Vietnam Law FAQs for Foreign and Local Investors: 115 Questions Answered
Vietnam welcomes foreign investment, and it is also rewriting much of its business law: a new Law on Investment took effect on 1 March 2026, and the tax, land, labour, data and natural-resources rules have all changed since 2025. The rules are spread across the Law on Investment, the Law on Enterprises, the tax laws, the Land Law, the Labour Code, the minerals and petroleum laws and a set of sector regulators. These eleven guides answer the 115 questions investors ask most, in plain English and tied to the governing law, and say where the position differs for Vietnamese investors.
Re-checked against official Vietnamese sources every month · Reviewed · How we check
New: Doing Business in Vietnam, the guide
The investor FAQs answer questions one at a time. The guide walks through the law chapter by chapter: investment framework and market access, company set-up, tax, employment, land, banking and repatriation, IP and data, M&A, disputes, mining, oil and gas, and agriculture, with detailed sections, step-by-step procedures and the traps to avoid.
Open the guideVietnam's Investment Framework
The Law on Investment 2025, market access, the IRC and who counts as a foreign investor.
- Is Vietnam open to foreign investment in all sectors?
- Which law governs foreign investment in Vietnam?
- Who counts as a "foreign investor" under Vietnamese law?
- Do foreign investors get the same treatment as Vietnamese investors?
- Which government bodies deal with investors, and what does the Ministry of Finance do?
- Do I need an Investment Registration Certificate (IRC)?
- When is investment policy approval needed, and who gives it?
- How long can an investment project last, and can it be changed or terminated?
- What ongoing reporting obligations do investors have?
- Is there a minimum investment amount, and must I post a deposit?
Company & Branch Setup
Entity types, ownership, capital, registration, legal representatives, beneficial ownership and filings.
- What business structures can I use in Vietnam?
- Can a foreigner own 100% of a Vietnamese company?
- Is there a minimum share capital, and when must it be paid?
- What are the steps to set up a foreign-owned company, and how long does it take?
- Do I need a local director or a resident legal representative?
- What is the difference between a subsidiary, a branch and a representative office?
- What can a representative office do?
- What are the beneficial ownership disclosure rules?
- What annual filings does a Vietnamese company face?
- Can I register a company without visiting Vietnam?
Tax for Investors
Corporate tax, VAT, foreign contractor tax, treaties, capital transfers, PIT, transfer pricing and filing.
- What is the corporate income tax rate in Vietnam?
- What is the VAT rate, and when must I register?
- What tax is withheld on dividends, interest, royalties and fees paid abroad?
- Which countries have double taxation agreements with Vietnam?
- Is there capital gains tax when I sell shares or capital in a Vietnamese company?
- Have there been recent tax changes foreign investors should know about?
- How are employees and expatriates taxed?
- What are the transfer pricing and interest deduction rules?
- What are the main tax filing deadlines?
- What are the penalties for late filing or payment, and how are tax disputes resolved?
Investment Incentives
Preferential CIT rates, tax holidays, sectors and locations, special incentives and fast-track licensing.
- What investment incentives does the Law on Investment 2025 offer?
- What preferential corporate income tax rates are available?
- Is there a corporate income tax holiday in Vietnam?
- Which sectors and locations qualify for incentives?
- Are there special incentives for large or strategic projects?
- What is the Investment Support Fund, and how does the global minimum tax affect incentives?
- Can I import equipment and materials duty-free for an investment project?
- Is there a fast-track licensing route for high-tech or semiconductor projects?
- What incentives exist for start-ups, innovation and digital technology?
- Are incentives automatic, or do I need approval, and can they be lost?
Land & Property
Land use rights, State leases, industrial parks, foreign housing ownership and land recovery.
- Can foreigners own land in Vietnam?
- What is the difference between land allocation and land lease, and between annual and one-off rent?
- How long is the land use term for an investment project?
- Can a foreigner buy a house or apartment in Vietnam?
- How does leasing land in an industrial park work?
- How do planning, auctions and bidding affect access to land for a project?
- What happens if I do not use the land or fall behind schedule?
- Can a foreign-invested company use agricultural land?
- How do I check land title, mortgages and encumbrances before I buy or lease?
- Is my land protected from expropriation?
Employment & Immigration
Work permits, visas, contracts, working hours, insurance, minimum wage and termination.
- Do foreign staff need work permits in Vietnam?
- How does the work permit process work, and must I try to hire locally first?
- What visas and residence cards are available to investors and foreign staff?
- What must an employment contract in Vietnam contain?
- What working hours, leave and public holidays apply?
- What social, health and unemployment insurance must I pay?
- What is the minimum wage in Vietnam?
- How can I terminate an employee, and what severance is due?
- Do consultants and contractors create tax or permanent-establishment risk?
- Do I have to deal with trade unions or pay a union fee?
Repatriation, Banking & Currency
Profit repatriation, foreign exchange, capital accounts, offshore loans and the financial centre.
- Can I repatriate profits and capital from Vietnam?
- What tax conditions apply before profits can leave Vietnam?
- Are there foreign exchange controls in Vietnam?
- Can I price contracts and receive payment in US dollars?
- How are shareholder loans and offshore borrowing treated?
- How do I open a corporate bank account as a foreign-owned company?
- What tax applies when I pay foreign suppliers or group companies?
- Can a foreign company operate through a branch and send its profits home?
- What is the Vietnam International Financial Centre?
- How should I bring in capital so that I can repatriate it later?
Contracts, Disputes & Arbitration
Courts, VIAC, foreign awards and judgments, treaties, mediation and security over assets.
- How are commercial disputes resolved in Vietnam?
- Can I choose foreign governing law and a foreign arbitration seat?
- What is VIAC and how do I write an arbitration clause?
- Will Vietnamese courts enforce foreign arbitral awards?
- Can I enforce a foreign court judgment in Vietnam?
- Do investment treaties protect my investment in Vietnam?
- How are disputes between an investor and the State resolved?
- Is mediation available for commercial disputes?
- How long do court cases take and what interim relief is available?
- How do I secure a loan or claim with collateral in Vietnam?
Data, IP & Compliance
Data protection, intellectual property, anti-money laundering, competition, anti-corruption and environment.
- What is Vietnam's personal data protection law and who does it apply to?
- Do I need impact assessments to process or transfer data abroad, and must data be stored in Vietnam?
- What are the breach notification, data subject rights and penalty rules?
- How do I protect trademarks and patents in Vietnam?
- Can I extend international filings to Vietnam, and what did the 2025 IP amendments change?
- What anti-money-laundering obligations apply to my business?
- Does Vietnam have merger control and consumer protection rules?
- What are the anti-corruption rules?
- What environmental approvals do I need?
- Are electronic signatures and online contracts valid in Vietnam?
Regulated Sectors & Exit
Conditional sectors, banking, energy, telecoms, trading, procurement, audit, M&A and winding up.
- Which business lines need extra licences beyond company registration?
- How do I get a licence for a bank or fintech, and how much of a bank can I own?
- What is the process for investing in energy and power projects?
- How do telecoms and digital businesses get licensed, and what are the ownership caps?
- What licences do I need to trade, distribute or open shops?
- How do public procurement and PPPs work for foreign companies?
- What accounting and audit standards apply?
- What approvals are needed when a foreign investor buys into a Vietnamese company?
- How do I wind up a company or close an investment project?
- Where can I check the latest law, and who can advise me?
Minerals, Mining, Oil & Gas
Mineral licences and auctions, rare earths, mining taxes, and oil and gas contracts with Petrovietnam.
- What laws govern minerals, mining, oil and gas in Vietnam?
- Who owns minerals and petroleum, and what if the deposit is under someone's land?
- How are minerals classified, and who grants mineral licences?
- How long do exploration and mining licences last, and can they be extended?
- Are mining rights auctioned, and what are the exceptions?
- Can a foreign-invested company hold a mineral licence in Vietnam?
- What fees and taxes apply to mining?
- Can I export unprocessed minerals, and what are the rules on rare earths?
- What environmental approvals, deposits and closure duties apply to a mine?
- Who regulates oil and gas, and what is Petrovietnam's role?
- What types of petroleum contract are used, and how are contractors selected?
- How long does a petroleum contract last, and can it be extended?
- What taxes and government take apply to oil and gas production?
- What decommissioning and local-content duties does a petroleum contractor have?
- Where can I check licence or block availability and get advice?
Want an answer for your own situation?
Search all 115 questions inside the app, or ask Lawbot directly. It checks official Vietnamese sources and points you to the governing law.
Search the FAQs in the appAsk LawbotOfficial sources used for the monthly check
- National Legal Database (vbpl.vn): Texts of Vietnamese laws, decrees and circulars, with validity status
- Official Gazette (congbao.chinhphu.vn): Official publication of legal documents
- Ministry of Finance (MOF): Investment policy, investment registration, business registration and tax policy
- National Business Registration Portal: Online enterprise registration and company searches
- Tax Department, Ministry of Finance: Tax registration, returns, e-invoices and tax procedures
- State Bank of Vietnam (SBV): Foreign exchange, capital accounts, offshore loans and bank licensing
- Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA): Labour, wages and work permit policy
- Vietnam Social Security: Social, health and unemployment insurance
- Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE): Land administration and environmental approvals
- Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT): Trade licensing, energy, petroleum and, since 15 September 2026, geology and minerals
- Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (VIAC): Arbitration rules, model clauses and mediation
- Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam: Trademark, patent and design registration
This site gives legal and tax information, not legal advice. Rates, thresholds and procedures change; the answers are re-checked against official sources every month, but you should confirm anything important with the relevant authority or a licensed Vietnamese lawyer before you act.