Knowledge base

The Law on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control (Law No. 33/2013/QH13) has been reissued as Consolidated Document No. 85/VBHN-VPQH, folding in every amendment made since 2013, most recently Law No. 146/2025/QH15, effective January 1, 2026. The law sets out the responsibilities of state agencies, organizations, households, and individuals, including foreign organizations and individuals operating in Vietnam, for disaster prevention, response, and recovery. The provision most relevant to businesses is the mandatory contribution to the provincial-level Disaster Prevention Fund: every domestic and foreign economic organization operating in a locality must contribute, alongside Vietnamese citizens aged 18 up to retirement age. Contribution levels and exemption or deferral rules are set by government decree. The law also allows corporate income tax exemptions or reductions for contributions made to disaster prevention, and encourages insurers to offer disaster-risk insurance products. It also bans hoarding or price-gouging on goods and supplies by exploiting a disaster. This consolidation mainly updates the name of the managing ministry, from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, effective January 1, 2026, plus some budget-reserve wording; it does not create significant new obligations for businesses. Accountants and business owners who make annual contributions to the Disaster Prevention Fund should update the ministry name on their records and filings.

From 1 January 2026, carbonated beverages under Vietnamese national standards (TCVN) with sugar content above 5g/100ml became subject to special consumption tax (SCT) under Article 2.1(l) of SCT Law 66/2025/QH15. Direct consequence: businesses producing or trading these beverages lose entitlement to corporate income tax (CIT) incentives - including those applicable in extremely disadvantaged areas - for income derived from such beverages. Basis: Article 23.9(c) of Decree 320/2025/ND-CP (15 December 2025) states that the preferential CIT rates of 15% and 17%, plus other CIT incentives, do not apply to income from producing or trading goods and services subject to SCT. The only exceptions are projects manufacturing/assembling cars, aircraft, helicopters, gliders, yachts, and oil refining.

Decree 362/2025/ND-CP, effective from January 1, 2026, provides detailed regulations for implementing the Law on Fees and Charges. This document specifies fees and charges payable when conducting administrative procedures and using public services at state agencies. This decree directly impacts small and medium enterprises (SMEs) when performing procedures such as business registration, license applications, certifications, intellectual property registration, customs procedures, and other public services. The new regulations enhance transparency regarding fee and charge levels and collection methods, enabling businesses to more accurately estimate compliance costs. Businesses should note the updated fee and charge levels applicable from early 2026 to adjust financial plans and ensure proper compliance. Understanding these regulations helps avoid risks related to late payment or incorrect payment of fees and charges as prescribed.

The State Bank of Vietnam has issued Consolidated Document No. 35/VBHN-NHNN (dated January 23, 2026), which compiles the full text of Circular 11/2013/TT-NHNN on housing support loans under Government Resolution 02/NQ-CP (January 7, 2013), together with all subsequent amendments made by Circular 32/2014/TT-NHNN, Circular 25/2016/TT-NHNN, and most recently Circular 85/2025/TT-NHNN (effective December 31, 2025). This is a reference consolidation, not a new legal rule - it lets readers see the entire amendment history of the original circular in a single document. The housing support loan program uses refinancing capital from the State Bank, channeled through state-owned commercial banks and a limited set of designated joint-stock banks, to subsidize interest rates for individuals buying, renting, or rent-purchasing social housing or affordable commercial housing (under 70 sqm, priced below VND 15 million/sqm, or with a total contract value not exceeding VND 1.05 billion), as well as for enterprises developing social housing projects. The maximum lending rate is 6% per year, reset annually; the subsidized-rate period runs up to 15 years for individual homebuyers, 10 years for new-build or renovation loans, and 5 years for enterprise and household social-housing investment loans. New refinancing disbursements stopped back in 2016 and only apply to credit contracts signed before March 31, 2016 - banks now simply manage and wind down existing balances, with a final repayment deadline of June 1, 2031. For SME owners generally, the practical impact of this document is minimal since the program has been closed to new lending since 2016. The most recent update, Circular 85/2025/TT-NHNN, mainly updates legal citations to reflect the new SBV Law, Credit Institutions Law, and Decree 26/2025/ND-CP, revises the refinancing procedure in Article 8, and reissues the appendix form templates - it does not touch tax, accounting, e-invoicing, labor, or customs rules. Enterprises still holding social-housing project loans under the old refinancing scheme, and the participating commercial banks, should note the repayment timelines running through 2031.

Consolidated Document No. 09/VBHN-BKHCN merges Circular No. 01/2018/TT-BKHCN with amendments under Circular No. 58/2025/TT-BKHCN, setting out how the Ministry of Science and Technology organizes, manages, and funds the National Innovation Startup Ecosystem Support Scheme to 2025 (Project 844), approved under Decision No. 844/QD-TTg. The circular divides Project 844 tasks into five groups: national/ministerial/provincial science and technology tasks; annual and periodic tasks (training, communications, building accelerator and investor networks, organizing startup events, supporting incubators); IT application tasks (the national startup portal and startup database system); construction of concentrated startup service zones; and project management activities. It sets out detailed procedures for selecting lead implementing organizations (application dossiers, appraisal councils, funding review), contract signing and liquidation, and a five-tier classification of innovation startup experts by years of experience (under 3 years to 12+ years) used to set financial support rates. The main audience is startup support organizations and innovation startups (businesses under 5 years old) seeking access to state budget funding, plus the ministries, localities, and agencies that directly implement Project 844. This is an internal administrative document governing how startup-support funding is approved and disbursed - it does not impose tax, e-invoice, labor, or customs obligations that apply to businesses generally.

Consolidated Document No. 12/VBHN-BTC, issued by the Ministry of Finance on April 22, 2026, merges Circular No. 57/2021/TT-BTC with its two amending circulars (No. 69/2023/TT-BTC and No. 139/2025/TT-BTC) into a single reference text. It does not replace the three original circulars; it only sets out the roadmap for reorganizing the stock, bond, and derivatives trading markets between the Hanoi Stock Exchange (HNX) and the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HOSE). Under the roadmap, by no later than December 31, 2026, HOSE will consolidate all stock trading (both listed shares and shares registered for trading), taking over shares currently listed or registered for trading at HNX. In turn, HNX will hand off its stock trading business to HOSE and focus on organizing the bond market (government bonds, listed corporate bonds, and privately placed corporate bonds) along with the derivatives trading market. The document also sets minimum charter capital thresholds for new listing applications at each exchange during the transition period (VND 120 billion at HOSE, VND 30 billion at HNX before July 1, 2025) and explains how pending listing or trading-registration applications are handled when a company's shares move between exchanges. The entities directly affected are the Vietnam Stock Exchange, HNX, HOSE, and public companies, listed organizations, and organizations registered for trading. Small and medium enterprises that are not listed or registered for trading on either exchange are generally not directly affected by this reorganization roadmap.

The Ministry of Finance confirmed that the non-cash payment requirement for expenses of VND 5 million or more per transaction — under Point c, Clause 1, Article 9 of Decree 320/2025/ND-CP — applies to all enterprise expenditures including interest payments by People's Credit Funds. Non-cash payment documentation follows VAT law requirements. The rule applies from 15 December 2025 when Decree 320/2025/ND-CP took effect. For the specific situation of People's Credit Funds (specialized operations, depositors mainly elderly and rural residents without bank accounts), the tax authority advised contacting the directly managing tax office for case-specific guidance based on actual records and circumstances.

The Ministry of Finance confirms that salary and wage payments of **VND 5 million or more per transaction** must be accompanied by **non-cash payment documentation** to qualify as a deductible expense for corporate income tax (CIT) purposes, effective from 15 December 2025 (the effective date of Decree 320/2025/ND-CP). What constitutes "non-cash payment documentation" is determined under Article 26 of Decree 181/2025/ND-CP dated 01/7/2025, implementing the VAT Law. This requirement applies under Article 9, clause C of Decree 320/2025/ND-CP and makes no distinction between wages and other goods/services payments. The authoritative reference is Official Letter 218/CST-TN dated 27/01/2026 from the Department of Tax, Fee and Charge Policy Management, Ministry of Finance.

The Ministry of Finance clarified that when employees purchase goods or services on behalf of a company, each individual transaction (each invoice) determines whether the non-cash payment requirement applies - not the aggregate reimbursement request. The VND 5 million threshold is assessed per purchase transaction, not per consolidated payment claim. Under Article 9.1(c2) of Decree 320/2025/ND-CP, if the company delegates an employee to purchase goods/services of VND 5 million or more per transaction and the employee pays using a non-cash method, the expense is deductible provided proper invoices and documentation exist and the company reimburses the employee by bank transfer. For individual invoices below VND 5 million, there is no mandatory non-cash payment requirement for that specific transaction. Companies must maintain internal financial regulations clearly authorising employee purchases, supported by the employee's non-cash payment records and the company's bank transfer records for the reimbursement.

The Ho Chi Minh City Tax Department responded to the inquiry of FP Vietnam Co., Ltd. (response ticket No. 261225-31) regarding whether wages paid in cash or in-kind are deductible for corporate income tax (CIT) purposes. The Tax Department stated that, in order to provide an accurate answer in accordance with applicable legal regulations and the specific circumstances of the company, the company should contact its directly managing tax authority for guidance. The HCMC Tax Department did not provide substantive guidance on the conditions for deductibility in this case and instead referred the matter to the competent local tax authority.