Manufacturing & Distribution Working Group

Overview

Established in 1998 at the request of the government and business groups participating in the Vietnam Business Forum, the M&D Working Group has proved to be an effective instrument through which businesses and government can share their knowledge, views, and ideas. Many of the issues raised at the various meetings have been resolved and the discussions take place in a spirit of co-operation and mutual understanding. Thanks to the excellent relationship between the M&D Group and the government, the M&D Group is often called upon by the government to provide commentary and input to draft legislation, such as the revised land law and ordinance, and the revised labor code.

In response to the need for businesses and government to discuss issues of specific concern, the M&D group has also formed various sub-groups in such areas as:

• Investment Law & Enterprise Law
• Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), Technology Transfer
• Land
• Labor 
• Tax
• Mining

Under the M&D Group, several issues have been raised and addressed by government counterparts. Some most recent results are the unification in the legal framework for domestic and foreign investment and business; closer cooperation between the government and business associations in adapting the new WTO rules and tapping into the WTO benefits; clarity and transparency in land clearance and compensation procedures, improvement in patent and industrial design protection, full abolition of 10% cap on some parts of Marketing and Promotion Expenses, and the amendment to the Labor Code and labor regulations to address industry relations issues. 

The M&D group is led by Mr. Fred Burke, Managing Partner of Baker & McKenzie.  Fred also leads IPR & Technology Transfer. The Investment & Enterprise Law (IL/EL) Sub-group is led by both Mr.   Fred Burke and Mr. Tran Anh Duc, Country Partner of Vilaf Hong Duc. The Land Sub-group is led by Ms. Nguyen Suong Dao, Managing Partner of Johnson Stokes & Master, and the Tax sub-group is led by both Ms. Dinh Quynh Van, Partner of PriceWaterHouseCoopers, and Mr. Tom McCelland, Partner of Ernst &Young Vietnam.

Structure