Accordingly, conditional business lines are economic or business sectors, industries or activities in which investments must meet necessary conditions to ensure national defense, security and social order and safety, social ethics and public health. The list of conditional business lines, sectors and trades is specified in the 2020’s Law on Investment, which is amended by the Law No. 03/2022/QH15, the 2022’s Law on Cinematography, the 2022’s Law on Insurance Business and the 2022’s Law on Radio Frequencies.
Investment conditions for industries and trades specified
Investment conditions for industries and trades specified in Appendix IV will be prescribed in laws, resolutions of the National Assembly, ordinances or resolutions of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee, decrees of the Government and treaties to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a signatory. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, People’s Councils, People’s Committees at all levels, other agencies, organizations and individuals are not allowed to promulgate regulations on these investment conditions.
Investment conditions exist in the following forms:
– Permit/license;
– Certificate;
– Credential/practicing certificate;
– Written endorsement or approval;
– Other requirements that individuals or economic entities must meet to make their investment in these business lines without having to obtain written certification from competent authorities.
Conditional business lines are listed in 2020 Investment Law
No. | Description |
1 | Manufacturing of stamps |
2 | Combat gear trading (incl. servicing) |
3 | Trading of firecrackers, except explosive firecrackers |
4 | Trading of camouflage audio recording, video recording or positioning equipment and software |
5 | Trading of paintball guns |
6 | Trading of military equipment and supplies for armed forces, military weapons, equipment, technical devices and means specially used for military and police purposes; specialized components, parts, spare parts, supplies and technologies specially used for manufacturing thereof |
7 | Pawning service business |
8 | Massage service business |
9 | Trading of signal emitting devices for priority vehicles |
10 | Security guard service |
11 | Fire fighting and control service business |
12 | Law practice |
13 | Notarial practice |
14 | Practicing judicial expertise in finance, banking, construction, antique, relic and copyright domains |
15 | Practicing property auction |
16 | Bailiff practice |
17 | Practicing management and liquidation of assets of enterprises and cooperatives under bankruptcy proceedings |
18 | Accounting service business |
19 | Auditing service business |
20 | Tax agent service business |
21 | Customs agent service business |
22 | Trading of duty-free goods |
23 | Operation of bonded warehouses and container freight stations |
24 | Operation of locations for completion of customs procedures, gathering of cargos, customs inspection and supervision |
25 | Securities business |
26 | Business of securities registration, depository, clearing and settlement services of Vietnam Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation; listed and other securities market organization service |
27 | Insurance business |
28 | Reinsurance business |
29 | Insurance brokerage |
| 29a | Insurance auxiliary services |
30 | Insurance agent |
31 | Appraisal service |
32 | Lottery business |
33 | Business of prize-winning electronic games for foreigners |
34 | Credit rating service business |
35 | Casino business |
36 | Betting business |
37 | Business of voluntary pension fund management service |
38 | Petroleum business |
39 | Gas business |
40 | Commercial inspection service business |
41 | Trading (including destruction) of industrial explosive materials |
42 | Trading (including destruction) of industrial explosive materials |
43 | Business sectors and industries using industrial explosive materials and explosive precursors |
44 | Blasting service business |
45 | Trading of chemicals, except those chemicals banned under the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling, Use and Destruction of Chemical Weapons |
46 | Alcohol business |
47 | Trading of tobacco products, tobacco ingredients, tobacco manufacturing machines and equipment |
48 | Trading of food under the specialized management the Ministry of Industry and Trade |
49 | Operation of Commodity Exchanges |
50 | Electricity generation, transmission, distribution, wholesaling, retailing and specialized counseling |
51 | Rice export |
52 | Temporary import and re-export of commodities subject to the special consumption tax |
53 | Temporary import and re-export of frozen food products |
54 | Temporary import and re-export of commodities in the list of used commodities |
55 | Mineral resources business |
56 | Trading of industrial precursors |
57 | Sale and purchase of goods and activities directly related to sale and purchase of goods of foreign service suppliers in Vietnam |
58 | Multi-level marketing |
59 | E-commerce |
60 | Oil and gas business activities |
61 | Energy audit |
62 | Vocational education |
63 | Vocational education quality accreditation |
64 | Vocational skill assessment service business |
65 | Occupational safety and health inspection service business |
66 | Occupational safety, health and hygiene training service business |
67 | Employment service business |
68 | Trading of service of sending workers abroad |
69 | Trading of services of voluntary drug detoxification, smoking cessation, HIV/AIDS treatment, care for the elderly, people with disabilities and children |
70 | Labor outsourcing service business |
71 | Road transportation business |
72 | Automotive maintenance and servicing business |
73 | Automotive manufacturing, assembling and import |
74 | Motor vehicle register service business |
75 | Auto driving training service business |
76 | Business of transport safety assessor training service |
77 | Driving test service business |
78 | Transport safety assessment service business |
79 | Water transport business |
80 | Business of inland watercraft building, conversion, repair and restoration services |
81 | Business of inland watercraft crew members and operators training services |
82 | Training and coaching seafarers and organizing the recruitment and placement of seafarers |
83 | Maritime safety guarantee service business |
84 | Maritime transport business |
85 | Seagoing vessel towage service business |
86 | Import and demolition of used marine vessels |
87 | Business of seagoing vessel building, conversion and repair services |
88 | Seaport operation |
89 | Aviation transport business |
90 | Business of services of design, manufacturing, maintenance and testing of aircraft, aircraft engines, propellers, and aircraft equipment and accessories in Vietnam |
91 | Airport and aerodrome business |
92 | Business of air services at airports and aerodromes |
93 | Air navigation service business |
94 | Business of aviation training and professional coaching services |
95 | Rail transport business |
96 | Operation of railway infrastructure |
97 | Urban rail transit business |
98 | Multimodal transport service business |
99 | Business of service of transport of dangerous goods |
100 | Pipeline transport business |
101 | Real estate business |
102 | Clean water (tap water) business |
103 | Architectural service business |
104 | Business of construction project management consultancy service |
105 | Construction survey service business |
106 | Business of building design and building design evaluation services |
107 | Construction supervision consultancy service business |
108 | Construction service business |
109 | Construction activities of foreign contractors |
110 | Construction cost management service business |
111 | Building inspection service business |
112 | Specialized construction testing service business |
113 | Condominium and apartment building operation management service business |
114 | Crematorium operation and management service business |
115 | Business of construction planning design services |
116 | Trading of serpentine chrysotile products |
117 | Postal services business |
118 | Telecommunications service business |
119 | Digital signature authentication service business |
120 | Publisher’s operations |
121 | Business of printing services, except packaging printing |
122 | Publishing service business |
123 | Social networking service business |
124 | Trading of games on telecommunication networks and Internet |
125 | Pay radio and television service business |
126 | Business of service of creating general news and information sites |
127 | Service of processing, recycling, repairing and renewing used IT products on the list of used information technology products banned from import for foreign partners |
128 | Business of mobile and internet content services |
129 | Business of domain name registration and retention services |
130 | Data center service business |
131 | Business of electronic identification and authentication |
132 | Business of cybersecurity products and services |
133 | Business of imported press publishing services |
134 | Trading of civil encrypted products and services |
135 | Trading of mobile phone jammers |
136 | Operation of preschool education institutions |
137 | Operation of general education institutions |
138 | Operation of higher education institutions |
139 | Operation of foreign-invested education institutions, foreign education representative offices in Vietnam, or campuses of foreign-invested education institutions |
140 | Operation of continuing education institutions |
141 | Operation of specialized education institutions |
142 | Foreign education alliances |
143 | Education quality accreditation |
144 | Study abroad consultancy service business |
145 | Fishing production |
146 | Fishery business |
147 | Trading of aquafeeds and animal feeds |
148 | Aquafeed and animal feed testing and inspection service business |
149 | Trading of biologicals, microorganisms, chemicals and environmental treatment agents used in the fishery and livestock production sector |
150 | Fishing vessel building and conversion business |
151 | Fishing vessel registration and inspection |
152 | Fishing vessel sailor training and coaching |
153 | Raising and cultivating wild plant and animal species listed in the Appendices to CITES Convention and the list of endangered, precious and rare forest plants, animals and aquatic animals |
154 | Farming ordinary wild animals |
155 | Export, import, re-export, transit and introduction from the sea of specimens of wild plant and animal species listed in the Appendices to CITES Convention and the list of endangered, precious and rare forest plants, animals and aquatic animals |
156 | Export, import and re-export of specimens of ranched, captive-bred animal or artificially propagated plant species listed in the Appendices to CITES Convention and the list of endangered, precious and rare forest plants, animals and aquatic animals |
157 | Processing, business, transportation, advertising, exhibition and storage of plant and animal species listed in the Appendices to CITES Convention and the list of endangered, precious and rare forest plants, animals and aquatic animals |
158 | Trading of plant protection products |
159 | Business of service of treatment of articles subject to plant quarantine |
160 | Pesticide testing service business |
161 | Plant protection service business |
162 | Trading of veterinary drugs, vaccines, biological products, microorganisms and chemicals used in the veterinary medicine industry |
163 | Veterinary medicine service business |
164 | Veterinary experimentation and surgery service business |
165 | Business of veterinary vaccination, diagnosis, prescription, disease treatment and health care services |
166 | Business of veterinary drug testing and experimenting services (including veterinary drugs, aquatic veterinary drugs, vaccines, biological products, microorganisms, chemicals used in veterinary medicine, aquatic veterinary medicine industries) |
167 | Animal farming business |
168 | Livestock and poultry slaughtering business |
169 | Trading of food products under the specialized management the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development |
170 | Animal and animal product isolation and quarantine service business |
171 | Fertilizer business |
172 | Fertilizer testing service business |
173 | Trading of plant and animal varieties |
174 | Trading of aquatic breeds |
175 | Plant and animal variety testing service business |
176 | Aquatic breed testing service business |
177 | Trading of services of testing and experimentation of biologicals, microorganisms, chemicals and environmental treatment agents used in the fishery and livestock production industry |
178 | Trading of genetically modified products |
179 | Healthcare service business |
180 | Cosmetic surgery service business |
181 | Pharmaceutical business |
182 | Production of cosmetics |
183 | Trading of chemicals, insecticides and germicides for use in domestic and healthcare settings |
184 | Trading of medical equipment |
185 | Business of intellectual property assessment services (including assessment of copyright and related rights, industrial property and plant variety rights) |
186 | Business of services of conducting radiography |
187 | Atomic energy application supporting service business |
188 | Conformity assessment service business |
189 | Business of services of inspection, calibration and testing of measuring devices and measurement standards |
190 | Business of technological evaluation, appraisal and expertise services |
191 | Business of services of intellectual property representation services (including representation for industrial property and plant variety rights) |
192 | Film dissemination service business |
193 | Antique appraisal service business |
194 | Business of services of planning, construction organization and superintendence for relics preservation, maintenance and restoration projects |
195 | Karaoke and dance hall service business |
196 | Travel services |
197 | Sporting services of professional sports businesses and clubs |
198 | Business of services of art performance, fashion show, beauty and model contest services |
199 | Trading of audio and video recordings of music and dance performances |
200 | Accommodation service business |
201 | Purchase and sale of national relics, antiques and treasures |
202 | Export of relics and antiques not owned by the State, political organizations or socio-political organizations; import of cultural goods subject to the specialized management by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism |
203 | Museum service business |
204 | Trading of electronic games (except prize-winning electronic games for foreigners and online prize-winning electronic games) |
205 | Business of land survey and assessment consultancy services |
206 | Business of land use planning services |
207 | Business of services of construction of information technology technical infrastructure and engineering of software for land information systems |
208 | Business of land database construction services |
209 | Land pricing service business |
210 | Geodesy and cartography service business |
211 | Business of hydro-meteorological forecast and warning services |
212 | Business of groundwater drilling and prospecting services |
213 | Business of services of water resource exploitation and abstraction, and discharge of sewage into water sources |
214 | Business of services of basic water resource survey services, consultancy for planning, formulation of schemes and reports on water resources |
215 | Mineral exploration service business |
216 | Mining and extraction of mineral resources |
217 | Business of hazardous waste transportation and disposal services |
218 | Scrap or waste import |
219 | Environmental observation service business |
220 | Operations of commercial banks |
221 | Operations of non-bank credit institutions |
222 | Operations of cooperative banks, people’s credit funds and microfinance institutions |
223 | Provision of payment intermediary services and payment services via customer’s checking accounts |
224 | Provision of credit information services |
225 | Operations and provision of forex services of entities other than credit institutions |
226 | Gold trading |
227 | Banknote printing and minting operations |
| 228 | Provision of cybersecurity products and services (excluding cyberinformation, civilian cryptography products and services) |
| 229 | Training and issuance of certificates to radio operators |
