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ECOVIS Vietnam Law

Insights

Analysis written for the person who has to decide

Regulatory changes, licence practice and the operational consequences — from the lawyers who file the paperwork, not a newsroom.

FDI & Market Entry · 8 min read · September 2026

Choosing a German-Speaking Legal Adviser in Vietnam: Four Adviser Models and Seven Selection Criteria

Four adviser models, seven selection criteria and the questions DACH investors should ask before engaging counsel for a Vietnam market entry or factory.

Read the analysis →
Four adviser models for German, Austrian and Swiss investors in Vietnam: integrated law and tax firm, law firm only, Big Four legal arm, and local firm.

Regulatory alerts

What changed, and what you have to do about it

Short notes issued when a rule takes effect. Each one names the deadline and the responsible function inside your company.

Sep 2026 Your Vietnam Rep Office Must Now Name Its Parent’s Owner Vietnam now runs two beneficial ownership regimes. Representative offices and branches declare their foreign parent's legal and beneficial owners to the tax authority on… Read the analysis → Sep 2026 Vietnam’s Apostille Regime Takes Effect on 11 September 2026 — But Not for Germany What businesses and individuals need to know: Vietnam issues Apostilles from 11 September 2026, but Germany objected to its accession. Germany–Vietnam documents still require… Read the analysis → Sep 2026 Vietnam Trade, Customs & Supply Chain Integrity 2026: What Foreign Manufacturers Should Review Vietnam is moving to data-driven customs supervision, tighter origin controls and strategic trade rules. What foreign manufacturers should review in 2026 — by ECOVIS… Read the analysis → Aug 2026 Interim Country Leadership in Vietnam: What It Costs vs. Seconding a Group Executive (12-Month TCO) A structural 12-month total-cost-of-ownership comparison of three Vietnam country-leadership options — expat secondment, early permanent hire, interim leadership — by the Vietnam Business Advisory… Read the analysis →

All insights

Factory workers assembling equipment, representing Vietnam factory setup legal guidance for manufacturing investors

FDI & Market Entry

Vietnam M&A in Industrial Parks: Why Post-Acquisition IRC Compliance Is Not Optional — and the Tax Trap If You Skip It

Summary: Foreign investors who acquire a company located in a Vietnam industrial park must obtain IRC issuance or adjustment from the Industrial Park Management Board after…

8 min read · Jul 2026

German engineering team consultation, representing ECOVIS support for a German engineering services company in Vietnam

Compliance, ESG & Trade

From Representative Office to Full Operations: Supporting a German Engineering Services Company in Vietnam

Executive Summary Part of our guide: Deutsche Investitionen in Vietnam · Market Entry in Vietnam Vietnam has become an increasingly important destination for German engineering, industrial…

6 min read · Jul 2026

Laptop and smartphone showing digital security icons, illustrating data protection and cybersecurity compliance

FDI & Market Entry

FinTech Market Entry and Tax Structuring in Vietnam

Client InnovateX, a FinTech company Part of our guide: Market Entry in Vietnam · FDI Law in Vietnam Challenge Navigating the complex incorporation process for a…

1 min read · Jul 2026

Industrial manufacturing workers, representing Vietnam as a China+1 manufacturing base for foreign investors

Local Legal Guides

FDI & Steel Manufacturing Legal Services in Ha Tinh Province

Legal services for foreign manufacturers in Ha Tinh, home to the Vung Ang Economic Zone and Formosa Ha Tinh, one of Southeast Asia's largest integrated steel…

2 min read · Jul 2026

Vietnam investment legal advisory - ECOVIS Vietnam Law FDI structuring services

FDI & Market Entry

Vietnam Foreign Contractor Tax for Tech Companies: The Hidden Bill on AWS, Google Cloud, Meta Ads and SaaS Subscriptions

Summary: Foreign-invested tech companies in Vietnam that pay AWS, Google Cloud, Meta Ads, Salesforce, and other foreign SaaS providers without declaring and withholding Foreign Contractor Tax…

8 min read · Jul 2026

Cargo logistics operations, representing a Vietnam logistics joint venture supported by ECOVIS Australia and ECOVIS Vietnam

FDI & Market Entry

Building a Vietnam Logistics Joint Venture: How ECOVIS Australia and ECOVIS Vietnam Supported an Australian Investor

Executive Summary Part of our guide: FDI Law in Vietnam Vietnam’s logistics industry has become one of the fastest-growing sectors in Southeast Asia, driven by expanding…

6 min read · Jul 2026

Industrial manufacturing workers, representing Vietnam as a China+1 manufacturing base for foreign investors

FDI & Market Entry

The 100-Day Post-Acquisition Compliance Plan for a Vietnam Factory

Summary: Signing a factory acquisition in Vietnam is not the end of the risk period — the first 100 days after closing are where diligence findings…

5 min read · Jul 2026

Business professionals shaking hands after a meeting, illustrating the Vietnam FDI legal guide for US and UK investors

FDI & Market Entry

Vietnam Social Insurance for Foreign Directors: When the Non-Salaried Legal Representative Is Exempt — and What the Company Must Still Do

Summary: Foreign nationals serving as legal representatives or directors of Vietnam companies who draw no salary from the Vietnam entity are not subject to mandatory social…

9 min read · Jul 2026

Factory workers assembling equipment, representing Vietnam factory setup legal guidance for manufacturing investors

Local Legal Guides

FDI & Factory Setup Legal Services in Tay Ninh Province (incl. Former Long An)

Legal services for foreign manufacturers in the merged Tay Ninh province, combining Tay Ninh's border-economic-zone industrial parks with the former Long An's 37 industrial zones bordering…

2 min read · Jul 2026

Business professional reviewing investment application documents, representing the ERC-before-IRC capital freeze risk in Vietnam

FDI & Market Entry

Licence Transferability in Vietnamese Industrial M&A

Summary: One of the most common assumptions in a Vietnamese factory acquisition is that the target’s existing licences and approvals simply continue after closing. In practice,…

7 min read · Jul 2026

Professional working on a laptop, illustrating compliance review of rules of origin under the Vietnam–EFTA FTA

Compliance, ESG & Trade

Rules of Origin Risk Under the Vietnam–EFTA FTA: Electronics, Apparel, Footwear and Machinery

Rules of origin will decide who benefits from the Vietnam–EFTA FTA. Origin risk in electronics, apparel, footwear and machinery — and how to prepare.

5 min read · Jul 2026

Three heavy industry engineers in hard hats and safety gear at a pipe manufacturing factory, illustrating FDI factory setup legal services in Nghe An Province

FDI & Market Entry

Ten Hidden Liabilities in Vietnamese Factory Acquisitions

Summary: A factory acquisition in Vietnam is rarely undone by the headline terms of the deal — it is undone, or made far more expensive, by…

8 min read · Jul 2026

Professional working on a laptop at a bright office desk, illustrating preparation of Vietnamese documents for apostille and use abroad

FDI & Market Entry

Apostille for Vietnamese Documents Used Abroad: What Outbound Businesses Gain from 2026

From 11 September 2026, Vietnamese public documents can carry a single MOFA apostille for use in other contracting states. What outbound businesses gain.

8 min read · Jul 2026

ECOVIS Vietnam Law - execution-ready legal advisory for international investors entering Vietnam

FDI & Market Entry

Acquiring a Factory in Vietnam: Greenfield vs. Acquisition

Summary: Foreign manufacturers entering Vietnam face a genuine choice between building a new facility from scratch and acquiring an existing manufacturing business. Acquisition is often framed…

8 min read · Jul 2026

Professional working at a desk with multiple monitors, illustrating document preparation for consular legalization or apostille filing

FDI & Market Entry

Filing in Vietnam Around 11 September 2026: Prepare Documents for Legalization or Apostille?

Filing in Vietnam near 11 September 2026? A decision framework for preparing documents under consular legalization or apostille, by expected filing date.

9 min read · Jul 2026

Professional reviewing documents on a laptop with digital data overlays, illustrating legal document verification under the Apostille Convention

FDI & Market Entry

Vietnam Joins the Apostille Convention: What Changes for Foreign Documents from 11 September 2026

Vietnam's Hague Apostille Convention accession takes effect 11 September 2026. What changes for foreign documents, what does not, and what to do now.

9 min read · Jul 2026

Cargo logistics operations, representing a Vietnam logistics joint venture supported by ECOVIS Australia and ECOVIS Vietnam

Compliance, ESG & Trade

Is the Vietnam–EFTA FTA in Force? Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Vietnam–EFTA FTA in force? Not yet. FAQ on the agreement's status, timeline, tariff coverage and what exporters can lawfully do now.

4 min read · Jul 2026

Architectural blueprint with a residential building model, representing industrial land lease planning and site development in Vietnam

FDI & Market Entry

Industrial Land Lease Negotiation: A Checklist for Foreign Investors

A negotiation checklist for foreign investors leasing industrial land in Vietnam — term length, rent escalation, sub-lease rights, exit terms and landlord warranties.

6 min read · Jul 2026

Senior executive presenting to colleagues in a boardroom meeting, illustrating institutional restructuring discussions for higher education institutions in Vietnam

FDI & Market Entry

Site Selection Scorecard for Manufacturing Investment in Vietnam

A decision framework for CEOs and COOs comparing industrial sites in Vietnam across licensing feasibility, utilities, labor, logistics and legal risk.

5 min read · Jul 2026

Warehouse manager checking a mobile phone in a logistics facility office

FDI & Market Entry

Ready-Built Factory Legal Review: Hidden Risks Before You Sign

Legal risks foreign manufacturers should check before leasing a ready-built factory in Vietnam — prior tenant compliance history, structural approvals and PCCC records.

6 min read · Jul 2026

ECOVIS international legal network - cross-border investment support for UK investors in Vietnam

FDI & Market Entry

Industrial Park Due Diligence in Vietnam: What Foreign Manufacturers Miss Before Signing a Lease

What foreign manufacturers should verify before signing an industrial park lease in Vietnam — zoning, electricity capacity, wastewater limits and expansion rights.

7 min read · Jul 2026

Infographic titled Nominee Arrangements, illustrating the project-termination sanction and risk to foreign investors under Article 36.2(g)

Compliance, ESG & Trade

Nominee Arrangements in Vietnam: The Project-Termination Sanction Under Article 36.2(g) of the 2025 Law on Investment and the Real Risk to Foreign Investors

Summary: A “nominee” arrangement in the ownership of a foreign-invested enterprise in Vietnam is not only voidable as a civil matter – it can also be…

9 min read · Jul 2026

Infographic titled Loss of the Investment Site, illustrating the 6-month deadline risk under Article 36.2(c) of the 2025 Law on Investment

Market Entry & Licensing

Loss of the Investment Site: Why the 6-Month Deadline Under Article 36.2(c) of the 2025 Law on Investment Is Make-or-Break

Summary: Under Article 36, Clause 2, Point (c) of Vietnam’s Law on Investment 2025 (No. 143/2025/QH15), when an investor no longer has the right to use…

6 min read · Jul 2026

Infographic titled Schedule Delay, illustrating the 24-month termination risk under Article 36.2(b) and the process to obtain a valid extension

Market Entry & Licensing

Schedule Delay Beyond 24 Months: Termination Risk Under Article 36.2(b) of the 2025 Law on Investment, and How to Obtain a Valid Extension

Summary: Under Article 36, Clause 2, Point (b) of Vietnam’s Law on Investment 2025 (No. 143/2025/QH15), the investment registration authority may terminate a project if more…

7 min read · Jul 2026

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