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Frasers Law Company review: services, fees, pros and cons
Is Frasers Law Company a good choice for a foreign property buyer in Hanoi?
Frasers Law Company — key facts
Law firm- Founded
- 2004 in Ho Chi Minh City, by founder Mark Fraser
- Vietnam offices
- Ho Chi Minh City (Deutsches Haus, 33 Le Duan Boulevard) and Hanoi (Pacific Place, 83B Ly Thuong Kiet Street)
- Licence status
- First law firm to hold a foreign law company licence in Vietnam
- Firm type
- Independent boutique — not part of a global law firm network
- Real estate practice
- Dedicated Real Estate and Construction practice group, one of 16 practice areas
- Services for property buyers
- Title and developer due diligence, SPA and reservation-agreement review, Power of Attorney and notarisation coordination, dispute resolution
- Languages
- Vietnamese, English
- Recognition
- Ranked by The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific and Chambers Asia-Pacific for Real Estate and Construction in Vietnam, with further recognition from asialaw and IFLR1000
Who is Frasers Law Company?
Frasers Law Company was founded in Ho Chi Minh City in 2004 by Mark Fraser, a lawyer who has advised on Vietnam transactions since 1994 and who built the firm into the first law practice to hold a foreign law company licence in the country. Two decades on, Frasers positions itself as Vietnam's premier independent commercial law firm — deliberately boutique rather than a franchise of a global network, with an integrated team of foreign and local lawyers covering 16 practice areas that span banking and finance, corporate M&A, dispute resolution and real estate and construction.
The firm runs offices in Ho Chi Minh City (Deutsches Haus, 33 Le Duan Boulevard) and Hanoi (Pacific Place, 83B Ly Thuong Kiet Street), and its Real Estate and Construction practice is independently ranked by The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific and Chambers Asia-Pacific, with further recognition from asialaw and IFLR1000. Founder Mark Fraser remains individually ranked as a top-tier lawyer for Vietnam by several of the same directories, and the firm's practice spans industrial park projects, high-end hospitality developments and residential blocks for institutional and private clients alike.
Our editorial rating
- Foreigner accessibility
- 4.4 / 5
- English support
- 4.4 / 5
- Track record & reliability
- 4.5 / 5
- Fees & transparency
- 3.8 / 5
- Documentation & process
- 3.9 / 5
A senior-led boutique built specifically around foreign investors since 2004 — you deal with a partner directly rather than a large junior team, though the bench is smaller than an international network's.
International-standard, English-first advice led by founder Mark Fraser, who has practised Vietnam law in English since 1994.
The first law firm to hold a foreign law company licence in Vietnam (2004), with consistent top-tier rankings across Legal 500, Chambers, asialaw and IFLR1000.
No published fee schedule for a single property purchase; as a boutique the firm can be flexible on scope, but always request a written estimate before instructing.
An integrated team of foreign and local lawyers handles due diligence and contract review to international standards, but there is no self-service intake — expect a scoped engagement letter.
+ Strengths and points to weigh
- +The first law firm to hold a foreign law company licence in Vietnam (2004), with founder Mark Fraser advising on Vietnam transactions since 1994 — three decades of continuous, senior-level experience
- +Genuinely boutique: buyers deal directly with a senior partner rather than being routed through a large junior team, a structural point of difference from the international networks on this list
- +Independently ranked by The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific and Chambers Asia-Pacific for Real Estate and Construction in Vietnam, plus recognition from asialaw and IFLR1000 — verifiable, not self-reported
- +Dual-office coverage in Hanoi (Pacific Place) and Ho Chi Minh City (Deutsches Haus), so a Hanoi buyer is not routed through a satellite desk
- +Real estate for foreign investors has been a core focus since the firm's founding, not a generalist practice covering property as a side line
−
- −Smaller bench than the international law firm networks on this list, so capacity can be tighter at peak transaction periods
- −No published fixed-fee schedule for a single property purchase — always request a written estimate before instructing
- −An independent Vietnamese firm rather than a member of a global legal network, so buyers who specifically want a recognisable multinational brand for cross-border coordination should compare against a network firm
- −A founder-led profile closely tied to Mark Fraser personally — confirm which lawyer will actually handle your file day to day
Frasers Law Company for foreign property buyers in Hanoi
For a foreign buyer, Frasers Law Company's real estate practice reviews the Sale & Purchase Agreement before you commit a deposit, runs due diligence on the seller's title and the building's 30% foreign-ownership quota position, and checks that the developer holds a valid developer license and, for an off-plan purchase, that a bank guarantee is in place — all within the renewable 50-year foreign-ownership term set by the Housing Law 2023.
Because the firm was built around foreign investors from its 2004 founding, buyers signing from outside Vietnam are routine business: Frasers can draft and coordinate a Power of Attorney, then carry the file through to Pink Book registration after handover, without requiring your presence at every step of the buying process. The boutique format means a smaller bench than an international network at peak periods, but also a shorter chain between you and the partner actually reviewing your contract, with direct senior access from either the Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City office. As with financing arrangements, fee proposals are scoped per engagement rather than published as a fixed schedule for a single purchase.
Other law firms working with foreign buyers in Hanoi
Frasers Law Company
★Premier cabinet à avoir obtenu une licence de cabinet étranger au Vietnam (32 ans, 17 practices). Corporate & M&A, Real Estate & Construction, banking & finance, foreign investment, data protection, compliance. Conseil international pour entreprises étrangères investissant au Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh City + Hanoi · EN, VN
Vision & Associates
★Investissement étranger, immobilier, corporate/M&A, propriété intellectuelle, conseil - ~90 avocats/conseils
Hanoi · Vietnamien, Anglais
GV Lawyers (Global Vietnam Lawyers)
★Conveyancing immobilier, due diligence, acquisition foncière, conseil aux acheteurs étrangers, transactions résidentielles/commerciales
Ho Chi Minh City · Vietnamien, Anglais
Russin & Vecchi
★Cabinet international parmi les premiers cabinets étrangers licenciés au Vietnam (1993, ~4 associés/20 avocats). 17 domaines dont Real Estate & Construction, FDI & corporate, M&A, IP, banking/capital markets, employment, fiscalité. Sert investisseurs étrangers (référencé pour l'assistance juridique par l'ambassade US).
Ho Chi Minh City + Hanoi · EN, VN
✓ Who should choose Frasers Law Company
- ✓Buyers who want direct, senior-partner access rather than a large-firm team structure
- ✓Buyers whose transaction sits in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City and who value a firm built specifically around foreign investors since 2004
- ✓Buyers who weight independent legal-directory recognition (Legal 500, Chambers, IFLR1000) over global brand-name recognition
- ⚠Buyers who want the reassurance of a recognisable global network name with offices on multiple continents for cross-border coordination
- ⚠Buyers with a very large or multi-jurisdictional transaction who need bench depth beyond a boutique-sized team
Our verdict
4.2 / 5Frasers Law Company's core asset for a foreign buyer is structural: as Vietnam's first foreign-licensed law firm, built in 2004 specifically around foreign investors, it offers senior-partner access that larger international networks cannot always guarantee at the individual-buyer scale. Founder Mark Fraser's three decades in the market and the firm's independent rankings across Legal 500, Chambers, asialaw and IFLR1000 back that positioning with verifiable evidence rather than marketing claims. The trade-off is bench depth: a boutique team means tighter capacity at peak periods and no published fixed fee, so request a written scope before engaging. For a Hanoi buyer who wants a senior lawyer reviewing their file personally rather than a large-firm production line, Frasers Law Company is a credible, independently recognised choice.
Frequently asked questions
Can a foreign buyer engage Frasers Law Company directly from abroad?
Yes. Frasers was built around foreign investors from its 2004 founding, and engagement, document review and signing can typically be coordinated by email and a Power of Attorney without being physically present in Vietnam.
Does Frasers Law Company have an office in Hanoi?
Yes. The firm runs a Hanoi office at Pacific Place, 83B Ly Thuong Kiet Street, alongside its Ho Chi Minh City office at Deutsches Haus — both staffed offices, not a satellite desk routed through another city.
Is Frasers Law Company reliable for property due diligence?
Its track record supports this: founder Mark Fraser has advised on Vietnam transactions since 1994, the firm became the first to hold a foreign law company licence in 2004, and its Real Estate and Construction practice is independently ranked by The Legal 500 and Chambers Asia-Pacific.
What does Frasers Law Company charge for a property purchase review?
The firm does not publish a fixed-fee schedule for individual buyers. As a boutique it can be flexible on scope, but always request a written estimate for due diligence, SPA review or Power of Attorney support before instructing.
Is Frasers Law Company part of an international law firm network?
No — it is an independent Vietnamese firm, not a member of a global legal network such as Baker McKenzie or Dentons. That means direct senior-partner access, but a smaller bench for very large or multi-jurisdictional transactions.
How does Frasers Law Company compare to Baker McKenzie Vietnam?
Both run dedicated real estate practices with English-first teams. Baker McKenzie Vietnam has operated as part of a global network since 1993, while Frasers Law Company is a senior-led independent boutique founded in 2004; see our comparison of law firms for more options.
What practice areas does Frasers Law Company cover beyond real estate?
Alongside Real Estate and Construction, the firm covers banking and finance, corporate M&A, dispute resolution, tax, employment, energy and natural resources, and projects and infrastructure — useful if your purchase also involves company structuring or fund transfers.
Sources
- Housing Law 2023 (27/2023/QH15) — effective 01/08/2024; sets the 50-year foreign-ownership term and the 30% per-building quota referenced in this review.
- Land Law 2024 (31/2024/QH15) — effective 01/08/2024; governs land-use rights referenced in our due-diligence and Pink Book notes.
- Frasers Law Company public firm profile (frasersvn.com); The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific; Chambers Asia-Pacific; IFLR1000; asialaw — consulted July 2026 for firm history, offices and practice-area recognition.
Considering Frasers Law Company for your purchase?
We deal with Hanoi law firms every week — get an independent second opinion on scope, fees and which lawyer will run your file before you sign an engagement letter, at no cost to you.