Vietnam Representative Office

There are no geographical restrictions on where a representative office can be established in Vietnam. A foreign company can open an unlimited number of representative offices in Vietnam.

A representative office is not a separate legal entity under Vietnamese law. However, it can sign a commercial contract on behalf of its parent.

A representative office license is valid for five years, and this period is renewable.

A Vietnam representative office cannot make sales in Vietnam. Its can conduct market research, advertise products and supervise the implementation of contracts between the parent company and local partners. A representative office is required to lease office space in Vietnam.

To obtain a Vietnam representative office license, a foreign company must have been in operation for at least a year. The company is required to submit a copy of its business registration certificate from its home country. If this certificate has a validity period, the remaining validity period must be at least one year, thus ruling out the opening of a representative office by a Hong Kong company, for example.

The representative office license application must be supported by a notarised copy of the foreign company's audited annual report and Articles of Association. The annual report must also be legalised by the nearest Vietnamese embassy or consulate.

Vietnamese translations of all foreign-made documents are required, and these must be notarised by a Vietnamese State Notary or Vietnamese embassy or consulate.

Vietnam Representative Office costs in Year 1 range from US$11,000 to US$21,000 depending on the corporate structure chosen and the range of professional services required from Healy Consultants. These fees include i) government license fees ii) virtual office fees iii) corporate bank account opening and iv) residence and employment visas.