Vietnam’s Investment Law Amendments 2025: Key Changes and Implications for Foreign Investors
Vietnam has enacted sweeping amendments to its Law on Investment, effective from 2026, marking one of the most significant shifts in the country’s foreign investment framework in recent years.
These reforms modernise Vietnam’s regulatory environment by reducing conditional business lines, streamlining licensing and investment procedures, recalibrating incentive regimes, and strengthening oversight for sensitive and large-scale projects. At the same time, the amendments reflect a clear policy direction toward high-technology, green growth, digital transformation, and global value-chain integration.
Invoice Issuance Timing in Vietnam: 2026 Rules and Penalty Framework Explained
Incorrect invoice issuance timing remains one of the most common tax compliance risks for businesses operating in Vietnam. While often unintentional, errors frequently arise from confusion between payment timing, revenue recognition, and statutory invoicing requirements.
This publication explains Vietnam’s core invoice issuance principles under Decree 123/2020/ND-CP and its amendments, together with the significantly revised administrative penalty framework introduced by Decree 310/2025/ND-CP, effective from 16 January 2026.
Vietnam Payroll Guide 2026
The Alitium Vietnam Payroll Guide 2026 provides employers with a clear and practical overview of Vietnam’s payroll framework, updated to reflect recent legal changes effective for the 2026 tax year.
This edition incorporates key developments under the new Personal Income Tax Law 2025, updated personal and dependent deductions, current PIT rates, compulsory insurance contribution requirements, trade union obligations, and minimum monthly wages effective from 1 January 2026.
Designed for foreign-invested enterprises and Vietnam-based employers, the guide explains employer responsibilities for payroll calculation, withholding, remittance, and compliance, helping businesses manage payroll risk and remain compliant in a rapidly evolving regulatory environment.
Vietnam’s Most Common Tax Risks: The Six Errors That Lead to Back Taxes and Penalties
In Vietnam’s increasingly data-driven tax environment, even minor compliance gaps can lead to significant back taxes, penalties, and audit exposure. Tax authorities now routinely cross-check e-invoices, supplier data, VAT filings, and financial statements, making previously overlooked errors far more visible.
This article outlines the six most common tax risks faced by enterprises in Vietnam — explaining how they arise, when they are typically identified during inspections or audits, the financial and legal consequences, and practical steps businesses can take to mitigate exposure. From non-deductible expenses and invalid VAT invoices to invoice timing errors and data mismatches, understanding these risks is essential for strengthening internal controls and maintaining audit readiness.
Vietnam Labour Compliance: Essential Internal HR Documents
Vietnam’s amended Investment Law allows foreign investors to establish economic organisations prior to obtaining an Investment Registration Certificate (IRC), subject to applicable market access conditions. This reform is designed to streamline market entry, shorten licensing timelines, and enhance administrative efficiency for foreign investment procedures.
Update: Foreign Investors Permitted to Establish Companies in Vietnam Before Obtaining IRC Under Amended Investment Law
Vietnam’s amended Investment Law allows foreign investors to establish economic organisations prior to obtaining an Investment Registration Certificate (IRC), subject to applicable market access conditions. This reform is designed to streamline market entry, shorten licensing timelines, and enhance administrative efficiency for foreign investment procedures.
Vietnam Reduces 38 Conditional Business Activities Under New Investment Law Amendments (Effective 2026)
Vietnam has enacted the Law on Investment (Amendment) 2025, marking one of the most substantial reforms to conditional business activities in recent years. The amendments remove 38 conditional business lines, revise 20 others, and introduce new prohibitions—including electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products. From 1 March 2026 (with some provisions from 1 July 2026), Vietnam will shift toward a more streamlined regulatory framework, reducing pre-operation licensing and moving many sectors toward published business requirements with post-inspection oversight. These changes signal the Government’s ongoing commitment to simplifying market entry and improving the investment environment for both domestic and foreign investors.
Establishing a Company in Malaysia
The Companies Act 2016 (“CA 2016”) has significantly modernised the landscape of doing business in Malaysia, moving closer to the ease of business found in jurisdictions like Singapore. By simplifying the incorporation process to a single director/shareholder model and digitizing the submission via My Corporate Identity (“MyCoID”), Malaysia remains an attractive jurisdiction for corporate structuring.
Navigating the Banking Landscape in Malaysia: A Guide for Foreigners and Foreign-Owned Companies
For foreign investors and expatriates, Malaysia offers a sophisticated financial infrastructure regulated by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). However, while incorporating a company or obtaining a work visa has become streamlined, opening a bank account remains one of the most rigorous steps in the setup process.
Global Minimum Tax in Vietnam: How GMT Reshapes Tax Incentives for Multinational Investors
Vietnam’s introduction of the Global Minimum Tax (GMT) under Decree 236 marks a critical shift for multinational groups operating in the country. While corporate income tax incentives remain legally available, their financial value is increasingly neutralised under the new 15% minimum effective tax rate requirement. This page summarises the real impact of GMT on Vietnam’s tax incentives, outlines key risks for in-scope multinational enterprises, and provides strategic insights for reassessing investment structures, compliance obligations, and tax planning under the new rules.