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General information: MPI, Ministry of Planning and Investment
Hochiminh City
Opening hours and days: Administrations and public utilities generally open from 7.30 AM to 11.30 AM and from 1.30 PM to 4.30 PM.

Holiday compensation: When a public holiday falls on a Saturday or a Sunday, it is compensated for on the next working day.

Tax year: The fiscal year is from January 1st to December 31st.
Accounting standards: Accounting standards are issued by The Ministry of Finance.
Accounting regulation bodies: The Ministry of Finance
Accounting reports: The accounting structure comprises balance sheet, cash flow, trial balance and profits and losses.
Publication requirements: Companies have to hand in Financial Report annually, including Accounting Report to Tax Department of the city.
Professional accountancy bodies: Vietnam Association of Certified Public Accountants
Certification and auditing: Vietnam National Auditing Company, ACA Group, Ernst & Young, Price Waterhouse Cooper , KPMG. Activities of audit companies in Vietnam are under the control of The Ministry of Finance.
Accounting news: Institute of Certified Management Accountants
Vietnam National Auditing Company
Accounting Magazine

Nature of the tax: Value Added Tax - VAT
Tax rate: A VAT of 10% applies on consumption goods.
Reduced tax rate: There are 2 reduced rates:
- 0% on some exported goods
- 5% on agricultural products, water, medical goods and teaching aids.

Consult detail guide of Vietnam Customs and Vietnam General Dapartment of Taxation for more information.
Other consumption taxes: Luxury Tax

Company tax: The general corporate tax rate is 25% but it can be different depending on the type of company.
Click here for more information.
Tax rate for foreign companies: Consumption tax is applied the same for resident and non-resident.
Capital gains taxation: Click here to consult tax guide of Vietnam Ministry of Finance.
Main allowable deductions and tax credit: Companies tax deductions are possible in the case of preferential investments, factory relocalisations, modernization of technologies or assembly lines. For more information, click here
Other corporate taxes: Pollution Tax.

Allowable deductions and tax credit: Tax deduction depends on familly status.
Special expatriate tax regime: No

Countries with whom a double taxation treaty have been signed: See the list of countries having a tax convention with Vietnam.
Whithholding taxes: Dividends: 0, Interest: 10%, Royalties: 10%

Tax Authorities: General Department of Taxation
Other domestic resources: Ministry of Finance
General Department of Vietnam Custom

National organizations: National Office of Intellectual Property
Regional organizations: Intellectual Property Rights Experts Group (IPEG), Intellectual Property Resource of each member economy of the APEC Community.
International membership: Member of the WIPO
Signatory to the Paris Convention for the Protection of Intellectual Property
Membership to the TRIPS agreement - Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)

Type of property and law	Validity	International agreements signed
Patent Patent Law	20 years	Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) Strasbourg agreement concerning the International Patent Classification
Trademark Trademarks law	10 years, renewable every 10 years.	Trademark law treaty Nice agreement Protocol relating to the Madrid Agreement
Design Design law	5 years
Copyright Copyright (Guidelines IP law)	50 years or indefinitely depending on the kind of works.	Berne convention Convention for the Protection of Producers of Phonograms against unauthorized duplication of their phonograms Rome convention for the protection of performers, producers of phonograms and Broadcasting organizations WIPO copyright treaty WIPO performances and Phonograms treaty
Industrial Models Models laws	5 years.

Independence of justice: The independance of justice is still a work in progress in Vietnam.
Equal treatment of nationals and foreigners: Nationals and foreigners living and working in Vietnam are treated equally.
The language of justice: Vietnamese.
Recourse to an interpreter: Yes
Sources of the law and legal similarities: The sources of the Vietnam law are:

- The Policy of the Party, the Government and the State
- The needs of socio-political management
- The political theories of Hochiminh, Marx and Lenin and
- International Treaties.
For more information.
Checking national laws online: Ministry of Justice
Vietnam Law

National standards organizations: Vietnam Certification Centre
Vietnam Directorate for Standards and Quality
Quality Assurance and Testing Center 3
Integration in the international standards network: The most important organizations in certifying standards are the Vietnam Certificate Centre - QUACERT, the Quality Assurance and Testing Center 3, the Directorate for Standards and Quality - STAMEQ, and the Vietnam Standards and Quality Centre - TCVN. These organisations are following international standards in order to build a national standard system allowing Vietnames companies to do business overseas.
Classification of standards: National Standard and Quality Organizations:

Vietnam Directorate for Standards and Quality - STAMEQ
Quality Assurance and Testing Centre 3: QUATEST 3 Certificate
Vietnam Standards and Quality Centre
Online consultation of standards: The certifications are issued by Quacert: ISO, HACCP, GMP...
Certification organizations: QUACERT
QUATEST 3

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