Kelvin Chia Partnership is set to double the size of its Vietnam practices by 2003 on the back of an expected influx of foreign investment into the region.

The firm plans to recruit three Vietnamese lawyers to each of its offices in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City between now and early next year. The offices currently employ five and four lawyers respectively.

Singapore-based Kelvin Chia partner Mary de Souza, previously based in Vietnam, says the firm is positioning itself to take advantage of renewed interest in Vietnam from foreign investors. The government’s protectionist stance in the late 1990s has given way to a more liberal and competitive foreign investment policy.

“Investors recognize Vietnam’s great potential in its young, enterprising population,” says de Souza. “We have been actively operating in Vietnam for the past seven years and we have considerable experience to offer to foreign investors. We see definite signs of the next wave and we want to be ready for it.”