Japanese law firm Atsumi & Sakai has announced the opening of its first Southeast Asian office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, as it seeks to expand its presence in the region's growing market.

The new office, named Atsumi & Sakai Vietnam Law Firm, will be located in the Bitexco Financial Tower and staffed by two Japanese lawyers and one Vietnamese lawyer. It will offer services including cross-border M&A, legal due diligence, and dispute resolution.

Partner Katsunori Irie, a Japanese lawyer registered as a foreign lawyer in Vietnam, will serve as the representative of the Ho Chi Minh City office. The other lawyers are of counsel Thi Ngoc Anh Mai and associate Taisuke Oikawa.

The firm has been operating an alliance with Hanoi-based A-PAC International Law Firm since 2011, building experience in the Vietnamese market, primarily serving Japanese companies entering or considering the market.

"Our Ho Chi Minh office will provide our clients with timely assistance for their business expansion in Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia," a statement from the firm said.

The Vietnam launch marks Atsumi & Sakai's fifth overseas office, following New York, London, Frankfurt, and Brussels, which opened in May this year. The firm plans to leverage its global network to handle large-scale cases and intends to expand its team in Vietnam based on client needs, it said.

Japan is currently Vietnam's third-largest source of foreign investment and its fourth-largest trading partner, with bilateral trade reaching $50 billion in 2022. Japanese multinationals such as Canon, Honda, Panasonic, and Bridgestone are among the largest foreign investors in Vietnam.

With this move, Atsumi & Sakai joins other major Japanese law firms in establishing a foothold in Vietnam. Competitors such as Nishimura & Asahi, TMI Associates, Mori Hamada & Matsumoto, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu, and Anderson Mori & Tomotsune already have offices in either Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi, or both.