Allens Arthur Robinson has relocated two experienced finance lawyers to the firm's Ho Chi Minh office as it continues its aggressive Vietnam growth push.

Project finance partner Thomas Miller and senior associate David Hinchey have shifted from the Bangkok and Sydney offices respectively in preparation for an expected growth in finance work in Asia, particularly Vietnam, over the next 12 months.

Miller has worked out of Allen's Thailand joint venture office with Siam Premier for 10 years, with work spanning Australia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Papua New Guinea and Thailand. He was recently involved in the Pan Australian mine financing in Laos. Hinchey has broad experience across a range of areas of practice relevant to banking and financial services, including commercial lending, consumer lending and asset financing.

Allen's head of the project finance Phillip Cornwell said Vietnam's admission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2006 has escalated foreign investor interest in the jurisdiction. In 2007, foreign direct investment commitments for new and existing projects reached US$20.3bn, up from US$12bn in 2006. As a result, commercial law firms in Vietnam have recently been inundated with legal work, and have found it difficult to recruit mid-level to senior lawyers to cope with the influx.