Articles

Decree 68/2026/ND-CP marks a major regulatory update shaping Vietnam’s tax landscape in 2026, with a focus on strengthening transparency and modernizing tax administration for business households. Issued on March 5, 2026, the Decree introduces a comprehensive framework covering value-added tax, personal income tax, tax declaration, payment, and e-invoicing requirements for individual businesses. It also enhances…

Over the past three decades, Vietnam has emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia, driven by consistent reforms and deep integration into global trade. According to the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR), Vietnam is projected to become the second-largest economy in Southeast Asia by 2036, ranking only behind Indonesia.(1) The same…

Vietnam has reached an important milestone by completing all procedures to join the Apostille Convention, a move that reflects years of steady legal reform and deeper international engagement. Approved by the Government in December 2025 and formally deposited with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, the accession will take effect on 11 September…

In the first ten months of 2025, more than 190,000 enterprises exited the Vietnamese market, reflecting challenges such as rising operational costs, intense competition, and increasingly complex requirements. At the same time, over 255,000 businesses were registered or resumed operations, representing a 26.5% increase compared to the same period in 2024, contributing VND 5.2 million…

Vietnam is pushing to launch Vietnam International Financial Center (IFC) this November, following Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính’s directive to expedite its establishment. The initiative marks a key step in the country’s ambition to strengthen its financial sector and position itself alongside regional hubs such as Singapore and Hong Kong. According to the Ministry of…

The global tax system was built for a different era, long before the digital economy transformed how companies operate. Today, multinational enterprises can shift profits across borders with ease, leaving governments struggling to secure their fair share of revenue. Vietnam faces this challenge acutely. Its growth, particularly in the Mekong Delta with export-driven manufacturing and…

Vietnam’s rapid rise as an investment hub has made its accounting standards more important than ever. Foreign companies now face a choice between two systems that work very differently. Vietnamese Accounting Standards (VAS) are based on rules, historical costs, and tax reporting principles. On the other hand, the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) rely on…

AML in ASEAN has emerged as a critical pillar for preserving financial integrity and fostering sustainable foreign direct investment. Within the region, Singapore stands out as the clear leader, with Singapore AML laws and regulations providing a model of strict supervision and enforcement. Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines have each advanced their frameworks, though vulnerabilities…

Vietnam’s economy has been expanding at one of the fastest rates in Asia, making the country a rising destination for foreign direct investment. This momentum brings significant opportunities, but it also highlights the need for businesses to navigate a regulatory landscape that continues to mature. One of the most critical areas is anti-money laundering and…

Financial integrity underpins the stability of global markets. Yet money laundering continues to pose a significant challenge, enabling organized crime, corruption, and even terrorism to thrive. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), between 2% and 5% of the global GDP(1) is laundered every year, but only a fraction is ever…

Vietnam’s economy is surging forward as GDP expanded by 7.52% in the first half of 2025, the fastest first-half growth in more than a decade(1). This strong momentum is increasingly reflected in Vietnam’s capital markets, where the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange is attracting greater investor activity and renewed foreign interest(2). At the core of…

On September 9, 2025, Vietnam officially launched its digital asset pilot under Resolution No. 5/2025/NQ-CP, marking the country’s boldest step yet into the digital economy. The program introduces a regulated framework for the Vietnam digital asset market, setting strict standards for participating exchanges and making certain that transactions take place within a controlled and transparent…

The Da Nang IFC is envisioned as a specialized financial hub established to complement the comprehensive international financial centre in Ho Chi Minh City. Situated in one of Vietnam’s most dynamic coastal cities, Da Nang combines its world-class tourism appeal with a rapidly expanding digital economy, where the digital economy contributed over 20% of the…

Ho Chi Minh City has always been more than Vietnam’s commercial capital. It is a city of ambition where growth never stands still. That ambition now takes a new form with the vision of the HCMC International Financial Center, designed to place the city on the map of Asia’s financial hubs. In 2024, its economy…

Vietnam is fast becoming one of Asia’s most attractive investment destinations. Strong economic growth and a prime location make it a natural hub for global trade and expansion. In the first seven months of 2025, foreign direct investment reached more than US $24.09 billion, a 27.3% rise compared with the same period in 2024(1). That…

Vietnam is moving from a model reliant on foreign direct investment to one that envisions its domestic private sector as a key driver of cross-border expansion. Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW, issued in April 2025, highlights private enterprises as central to economic growth. A core part of this strategy is the proposed reform of outward investment policies….

Vietnam’s Ministry of Finance is proposing a change that could make life much easier for local businesses looking abroad. The plan is simple yet significant: remove the need for government-issued overseas investment licensing. Instead of going through layers of approval, companies would only need to register their capital transfers with the State Bank of Vietnam….

Vietnam is entering a bold new chapter in its outward investment strategy, with the Ministry of Finance’s proposal on the removal of overseas investment licensing as a pivotal step away from traditional regulation. The proposed reform aligns with the nation’s broader plan to shift from an economy led by manufacturing to an innovation-driven powerhouse by…

Vietnam is entering a new phase in its outward investment policy. The government is moving away from a system that placed heavy emphasis on pre-approval procedures and replacing it with an Ex Post Review framework that focuses on risk management. This marks a transformation in how the country manages capital flows for investing in Vietnam…