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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.

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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

Business analytics dashboard with charts on a desktop monitor, illustrating import-export trade data and reporting

FDI & Market Entry

Import-Export Company Setup in Vietnam

Summary: Setting up an import-export company in Vietnam involves more than registering a business line — foreign investors should distinguish import-export rights from distribution rights, check…

5 min read · Jul 2026

Large empty warehouse with high ceilings, illustrating industrial and logistics facilities in Vietnam

FDI & Market Entry

Logistics and Trading Legal Advisory in Vietnam

Summary: Logistics and trading businesses in Vietnam operate at the intersection of foreign investment rules, sector-specific sublicenses, customs regulations and complex commercial contracts. This article outlines…

6 min read · Jul 2026

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

FDI & Market Entry

PDPL and Data Protection Compliance in Vietnam

Summary: Data protection is increasingly a board-level compliance issue in Vietnam, particularly for companies that handle employee, customer, student or user data as part of routine…

6 min read · Jul 2026

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

FDI & Market Entry

Technology and Software Legal Advisory in Vietnam

Summary: Software and technology companies operating in Vietnam face a distinct set of legal issues spanning company structuring, development and outsourcing contracts, intellectual property ownership, data…

5 min read · Jul 2026

Investor analyzing financial charts on a mobile device, illustrating capital and tax planning decisions for foreign-invested companies in Vietnam

FDI & Market Entry

Vietnam FDI Capital Increase from Retained Earnings: The DICA Step That Permanently Blocks Future Profit Remittance If Skipped

Summary: Foreign-invested enterprises in Vietnam that increase their charter capital using accumulated undistributed after-tax profits (without injecting new foreign cash) must complete a DICA capital movement…

8 min read · Jul 2026

Foreign investor reviewing an office lease contract in Vietnam

FDI & Market Entry

Office Lease Legal Review in Vietnam

Summary: An office lease in Vietnam is often signed under time pressure, before the legal and licensing implications are reviewed. But the lease directly affects company…

5 min read · Jul 2026

HR director reviewing labor contracts and compliance documents for a foreign-invested company in Vietnam

FDI & Market Entry

HR Compliance for Foreign-Invested Companies in Vietnam

Summary: HR compliance in Vietnam is best understood as a management control system rather than paperwork. Labor contracts, internal labor regulations, social insurance, and termination procedures…

5 min read · Jul 2026

Foreign manager preparing work permit and TRC documents in Vietnam

FDI & Market Entry

Work Permit and TRC for Foreign Managers in Vietnam

Summary: Employing a foreign manager in Vietnam requires more than obtaining a work permit. The work permit, temporary residence card (TRC), visa category, labor contract and…

5 min read · Jul 2026

Foreign CEO and executive team in a business meeting in Vietnam, representing Switzerland-Vietnam executive relocation support

FDI & Market Entry

Foreign Executive Legal Desk in Vietnam

Summary: Foreign CEOs, CFOs and Country Managers relocating to Vietnam typically deal with several overlapping legal issues at once — work permit, temporary residence card (TRC),…

5 min read · Jul 2026

Foreign investors meeting with legal advisor to plan company setup in Vietnam

FDI & Market Entry

Company Setup in Vietnam: What to Review Before Choosing Your Structure

Summary: Foreign investors setting up a company in Vietnam often start with incorporation paperwork and treat licensing as a formality. In practice, business-line eligibility, foreign ownership…

6 min read · Jul 2026

Robotic manufacturing equipment, representing the photonics manufacturing facility acquired by a Chinese investor in Vietnam

M&A & Corporate

Cross-Border Manufacturing Acquisition: How ECOVIS China and ECOVIS Vietnam Supported a Chinese Investor Acquiring a Photonics Manufacturing Facility in Vietnam

Executive Summary Part of our guide: Manufacturing Investment in Vietnam Vietnam continues to attract strategic manufacturing investment from Chinese industrial groups seeking to strengthen regional supply…

6 min read · Jul 2026

Foreign CEO and executive team in a business meeting in Vietnam, representing Switzerland-Vietnam executive relocation support

FDI & Market Entry

Global Mobility Between Switzerland and Vietnam: Supporting Executive Relocation with Coordinated Legal and Immigration Advice

Executive Summary Part of our guide: FDI Law in Vietnam International expansion increasingly requires companies to move senior executives across jurisdictions. While relocating a Chief Executive…

6 min read · Jul 2026

Digital investment registration system dashboard, representing Vietnam's IRC system after the DPI-Finance Ministry merger

FDI & Market Entry

Vietnam FDI After the DPI–Finance Ministry Merger: New IRC Codes, Dual Reporting Portals, and What to Do If the System Locked You Out

Summary: Vietnam’s 2025–2026 institutional reform merging the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) into the Ministry of Finance (MOF), and provincial DPI offices into provincial Finance…

8 min read · Jul 2026

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

FDI & Market Entry

ERC Before IRC in Vietnam: Smart Market Entry Shortcut or Capital Freeze Trap?

Summary: Foreign investors who enter Vietnam by obtaining an ERC first (through capital contribution approval) and then applying for an IRC face three specific risks: business…

8 min read · Jul 2026

Corporate finance professionals, representing transfer pricing readiness for related-party transactions in Vietnam

FDI & Market Entry

Transfer Pricing Readiness 2026: Key Changes to Related-Party Transactions in Vietnam

Summary: Vietnam’s Decree 255/2026/ND-CP, effective from 1 July 2026 and applicable from the 2026 corporate income tax period, replaces Decree 132/2020/ND-CP. For CEOs, CFOs and Group…

5 min read · Jul 2026

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

FDI & Market Entry

Vietnam as a China+1 Manufacturing Base: Legal and Compliance FAQ

Summary: Vietnam is the most prominent China+1 manufacturing destination for MNCs and Chinese-background investors diversifying supply chains. Legal questions on Vietnam China+1 investment cover WFOE structure…

9 min read · Jul 2026

Workforce training group, representing Vietnam labor and HR compliance for foreign companies

FDI & Market Entry

Vietnam Labor and HR Compliance FAQ for Foreign Companies

Summary: Foreign companies entering Vietnam ask consistent labor law questions: employment contract types, work permit requirements for foreign staff, mandatory social insurance, internal labor regulations, trade…

10 min read · Jul 2026

International finance skyline, representing Vietnam tax obligations for foreign investors including CIT, VAT and profit remittance

FDI & Market Entry

Vietnam Tax FAQ for Foreign Investors: CIT, VAT, Transfer Pricing, and Profit Remittance

Summary: International investors from the G20 consistently ask the same Vietnam tax questions: corporate income tax incentives, VAT obligations, transfer pricing documentation, foreign contractor tax, withholding…

10 min read · Jul 2026

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

FDI & Market Entry

Vietnam Factory Setup: Legal FAQ for International Manufacturing Investors

Summary: International manufacturers from Germany, Japan, South Korea, Turkey, Mexico and across the G20 ask consistent legal questions about Vietnam factory setup — covering IRC/ERC licensing,…

10 min read · Jul 2026

German business professionals, representing the Vietnam FDI legal guide for German investors

FDI & Market Entry

Vietnam FDI Legal Guide for German Investors: Factory Setup, Governance and Market Entry

Summary: German Mittelstand manufacturers and industrial investors frequently ask about factory licensing, IRC/ERC sequencing, industrial park selection, governance structures, and tax advisory for Vietnam market entry.…

10 min read · Jun 2026

Executive business meeting, representing questions CEOs, CFOs and General Counsel ask before investing in Vietnam

FDI & Market Entry

What CEOs, CFOs, and General Counsel Ask Before Investing in Vietnam

Summary: International investors — CEOs, CFOs, General Counsel, COOs, HR Directors and procurement heads — ask predictably different questions before committing to Vietnam. ECOVIS Vietnam Law…

10 min read · Jun 2026

Legal review concept, representing Vietnam's conditional business sector checklist for foreign investors

FDI & Market Entry

Vietnam Conditional Business Sector Review Checklist 2026 for Foreign Investors

Summary: Vietnam’s Resolution No. 66/2026/NQ-CP introduces a revised list of conditional business sectors effective 1 July 2026, reducing unnecessary market-entry barriers while shifting certain activities toward…

3 min read · Jun 2026

European technology firm professionals, representing contractor misclassification risk in Vietnam's IT support sector

FDI & Market Entry

Contractor Misclassification Risk in Vietnam’s IT Support Sector

Summary: Contractor misclassification is a significant legal risk for foreign IT support companies in Vietnam. When field engineers are described as contractors but work under conditions…

9 min read · Jun 2026

Technology firm team, representing entity, EOR or subcontractor options for foreign MSPs in Vietnam

FDI & Market Entry

Foreign MSPs in Vietnam: Entity, EOR, or Subcontractor?

Summary: Foreign managed service providers entering Vietnam face a fundamental structural choice: establish a local subsidiary, use an employer-of-record, engage independent contractors, or appoint a local…

9 min read · Jun 2026

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