"Vietnam, like many other countries in Asia, is in the midst of a transformation. It resonates not only in its economy, but also in its society and culture. The Vietnam today is not the same Vietnam my parents left, and certainly not the Vietnam I had pictured in my mind.
The Hong Duc Clerkship was a way for me to discover Vietnam, to observe its evolution and development, and to see its growing legal system in practice. It was a way to represent the expatriate Vietnamese community, and also participate as one of the growing numbers of Americans interested in visiting and working in Vietnam. And I was surprised to find that Vietnam is a bustling country drawing people from different corners of the world.
This summer provided an eye opening experience, and the atmosphere at the Lovells Ho Chi Minh City Office was a perfect reflection of Vietnam’s environment.
I was amazed by the level of talent and diversity pooled among the 16 people working at the office.
On one of my favorite assignments, I assisted in drafting a sales and purchase agreement and joint venture agreement with a young Danish junior associate, a German senior attorney who had been working in Vietnam for over 5 years, a French-Indian senior attorney, who had worked in France and Vietnam, an American attorney who had over 20 years legal experience in Japan, the United States, and Vietnam, and a young Vietnamese trainee.
I was expected to dive right into the work, at a level of responsibility not expected by many summer associates in the United States.
And it was incredible to see how each individual contributed to the success of the project, from the European attorneys who worked directly with the foreign clients, to the Vietnamese trainee who translated documents and helped working with the Vietnamese clients. Though we each came from different backgrounds, we were all in one office, with the common goal of creating progress through the legal system.
I went to Vietnam hoping to develop a new perspective of what it means to be a lawyer and what it means to be a Vietnamese American. And once I was working in Vietnam, I felt the vibrant energy of the country and the diverse group of people drawn to Vietnam and living in Vietnam.
I developed a richer understanding of what it means to be a Vietnamese American attorney. There is more to being a lawyer than mastering a legal regime. Rather, I recognize that being successful in a legal career encompasses a holistic approach that utilizes all of my skill sets and experiences, a flexibility to adapt.