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About Dezan Shira & Associates (DSA)
Dezan Shira & Associates is a multi-disciplinary professional services firm with more than 30 years of pan-Asia experience. We provide market entry, legal, accounting, tax, HR, technology and operational advisory to international businesses and investors.
With offices based throughout the Asia region, Dezan Shira & Associates opened our first office in Hanoi, Vietnam in 2008, while simultaneously launching our Vietnam Briefing site – which has kept tens of millions of users current on Vietnam’s regulatory environment. Now we have offices in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang.
Filippo Bortoletti, Director of Vietnam, DSA
Based in Hanoi – Dezan Shira & Associates’ headquarters in Vietnam – and Danang, Filippo assists foreign investors by advising on both tax and legal aspects of establishing and operating a business in Vietnam and ASEAN.
With a pragmatic approach and strong organizational and problem-solving skills, Filippo specializes in advisory and business development tailored to each of our clients’ needs.
Filippo joined Dezan Shira & Associates in 2017 contributing to the growth of the firm and his colleagues in Vietnam. He also established the firm’s office in Danang in 2019 and contributed to the implementation of a new software and best practices in Vietnam.
Prior to joining Dezan Shira & Associates, Filippo worked at a reputed Italian tax and law firm – specializing in budgeting and international tax planning – as well as one of the world’s most influential business network organizations.
Filippo graduated from Italy’s utmost prestigious Bocconi University, specializing in Economics. After which, he continued his studies and graduated Cum Laude in Economics from the University of Trieste.
Thoi Truong, Associate, OrbisConnex
Thoi Truong was born in the small Mekong Delta town of Tra Vinh. At the age of 10, he and his family immigrated to the Washington, D.C. area. Truong is very proud of his Vietnamese heritage and returns to Vietnam often; his fluency in Vietnamese and Cantonese allows him to navigate many environments in Vietnam.
Truong earned a master's degree in Computer Information Systems with concentration in Knowledge Management from Boston University and holds a bachelor's degree in Decision Sciences and Management Information Systems from George Mason University.
Truong is currently an independent contractor in Virginia, where he lives with his wife and two children.
Mr. Dang Trinh – Senior Associate, International Business Advisory, DSA
Dang Trinh, based in Ho Chi Minh City, is a Senior Associate at the International Business Advisory unit of Dezan Shira & Associates. He is in charge of consulting foreign investors on FDI-related subjects in terms of market entry strategies and operational compliance advice in Vietnam.
Before joining Dezan Shira & Associates, Dang worked with a few multinational corporations such as Savills and the British Chamber of Commerce Vietnam.
Dang spent several years working and studying in Australia prior to his formal return to Vietnam. Dang holds a Bachelor's degree in International Business from Western Sydney University in Australia.
Fiammetta Mancini, Associate, United Edge
Drew Burns, Head of Capital, Aspire
Drew Burns has over 14 years of international capital markets experience on both the buy side and sell side. He is currently based in Saigon and serves as Head of Capital for Aspire Financial Technologies Pte. Ltd., one of Southeast Asia’s top fintech companies.
Drew began his career as head of investor relations for a China-based company and led their IPO on the Frankfurt stock exchange. He then moved to a German hedge fund which doubled in size during his time there. Later Drew worked in both venture capital and hedge funds out of Hong Kong, continuing in that capacity after moving to Vietnam in 2018, eventually joining Aspire in 2021.
Drew holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, an MA in Advanced Chinese Language and Culture from The Ohio State University, and a BA in International Affairs from The George Washington University. He speaks English, German, Mandarin, and Vietnamese.
Sean McClure, Factory Representative, United Jumbo Co.
Sean McClure, is a global business professional, fully fluent in Mandarin Chinese he started his career in Northern China with a focus in operations and sales. He has led multinational teams to overcome challenges and push them to new revenue heights. With stints in hotel operations, agriculture sales and higher education. Currently Sean, is the Director of Sales and Marketing at United Jumbo in Southern Vietnam focused as one of the largest exporters of garden tools, outdoor furniture and garden hoses to the international market. Sean has his Master of Arts in East Asian Languages and Literature from Ohio State University and his Bachelor of Arts in Chinese from University of Mississippi.
Ms. Do Thanh Huyen, Manager, Business Intelligence, DSA
Do Thanh Huyen is a manager of Business Intelligence based at Dezan Shira & Associates’ Ho Chi Minh City Office. She advises on business intelligence such as pre-entry strategies, corporate structuring and all-round issues for foreign investors doing business in Vietnam.
Having spent several years in Germany and therefore skilled in German, Huyen plays a key role in the firm’s German Desk in Vietnam for which she nurtures and develops local partnerships with the German business partners community, coordinates German language publications and is point of contact for all German speaking clients interested in doing business in Vietnam.
Prior to joining DSA, Huyen has gained consulting experience throughout Europe and Vietnam. Huyen also holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business Management from Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts.
Mr. Filippo Scaglia – Senior Associate, International Business Advisory, DSA
Filippo graduated from the law program at the University of Bergamo in Italy. After completing his a traineeship in Italy, he took his first steps in Asia gaining experience in law firms in Hong Kong, Shanghai and Hanoi.
He has been working with law firms in Vietnam since 2019, first in Hanoi and currently at Dezan Shira and Associates’ office in Ho Chi Minh City. In this role, he assists international investors in the development of foreign invested businesses in Vietnam, in collaboration with the International Advisory Team of DSA offices globally.
Ms. Duong Thi Thanh Phuc – Associate Manager, DSA Business Advisory
As the Associate Manager of our Ho Chi Minh City Office’s Business Advisory Services team, Phuc services and provides legal advice to multinational clients on all aspects of corporate & commercial, mergers & acquisitions, real estate, logistics, F&B, education, and clinics. Her services cover a wide range of issues that corporate investors encounter in all stages of their business activities in Vietnam.
Phuc has over eight years of experience in consultancies and legal practices. Prior to joining Dezan Shira & Associates, she worked for a local consultancy firm providing business investment consultancy, official development assistance project consultancy, legal services, and Intellectual Property Services.
Phuc is a graduate from the University of Economics and Laws under Vietnam National University – Ho Chi Minh City and passed the examination for being licensed with the Certificate of finishing the lawyers training course.
Patrick McAloon, Principal, OrbisConnex
Having made his first trip to China in 1997, Patrick McAloon has been connecting Asia and the US for over 20 years. After leaving the eCommerce company MeetChina.com in 2001, McAloon studied and taught Chinese at the Ohio State University for 14 years. Under the guidance of his teachers at OSU, McAloon won a first place prize at the 2004 Chinese Bridge world final competition for non-native speakers of Chinese in Beijing.
Prior to founding OrbisConnex, McAloon co-founded the US-China business & education project management firm SinoConnect, served as executive director of the US Heartland China Association, co-founded the Greater Columbus (Ohio) Chinese Chamber of Commerce, and chaired the Hefei/Tainan sister cities committee for Greater Columbus Sister Cities International. Outside of his work with Asia, McAloon co-owns the real estate and property management company Columbus Living, is a board member of the Orange County (Virginia) Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the Rotary Club of Orange.
McAloon is the author of the guide to study abroad in China, “Studying in China,” based on his experiences in taking American students to China. He holds a PhD in Chinese language pedagogy from the Ohio State University and a BA in East Asian Studies from the College of William and Mary.