal Advisory & Risk Management services are designed to help clients identify potential issues before they develop into costly disputes, government investigations, immigration problems, financial losses, or compliance breaches. By taking a proactive approach, clients can make informed decisions with greater confidence while protecting their personal, family, and business interests.

We provide practical, commercially focused advice tailored to each client’s individual circumstances and objectives. Whether you are establishing a business, making an investment, entering into a commercial agreement, employing staff, purchasing property, or dealing with government authorities, we help assess potential risks and develop strategies to minimise legal exposure.

OUR SERVICES INCLUDE

 

    • Legal risk assessments for individuals and businesses
    • Review of personal, commercial, and operational activities
    • Advice on compliance with Vietnamese laws and regulations
    • Guidance regarding foreign legal obligations affecting overseas citizens
    • Regulatory and administrative compliance reviews
    • Business risk analysis and mitigation strategies
    • Immigration compliance and residency-related advice
    • Employment and labour-related risk assessments
    • Contractual and commercial risk evaluation
    • Property and investment risk reviews
    • Government liaison and administrative guidance
    • Strategic planning to avoid future legal disputes
    • Guidance in complex, sensitive, or high-risk situations
    • Practical advice where legal, commercial, and personal interests overlap

Our objective is not simply to solve problems after they occur but to help clients prevent them from arising in the first place. Through careful planning and ongoing legal oversight, we assist clients in navigating complex situations while maintaining compliance with applicable laws and regulations.

WHO THIS SERVICE HELPS

    • Expatriates living in Vietnam
    • Foreign investors
    • Company owners and directors
    • Entrepreneurs and start-ups
    • Retirees
    • International families
    • Long-term residents
    • Property owners
    • Individuals managing cross-border interests

Outcome

By identifying risks early and implementing practical solutions, clients benefit from greater certainty, reduced legal exposure, improved compliance, and the confidence to make important personal and business decisions with a clear understanding of their legal position.

Regulatory & Government Liaison

SJP acts as an intermediary between clients and government bodies where formal communication or clarification is required.

        • Liaison with local authorities, regulators, and administrative bodies
        • Preparation of formal letters, submissions, and explanations
        • Support during inspections, reviews, or administrative inquiries
        • Clarification of regulatory obligations affecting residency, business, or employment

Who it helps: Expats, business owners, NGOs, international families
Outcome: Clear communication, reduced misunderstanding, controlled outcomes

Contract Review & Legal Documentation

We review, draft, and advise on a wide range of personal and commercial agreements to ensure clients fully understand their rights and obligations.

    • Review of contracts, agreements, and undertakings
    • Advice on enforceability and legal exposure
    • Drafting of formal letters, declarations, and notices
    • Risk identification before signing binding documents

Who it helps: Expats, employers, employees, investors
Outcome: Reduced contractual risk and informed decisions

Property & Asset-Related Legal Advice

We provide legal guidance relating to property use, ownership structures, and asset protection, without acting as agents or brokers.

      • Advice on lawful property use by foreign nationals
      • Review of lease agreements and long-term rental arrangements
      • Guidance on asset holding structures and nominee risks
      • Support for disputes involving property interests

Who it helps: Long-term residents, investors, retirees
Outcome: Clear understanding of rights and lawful structures

Dispute Prevention & Early Resolution

Many legal disputes can be avoided through early advice and structured communication.

    • Early-stage dispute assessment
    • Strategic negotiation and correspondence
    • Mediation support and settlement guidance
    • Referral and coordination with litigation counsel where required

Who it helps: Individuals, families, employers, expatriate workers
Outcome: Faster resolution, lower costs, reduced stress

Personal Legal Advisory for Expats

SJP supports expatriates with general legal questions that fall outside traditional categories but still require accurate advice.

      • Guidance on living, working, and remaining compliant in Vietnam
      • Advice following arrests, fines, or administrative warnings
      • Legal support during emergencies or unexpected legal events
      • Coordination with embassies, consulates, or foreign legal advisers

Who it helps: Expats at any stage of residence
Outcome: Clarity, reassurance, and legally sound next steps

Our Role as General Counsel

SJP’s General Counsel services are built on experience, discretion, and long-term client relationships. We do not offer generic advice or template solutions. Every matter is assessed individually, with clear guidance on risks, options, and realistic outcomes.

Where specialist legal representation is required outside our scope, SJP coordinates and manages referrals to ensure continuity, clarity, and client protection.