Resolution 18/2026/NQ-CP: Cutting, Decentralizing and Simplifying Administrative Procedures under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism
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Based on:18/2026/NQ-CP - Government Official Gazette
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On 29 April 2026 the Government issued Resolution 18/2026/NQ-CP on cutting, decentralizing and simplifying administrative procedures and business investment conditions under the management of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. The Resolution moves a number of procedures from the Ministry down to provincial culture authorities or provincial People's Committees, such as issuing copyright and related-rights assessment organization certificates, approving international performing-arts events, amending and extending social network service and online game licenses, confirming printing activity registration, and re-issuing publication import licenses. At the same time, the Resolution abolishes a series of procedures that are no longer needed, including re-issuance of broadcasting channel licenses, the requirement for foreign advertising or cross-border information providers to notify their contact details in Vietnam, and the requirement for press agencies to notify their social media accounts, while also simplifying business conditions for performing-arts organizers. The Resolution is effective from 29 April 2026 through 1 March 2027, with the decentralization content in Appendix I effective from 1 June 2026. This is an administrative-reform document covering the culture, sports, tourism and media sectors. It contains no provisions on VAT, CIT, e-invoicing, accounting standards, labor, or customs. As a result it falls outside RegHub's core scope and has been flagged as not suitable for publication on the platform.
Scope and purpose
Resolution No. 18/2026/NQ-CP, issued by the Government on 29 April 2026, sets out the reduction, decentralization and simplification of administrative procedures and business investment conditions under the management of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST). The stated goal is to make things easier for organizations and individuals, build a healthy business environment, encourage innovation, and improve the effectiveness of state management.
Main content (Article 3)
- Decentralizes certain administrative procedures (Appendix I).
- Cuts and simplifies procedures and regulations related to production and business activities (Appendix II).
- Amends related legal documents (Appendix III).
- Issues new application forms and declarations for the procedures (Appendix IV).
Appendix I - Decentralized procedures (selected examples)
- Issuance and re-issuance of copyright and related-rights assessment organization certificates: moved from MCST to the provincial culture authority (15 working days to issue, 12 working days to re-issue).
- Approval of international performing-arts events, and of national/international competitions and festivals organized by central-level performing-arts associations: authority moved to provincial People's Committees.
- Amendment and extension of social network service licenses, and extension of G1 online game service licenses: moved to the provincial culture authority, with a 5 working-day processing time.
- Confirmation of printing activity registration and of changes to that registration: moved to the provincial culture authority or the commune-level People's Committee, depending on the type of printing facility.
- Re-issuance of publication import business licenses: moved to the provincial culture authority, within 3 working days.
- Specialized pre-export inspection of non-commercial cultural items (audio/video recordings, fine art works, photography) and receipt of non-commercial cultural-item import notifications: moved to the provincial culture authority.
- Licensing of sculpture camps involving foreign participants: moved to provincial People's Committees.
Appendix II - Cuts and simplifications (selected examples)
Section 1 - Procedures abolished: removes re-issuance of broadcasting program production/editing licenses; removes the requirement for foreign organizations or individuals providing advertising services or cross-border information services in Vietnam to notify their contact information (replaced with a simpler intake channel via email or a dedicated reporting system); removes the requirement for press agencies to notify their social media account details; removes the central-level license for general information websites (converted into a decentralized procedure); removes central-level amendment/extension procedures for social network licenses and advertising-channel licenses; removes re-issuance of licenses for non-commercial exhibitions held abroad or in Vietnam.
Section 2 - Business conditions cut: simplifies the conditions for performing-arts organizers and for organizers of competitions and festivals (Articles 10 and 13 of Decree 144/2020/ND-CP), narrowing them down to organizational-type requirements, compliance with security/order/environment/health/fire-safety rules, and a written approval from the competent authority.
Effective dates
- The Resolution takes effect from 29 April 2026 through 1 March 2027.
- The decentralization content in Appendix I takes effect from 1 June 2026 through 1 March 2027.
- The business-condition cuts in Section 2 of Appendix II take effect at the same time as Appendix IV of the 2025 Investment Law.
- Ministries and provincial People's Committees must submit legal documents to formally implement the Resolution's content before 1 March 2027.
Transitional provisions
Applications already received by the competent authority before the Resolution's effective date continue to be processed under the prior rules where the procedure was simplified. For procedures that were abolished, processing stops and the application file is returned to the applicant on request.
Note on scope
This Resolution only governs administrative procedures and business conditions in the culture, sports, tourism, broadcasting, publishing, printing and advertising sectors. It contains no provisions on value-added tax, corporate income tax, e-invoicing, accounting standards, labor, or customs.