Consolidated Decree No. 67/VBHN-ND-BCT: Rules on Goods Trading and E-Commerce Activities by Foreign Investors in Vietnam
Consolidated Decree No. 67/VBHN-ND-BCT (issued July 9 2026, published in the Official Gazette on July 15 2026) merges the original Decree 09/2018/ND-CP with the latest amendments from Decree 248/2026/ND-CP, effective July 1 2026. It sets out the conditions, dossiers, and procedures foreign investors and foreign-invested economic organizations must follow to obtain a Business License and a Retail Establishment License in Vietnam, covering export rights, import rights, wholesale and retail distribution, logistics services, goods leasing, trade promotion, commercial intermediary services, and bidding-organization services. The most significant change in this consolidated version extends the decree's scope to e-commerce: the phrase 'providing e-commerce services' is replaced with 'managing and operating intermediary e-commerce platforms, social networks conducting e-commerce activities, and integrated e-commerce platforms.' As of July 1 2026, the old e-commerce decrees, 52/2013/ND-CP and 85/2021/ND-CP, are repealed. Starting January 1 2027, platform operators must carry out electronic identity verification for sellers and livestream sellers on their platforms. E-commerce platforms already registered or notified before July 1 2026 may keep operating under their existing registration until June 30 2027, during which they must update their filings to comply with the new rules. For foreign-invested retailers, the Economic Needs Test (ENT) requirement is unchanged: it still applies to any retail outlet beyond the first one, except where the outlet is under 500 sq m, is located inside a trade center, and is not a convenience store or mini-supermarket format. Foreign-invested SMEs, e-commerce platform operators, and livestream sellers should review the new identity-verification obligations now and update their licenses before the June 2027 transition deadline to avoid disruption.
Accounting for State Science-Technology Contract Payments After Accounts 161 and 461 Are Abolished Under Circular 99/2025/TT-BTC
A state-owned enterprise signed a contract with the Ministry of Finance to carry out a science and technology task, with a fixed budget of VND 300 million payable upon completion and no invoice required. The contract was signed and completed in 2025, but the Ministry made payment in early 2026. The company ran into a problem because the new enterprise chart of accounts in Appendix II of Circular No. 99/2025/TT-BTC dated October 27, 2025 (effective from January 1, 2026) removed Account 161 - Non-business expenditure and Account 461 - Non-business funding sources, which had previously been used to record this type of funding. The Department of Accounting and Auditing Management and Supervision (Ministry of Finance) responded that, in substance, this is a sale-of-goods and service-provision transaction between the enterprise and the State, with the State acting as a customer, rather than a traditional budget-allocated non-business funding item. The enterprise should therefore rely on the signed science-technology task order contract and apply the revenue and expense recognition guidance in Circular 99/2025/TT-BTC to record the transaction appropriately, instead of looking for accounts equivalent to the abolished Account 161 and Account 461. This is an important reminder for state-owned enterprises and other entities with science-technology task or public-service order contracts with government agencies: from January 1, 2026, revenue from such contracts must be recorded as sales/service revenue under the new accounting regime, since the previous non-business funding accounts have been discontinued.
Refunding the Land Use Fee Overpayment After Recalculation Under Decree 50/2026/ND-CP and Resolution 254/2025/QH15
A taxpayer in Da Nang had their land use fee recalculated by the tax authority under Decree 50/2026/ND-CP and National Assembly Resolution 254/2025/QH15, and the result showed an overpayment that should be refunded. However, the tax official advised the taxpayer to wait, because the public online service portal does not yet have a dedicated procedure for filing a refund request in this specific situation. Responding to the inquiry, Tax Region 9 (Da Nang) cited point d, clause 2, Article 12 of Decree 50/2026/ND-CP: if a household or individual already paid the land use fee in full under the original tax notice, and the recalculated amount is lower, the difference is refunded by offsetting it against other land use fee or land rent obligations; if no such obligation remains, it is refunded in cash under state budget and tax management law. On the concrete procedure, the tax authority cited Circular 80/2021/TT-BTC (as amended by Circular 94/2025/TT-BTC): a taxpayer with an overpayment and no outstanding tax debt should submit a refund request using form 01/DNXLNT (with a power-of-attorney document if not filing in person) directly to the tax authority managing the collection, without waiting for a dedicated online-portal feature. This is practical guidance for households, individuals, and small businesses whose land use fees are being recalculated under the transitional rules of Resolution 254/2025/QH15 - they can proactively pursue a refund rather than waiting for the electronic system to catch up.
Ministry of Finance Guidance on Accounting for Local Housing Funds Managed by Development Investment Funds
The Ministry of Finance's Department of Accounting and Auditing Management and Supervision issued an official response to a reader's question about accounting treatment between a provincial Local Development Investment Fund (LDIF) and a local Housing Fund, in cases where the LDIF is assigned to manage the Housing Fund under Decree No. 302/2025/ND-CP dated November 19, 2025. According to the guidance, when an LDIF receives entrusted management of the operations and capital of a local Housing Fund, it must separately account for the entrusted capital and any assets formed from that capital, keeping them distinct from the LDIF's own operating capital and assets, per Clause 3, Article 32 and Article 38 of Decree No. 147/2020/ND-CP. Accounting for the entrusted activity follows Circular No. 90/2021/TT-BTC, which allows the fund to open additional detail-level sub-accounts to meet its own management needs. The Ministry also noted that other matters raised - such as final settlement of revenue and expenses, distribution of income-expense differentials, and annual financial planning for the Housing Fund - fall outside the authority of the Department of Accounting and Auditing Management and Supervision and will be forwarded to the relevant unit for a separate response. This guidance applies mainly to off-budget state financial funds at the provincial level and does not directly affect the accounting or tax obligations of private enterprises or household businesses.
Vietnam Social Security Clarifies Power-of-Attorney Procedure for One-Time Benefits After Form 13-HSB Is Abolished (Decision 313/QD-BHXH)
Vietnam Social Security (BHXH Vietnam) has issued an official response addressing complaints about the power-of-attorney procedure for claiming one-time social insurance benefits after Decision No. 313/QD-BHXH (issued March 27, 2026) abolished Form No. 13-HSB, the standard power-of-attorney form. BHXH Vietnam clarified that removing this form is only a change to the dossier composition and internal workflow as part of administrative reform, and it does not eliminate or restrict a worker's legal right to authorize someone else to act on their behalf. Under point d, clause 2, Article 10 of the 2024 Law on Social Insurance (effective from July 1, 2025), SI beneficiaries retain the right to authorize another person in writing to handle SI procedures; a power-of-attorney for receiving pensions or allowances is valid for a maximum of 12 months and must be properly certified. For workers residing or working abroad, the power-of-attorney must be certified by a Vietnamese diplomatic or consular office abroad, or notarized and certified under local law and consularly legalized (unless exempted), in order to be valid for transactions in Vietnam. BHXH Vietnam also acknowledged reports of some local officials rigidly rejecting power-of-attorney dossiers and asked affected individuals to provide details of the receiving office, timing, and supporting documents for investigation. Employers with staff working overseas, and the workers themselves, should note the correct form of power-of-attorney now required in place of the abolished Form 13-HSB when filing for one-time social insurance benefits.
[Draft] Law Amending and Supplementing the Law on Natural Resources Tax
The Ministry of Finance is leading the drafting of a law amending and supplementing several articles of Vietnam's current Law on Natural Resources Tax. This is an early step in the legislative process, with the draft currently under review by the National Assembly's Economic and Financial Committee before being submitted to the full National Assembly. Under the current schedule, the draft law is expected to be presented and passed at the 2nd session of the 16th National Assembly. At this stage, the specific content of the proposed amendments, such as tax rates, taxable subjects, or calculation methods, has not yet been published on the draft-law portal, so businesses engaged in natural resource extraction (minerals, oil and gas, water, forest products, and similar activities) should monitor developments closely to prepare for eventual changes once the law takes effect. RegHub will provide updates as more detailed content on the specific amendments becomes available.