Decree 94/2017 of the Government provides a list of goods and services, which are subject to State monopoly. In other words, enterprises from private sectors including foreign-invested enterprises are not allowed to provide these goods and services in Vietnam unless they are appointed by the State authority to do so.

Under Decree 94/2017, the State will contemplate a goods or service to be State monopoly services only when there are no other investors who are interested in and capable to provide such goods and services. The list of State monopoly goods and services includes, among other things:

From 21 April 2017, Decree 46/2017 introduces a new set of conditions for establishment of domestic schools from kindergarten to university levels. The new conditions replaces various legislation of the same topics. However, these conditions do not apply to  foreign-invested schools (FIE schools). In additions, schools established before 21 April 2017 need not to comply with the new and, in many cases, stricter conditions. The table below summarises the key conditions for setting a domestic school under the old regulations, setting up an FIE school under Decree 73/2012, and setting up a domestic school under Decree 46/2017.

This post is contributed by Nguyen Linh Chi, an intern at Venture North Law.