Nguyen Vu Lan
Nguyễn Vũ Lân
LL.B. (Hons) (NUS)
Associate Director
"It is easy to be right and far harder to be kind; but when you choose to be kind, you will always be right."
Inquisitive and critical, Vu Lan is at his best when he has a problem to solve. Be it in figuring out the best snorkelling spots around Cebu (a secret wanderer at heart, he is), or finding the most legally and commercially sound solution for a client, Vu Lan tackles issues with a dogged determination and an analytical mind.
His curious disposition also means that Vu Lan’s practice ranges widely: from shareholder and commercial disputes, private wealth and trust issues, to compliance and regulatory matters. He has successfully acted in one of the largest trust disputes in Singapore involving assets valued nearly $700 million, as well as a contractual and fiduciary duty dispute where the claim sum was $2.7 billion.
Having graduated from NUS Law with First Class Honours after studying in Singapore under two full-ride scholarships, Vu Lan is no stranger to the complexities and nuances of Singapore’s legal and social landscape. Despite that – or perhaps because of that – he remains deeply connected to his Vietnamese heritage, and actively contributes to the Vietnamese community. For instance, Vu Lan frequently develops workshop materials and gives talks for the Vietnam Institute for International Arbitration, sharing his knowledge and experience to develop Vietnam’s international arbitration scene.
A firm believer in community service, Vu Lan regularly acts for accused persons under the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS). He further puts his Vietnamese heritage to good use by volunteering to defend Vietnamese accused persons under CLAS, and Vietnamese spouses under Law Society’s Legal Empowerment & Assistance for Foreign Spouses programme.
Notable Briefs
Acted for offshore companies in the Singapore High Court and Court of Appeal in the account proceedings relating to one of the largest trust disputes in Singapore to date, involving assets of US$600 million to US$800 million linked to the late Mr Robert Perez De La Sala, one of the wealthiest men in Australia: Ernest Ferdinand Perez De La Sala v Compañia De Navegación Palomar, SA [2018] 1 SLR 894.
Acted for one of the biggest players in the insurance industry against a S$2.8 billion claim by Prudential Assurance Company Singapore, in a matter involving allegations of solicitation of more than 240 insurance agents, breaches of contract and breaches of fiduciary duties: Prudential Assurance Company Singapore (Pte) Limited v Peter Tan Shou Yi and another [2021] SGHC 109. Successfully reduced the claim for damages from S$2.7 billion to less than S$5 million.
Acted for one of South Korea's leading construction and civil engineering firms, in a multi-million construction dispute involving one of Singapore’s largest hospital projects, under the auspices of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre.
Acted for the founder of a Vietnamese startup that runs a business-to-business e-commerce platform in Vietnam, in a dispute involving allegations of breach of director’s duties: OOPA Pte Ltd v Bui Sy Phong [2021] SGHC 142.
Acted for one of the world’s largest integrated global healthcare service providers, in a multi-jurisdictional, multi-million dollar dispute against a global pharmaceutical company that involves complex questions of jurisdiction, tort law and damages.
Acted for a private equity investment firm regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, in relation to enhanced Customer Due Diligence and money laundering / terrorism financing risks in a suspicious transaction. Acted for an affiliate of the firm in a related court proceeding where the key issues to be decided concerned anti-money laundering / terrorism financing issues.