Company Registration in Vietnam: Manufacturing at the Crossroads of Asian Markets.

Yes - the IRC, ERC, corporate seal, and tax registrations can be handled by power of attorney with legalised documents, while DICA can be opened remotely with most banks. Work permits and temporary residence cards require personal presence, and manufacturing projects may require site visits. We arrange travel only where it is genuinely necessary.

Turnkey registration starts from $2,900, including both certificates and the first-year registered address; with DICA and operating banking support, from $4,900. Licences for regulated sectors are scoped separately. Renewal and accounting support starts from $1,800 per year.

In Vietnam, the investment is approved before the enterprise is registered: the Investment Registration Certificate (IRC) confirms the project parameters - business activity, capital, location, and investor - after which the Enterprise Registration Certificate (ERC) creates the legal entity. A realistic timeline is 4-8 weeks and depends primarily on document quality: complete, consistent, and properly translated applications move through the process much more efficiently.

Corporate tax is 20%, while qualifying projects may benefit from rates of 10-17% with tax holidays: 4 years of exemption followed by 9 years at a 50% reduced rate. VAT is 10%, and employer contributions for employees are around 21.5%. Dividends paid to corporate shareholders carry 0% withholding, while the rate for individuals is 5%.

Every FDI company uses a Direct Investment Capital Account (DICA): charter capital must be contributed through it within 90 days after the ERC, while subsequent dividends, loan repayments, and sale proceeds follow the same banking mechanism with the required tax documentation. This is why DICA is opened before capital and other investment funds are transferred.

Regulated areas include trading and distribution, certain logistics activities, education, healthcare, fintech and payments, real estate business, and others. These may carry requirements related to capital, facilities, or foreign ownership. Manufacturing, IT services, and most B2B activities generally have a simpler structure. We check the specific business activity before preparing the IRC.

They remain lower than in China but are steadily increasing. Manufacturing wages in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have risen considerably, so the advantage increasingly comes not only from labour costs but also from improving productivity. Provinces outside the major centres can still offer a more attractive talent and cost structure in many cases.

They are real and should be assessed before selecting a location. Power shortages in northern Vietnam in 2024 highlighted the importance of checking grid capacity, while port congestion can affect logistics timelines. For manufacturing projects, we assess the infrastructure of the specific site, including backup capacity and power availability.

Foreign specialists need work permits based on their qualifications and roles - usually 2-6 weeks with properly prepared documents. Temporary residence cards follow. The local labour market remains one of Vietnam’s strengths, with young professionals who can be trained quickly and build stable teams.

4-8 weeks for a company with its certificates, banking arrangements, and capital in place: IRC takes 2-4 weeks, ERC and the seal 1 week, and DICA and capital contribution 1-2 weeks. Additional licences for regulated sectors can add another 2-8 weeks. Manufacturing projects have separate timelines related to site selection and preparation.