Which political, economic or regulatory changes have impacted your work the most in the past year?

The war in Ukraine and the continuous Chinese interference in the South China Sea have clearly continued to negatively impact the energy industry in Vietnam over the past year. In particular, for Harbour Energy, the sanctions have now taken their toll on Russian partners and service providers, making it much harder—if not impossible—to deliver projects. This is especially true for Tuna, the much-anticipated cross-border gas project between Indonesia and Vietnam, which is expected to cost approximately US$3.07 billion to commence production. Harbour’s partner, Zarubezneft, now has to seek divestment from the project due to the strict sanctions from the West.

Additionally, concerns about potential interference from China may pose further challenges to the project.              

How do you motivate and manage the other members of your legal team well?  

Transparent communication throughout is essential. From personal experience, I would say that whenever you can communicate honestly and constructively about the goals of the team and the company, as well as the role that each individual has to play with your team members, the result tends to be positive. Consistency is key as well, as people are discouraged by the fact that managers cannot deliver what they said they would. So, let’s make sure that’s not going to be the case.