Knowledge base

This is a consolidated document authenticated by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on March 13, 2026, merging Circular No. 40/2009/TT-BCT (promulgating the National Technical Regulation on Electrical Engineering, effective March 29, 2010) with amendments under Circular No. 51/2025/TT-BCT dated November 11, 2025 (promulgating QCVN 26:2025/BCT on Electrical Engineering - Power Grid System, effective June 1, 2026). It sets out national technical regulations QCVN QTĐ-5, QTĐ-6 and QTĐ-7 covering testing, operation-maintenance, and construction of power grid equipment (transmission and distribution lines, substations up to 500 kV), hydroelectric plants of 30 MW or more, and thermal power plants of 1 MW or more connected to the national grid. The bulk of the content is technical procedure: inspection during installation, completion testing before commissioning, and periodic inspection (generally every 3 years) for generators, transformers, hydraulic turbines, dams and hydraulic structures - including earth-resistance measurement, insulation-resistance measurement, dielectric tests, vibration measurement, and load-rejection tests. Circular 51/2025/TT-BCT repealed all six chapters of Part II (grid equipment, substation and transmission-line testing) in the former Volume 5, replacing them with the new QCVN 26:2025/BCT, effective from June 1, 2026. This is a technical electrical-safety standard aimed at the power industry (power plant owners, transmission and distribution operators), not tax, accounting, e-invoicing, labor, or customs matters. It therefore falls outside RegHub's core coverage for SME owners and accountants, and is retained only as technical background for businesses operating in the power sector.

Consolidated Document No. 28/VBHN-BCT merges the original Decree 75/2019/ND-CP with the amendments introduced by Decree 102/2026/ND-CP (effective May 20, 2026), setting out the full administrative penalty framework for competition law violations in Vietnam. It applies to all businesses, including foreign-invested enterprises operating in Vietnam, industry associations, and related domestic and foreign organizations and individuals. Fine levels remain steep: up to 10% of relevant revenue for restrictive agreements and abuse of a dominant or monopoly market position; up to 5% of revenue for economic concentration violations such as prohibited mergers, consolidations, acquisitions, and joint ventures; and up to VND 2 billion for unfair competition acts including trade secret infringement, coercion of business partners, spreading false information about competitors, or predatory below-cost selling. Decree 102/2026/ND-CP adds a default rule setting the specific fine at the midpoint of the applicable range, introduces two new remedial measures (compelling full and truthful information disclosure, and compelling full compliance with economic-concentration approval conditions), and repeals several outdated supplementary penalty provisions. For SME owners and foreign investors, the key takeaway is that M&A deals, joint ventures, or cooperation agreements with same-industry partners can be classified as economic concentration or a restrictive agreement if not pre-notified to the National Competition Commission, with fines that can reach billions of dong. Businesses should review distribution agreements, exclusivity clauses, and any planned M&A activity to confirm compliance ahead of the May 20, 2026 effective date.

On May 19, 2026, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment issued Circular 22/2026/TT-BNNMT, amending a series of circulars to decentralize authority, cut red tape, and simplify administrative procedures across seven areas: crop cultivation and plant protection, quality management of agro-forestry-fishery products (food safety), climate change (carbon credit registration), science and technology, marine and island resources and environment, livestock and veterinary medicine, and environment. For businesses, the key changes include shorter processing times for several procedures (for example, recognition of special-case crop variety circulation drops from 15 to 10 working days, and some steps drop from 10 to 5 working days); state inspection of food safety for imports is transferred from the central-level Departments of Animal Health and Plant Protection to agencies designated by provincial People's Committee chairpersons; simplified documentation for Certificates of Free Sale (CFS) for exported goods and for food safety eligibility certificates; shorter appraisal periods for veterinary drug registration and renewal; and a streamlined process for canceling and transferring ownership of carbon credits and greenhouse gas emission quotas on the National Registry System. The Circular takes effect from May 19, 2026, except Articles 2 and 3 (import food safety inspection), which take effect from September 1, 2026, and Article 6 (carbon credit registration), which takes effect from August 1, 2026. Applications submitted before the effective date continue to be processed under the previous rules. Businesses in agricultural and food import/export, livestock, veterinary pharmaceuticals, and the carbon market should review their internal procedures to take advantage of the shortened processing times and confirm the newly designated competent authority, which is now often provincial rather than central level.

On March 28, 2026, the Prime Minister issued Decision 11/2026/QD-TTg promulgating the List of National Databases, effective from May 19, 2026. The decision lists 20 national databases that ministries and agencies must build, manage, and connect through mandatory data-sharing under Decree 278/2025/ND-CP, covering population, land, health, education, civil servants, social security, state archives, administrative procedures, construction activities, climate change, artificial intelligence, exit-entry, administrative violation handling, asset and income control, electronic identity, and location identification. For businesses and accountants, the two most relevant entries are the National Finance Database and the National Business Registration Database, both managed by the Ministry of Finance. Consolidating specialized finance-sector databases (which include tax, customs, and business registration data) into one integrated national data warehouse is groundwork for future automated data-sharing between tax authorities, the business registration agency, and other state bodies, which could eventually change how businesses declare and verify information when completing administrative procedures. The decision does not impose any new direct compliance obligations on businesses; responsibility for building, updating, and connecting the data rests with ministries, ministerial-level agencies, and provincial People's Committees. This is a foundational document on national data architecture that businesses and accountants should track, since it shapes the data infrastructure that tax, customs, and business registration authorities will rely on in the coming years.

Decree No. 105/2026/ND-CP dated 31 March 2026 details and guides the implementation of certain articles of Trade Union Law No. 50/2024/QH15 on trade union finance, covering the method and deadline for paying trade union fees, cases of exemption, reduction or temporary suspension of payments, and management of trade union funds for worker organisations at enterprises. Entities required to pay trade union fees include enterprises, self-financing public service units, cooperatives, cooperative unions, and other organisations employing workers. Most entities must pay monthly, concurrent with mandatory social insurance contributions; agricultural, forestry, fishery, and salt-production enterprises that pay wages on a production-cycle basis may register to pay quarterly instead. Failing to pay in full within 60 days after the deadline constitutes non-payment. Enterprises that have exhausted the temporary-suspension period and must continue reducing headcount above the statutory threshold may apply for a reduction of up to 20% of the standard contribution rate for a maximum of six months.

This is Consolidated Document No. 44/VBHN-NHNN, combining Circular 22/2019/TT-NHNN (which sets the safety limits and ratios banks and foreign bank branches must maintain) with four rounds of amendments, the latest being Circular 08/2026/TT-NHNN, effective 15 May 2026. It applies to state-owned commercial banks, cooperative banks, joint-stock commercial banks, joint-venture banks, 100%-foreign-owned banks, and foreign bank branches operating in Vietnam. The core prudential ratios are: a minimum Capital Adequacy Ratio (CAR) of 9% (both standalone and consolidated); credit-concentration caps of 5% of charter capital (or allocated capital) each for credit extended to invest in corporate bonds and credit extended to invest in shares, only permitted when the bank's non-performing loan ratio is below 3%; a minimum liquid reserve ratio of 10%; a 30-day liquidity coverage ratio (minimum 50% for VND when net outflow is positive; minimum 10% FX for commercial banks and 5% for foreign bank branches and cooperative banks); and a maximum loan-to-deposit ratio (LDR) of 85%. The notable update is that Circular 08/2026/TT-NHNN revised how «total deposits» are counted for the 85% LDR cap, excluding escrow deposits, deposits for designated purposes, State Treasury demand deposits, and 80% of State Treasury term deposits. This does not create a direct compliance obligation for non-bank businesses, but it changes how much lending room banks have, which can indirectly affect credit availability for SMEs and foreign-invested companies that borrow from Vietnamese banks or foreign bank branches.

Circular 08/2026/TT-NHNN dated 15 May 2026, issued by the State Bank Governor (signed by Deputy Governor Doan Thai Son), amends point (a) of clause 4, Article 20 of Circular 22/2019/TT-NHNN, redefining the deposit components used as the denominator in the bank liquidity ratio calculation. Under the new rule, deposits from domestic and foreign organisations (including deposits from other credit institutions and foreign bank branches) are included in the denominator, but the following are excluded: (i) margin deposits and special-purpose deposits from customers; (ii) demand deposits from the State Treasury; and (iii) 80% of the balance of time deposits from the State Treasury. This replaces the provision in clause 1, Article 1 of Circular 26/2022/TT-NHNN on the same matter. The circular took effect on 15 May 2026.

On March 31, 2026, the Government issued Decree No. 106/2026/ND-CP on the investment, construction, management, and operation of inland container depots (ICDs, known in Vietnamese as "cang can"). The Decree takes effect on May 15, 2026 and replaces Decree No. 38/2017/ND-CP. It applies to all Vietnamese and foreign organizations and individuals involved in investing in, building, managing, or operating ICDs, which function as transport hubs linked to seaports, airports, inland waterways, railways, and road border gates, and which also serve as customs clearance points for imported and exported goods. The Decree sets out the criteria for qualifying as an ICD (a minimum area of 5 hectares for newly established depots), the mandatory infrastructure components, the list of permitted services at ICDs (loading and unloading, warehousing, customs brokerage, quarantine, packaging, processing, and similar value-added services), and detailed procedures and timelines for announcing the opening of an ICD, suspending operations, or closing an ICD. It also clarifies the coordination responsibilities among the Ministry of Construction, the Ministry of Finance, the Vietnam Maritime and Inland Waterway Administration, customs and quarantine authorities, and provincial People's Committees in overseeing ICD activities. For businesses, particularly logistics infrastructure investors, ICD operating companies, and import-export businesses that use ICD services, the Decree introduces specific compliance obligations: submitting ICD opening dossiers through the National Public Service Portal, publicly posting service prices, connecting data to the National Single Window mechanism, and filing an annual operational report with the Ministry of Construction (via the Vietnam Maritime and Inland Waterway Administration) by December 20 each year. Companies currently investing in or operating ICDs, as well as logistics and import-export businesses relying on ICDs for customs clearance, should review their internal procedures to align with the new documentation requirements and deadlines before the Decree takes effect.

The Prime Minister issued Decision 12/2026/QD-TTg amending the SME loan guarantee scheme at commercial banks. Key changes include: revised guarantee fees (500,000 VND application review fee per dossier and 0.5% per annum guarantee fee on guaranteed amount); clarified procedures for mandatory guaranteed loan obligations when the Vietnam Development Bank (VDB) has to honor a guarantee on behalf of an SME. The decision sets the mandatory loan interest rate at the state investment credit rate, with overdue interest capped at 150% of the in-term rate. VDB may waive or reduce interest for bankrupt or financially distressed borrowers, with no state budget interest subsidy in such cases. Critically, from the effective date of 15 May 2026, VDB ceases issuing new loan guarantees for SMEs under Decision 03/2011/QD-TTg. Previously signed contracts continue under their original terms, with the option to renegotiate interest rates and collateral requirements.

On March 30, 2026, the Ministry of Finance issued Circular 34/2026/TT-BTC, defining the technical-economic characteristics of state-priced securities services provided by the Vietnam Stock Exchange (VNX) and its subsidiaries, and the Vietnam Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation (VSDC) and its subsidiaries. The attached appendix itemizes each service in detail: membership management, listing registration and management, trade organization for stocks, bonds, fund certificates, government debt instruments and derivatives, online connection services, auctions and book-building, government bond bidding, plus VSDC services such as custody, securities transfers, rights execution, clearing and settlement, and security-interest registration. Each service description forms the technical basis the state uses to set official price brackets. This Circular is primarily a technical pricing reference governing the internal service catalog of the two market-infrastructure operators (VNX and VSDC). It does not create new tax, accounting, or compliance obligations for most SMEs; the entities directly affected are securities companies, listed issuers, and investors who consume VNX/VSDC services. The Circular takes effect on May 15, 2026.

On 13 May 2026, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 844/QD-TTg approving an Action Plan to implement Directive No. 52-CT/TW of the Secretariat on achieving universal health insurance (BHYT) coverage in the new phase. The plan targets health insurance coverage of over 95.5% of the population by 2026, and full universal coverage by 2030, assigning 29 specific tasks to the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, provincial People's Committees, and other agencies. For businesses and payroll or accounting staff, the most relevant point is the plan's direction to gradually increase health insurance premium contribution rates from 2027, in step with an expanded scope of benefits. The Ministry of Health is tasked with drafting a Decree to formalize this rate increase, targeted for completion by March 2027. Because BHYT premiums are a mandatory contribution split between employees and employers, this future Decree will directly affect payroll and benefits costs once issued. The plan also pushes digital transformation of online premium collection and AI-assisted review of health insurance claims, which may eventually affect how businesses handle premium payments and health-cost reconciliation for their workforce. Importantly, this Decision itself does not set any new contribution rate or specific figure - it is a policy roadmap. Concrete rates, benefit levels, and procedures will be issued later through separate Decrees and Circulars under the 2026-2030 roadmap.

The Prime Minister approved the terms of reference for revising the National Forestry Planning for 2021-2030 with a vision to 2050. This is an approval of the methodological framework document for conducting the planning revision, not the revised plan itself. The document is based on the Law on Forestry, the Law on Planning, and National Assembly resolutions on administrative unit reorganization and the national master plan. It has no direct impact on SME tax or financial obligations. The Decision was signed on 11 May 2026.