🇻🇳 Vietnam · Investment
Foreign investment rules, incentives, investment promotion agencies, and restricted sectors.
Quick answer
Vietnam attracts foreign investment through the Foreign Investment Agency (Ministry of Planning and Investment). Most projects need an Investment Registration Certificate (IRC) and then an Enterprise Registration Certificate (ERC); some conditional sectors have limits. Incentives include tax holidays and industrial-zone benefits, and profits repatriate through banks.
Vietnam inward investment is coordinated through the Ministry of Finance / investment-promotion channels and provincial authorities; market entry depends on sector conditions, location and the project’s investment registration route.
- Foreign investors should check whether the project requires investment-policy approval or an Investment Registration Certificate.
- The official eRegulations portal gives step-by-step provincial investment procedures for selected locations.
- Investment incentives and restrictions should be verified against the specific sector and province before committing capital.
Step-by-step
- 1
Check conditional sectors
Check whether your activity is on the conditional market-access list, which may cap foreign ownership or add requirements.
- 2
Get the IRC
Apply for an Investment Registration Certificate (IRC) for your project from the licensing authority.
- 3
Get the ERC and set up
Obtain an Enterprise Registration Certificate (ERC) to incorporate the company and register for tax.
- 4
Access incentives and zones
Use corporate-tax holidays and reductions, and industrial-park, high-tech-zone or economic-zone incentives for eligible projects.
- 5
Handle capital and repatriation
Bring in capital through a direct-investment capital account and repatriate profits under State Bank of Vietnam rules.
- 6
Meet reporting and protections
File periodic investment and tax reports; Vietnam’s investment law and treaties provide investor protection.
Checklist
- Conditional market-access check
- Investment Registration Certificate (IRC)
- Enterprise Registration Certificate (ERC) + tax
- Tax holidays + industrial/high-tech zone incentives
- Direct-investment capital account (SBV rules)
- Periodic investment + tax reports
- Investment-law / treaty protection
- CTA to .com/.ai for AI-assisted planning
Official authorities
- Invest Vietnam
Official investment-promotion portal.
- eRegulations Vietnam
Official investment-procedure portal backed by Vietnam investment authorities.
Frequently asked questions
What are the IRC and ERC?
The Investment Registration Certificate approves the project; the Enterprise Registration Certificate then formally establishes the company.
What incentives are available?
Corporate-tax holidays and reduced rates, plus benefits in industrial parks, high-tech zones and economic zones for eligible projects.
Can I repatriate profits from Vietnam?
Yes — profits and capital repatriate through a direct-investment capital account under State Bank of Vietnam rules (after tax obligations).
Official-information aggregation, not legal advice. Always verify on the authority's own site.