Licensing procedures for purchasing shares in Vietnamese local companies - IC or BRC or Both

A major difficulty for a lawyer advising a foreign buyer purchasing equity interest in a local Vietnamese company (Local Co) is to determine whether an Investment Certificate (IC) should be obtained for the investment and if so, how the IC should be issued (e.g. to the foreign buyer or to the Local Co and for which project?). By way of background, the key incorporation document recording key corporate details such as name, address, business lines, owners, and capital structure of a Local Co is the Enterprise Registration (Đăng Ký Doanh Nghiệp) or Business Registration Certificate (Đăng Ký Kinh Doanh). Both terms are commonly abbreviated as BRC. On the other hand, a foreign investor setting up a new company in Vietnam will be issued an IC as the key incorporation document.

The Hanoi Department of Planning and Investment (Hanoi DPI) seemed to share the lawyers’ frustration when in May 2013, it sent a request to the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI) seeking clarification on the rules. We do not know whether and how the MPI responded to the Hanoi DPI’s request. However, the Hanoi DPI’s letter to the MPI provides many useful information about the licensing practice in this regards. In particular, according to Hanoi DPI,

  • Before May 2013, when a foreign investor purchases equity interests in a Local Co, Hanoi DPI would issue a new IC to the Local Co to replace its existing BRC. After acquisition, the Local Co will have the new IC as its incorporation document and will be treated as a foreign-invested enterprise (doanh nghiệp có vốn đầu tư nước ngoài) for all purposes;
  • After May 2013, the Hanoi DPI will not continue the current practice and will not accept new IC applications submitted by foreign buyers purchasing equity interests in a Local Co in Hanoi until there is further guidance by the MPI;
  • There has been inconsistent guidance by different departments of the MPI. The Business Registration Department of the MPI took the view that there is no procedure for “replacing” a BRC with an IC if a foreign buyer purchases equity interests in a Local Co. The Foreign Investment Department on the other hand has advised a Local Co to (1) amend the existing BRC to record the new foreign buyer as an owner and (2) thereafter, apply for a separate new IC recording the project that the Local Co is implementing;
  • MPI were asked to provide guidance on (1) timing, sequence, and procedures to amend an existing BRC of a Local Co to record a new foreign buyer and, if applicable, to obtain a new IC, (2) in what circumstances a new IC is required (depending on the business lines of the Local Co or the level of foreign ownership in the Local Co?), (3) can the foreign buyer voluntarily apply for a new IC even if one is not required, (4) if a new IC is issued in subsequent to a BRC, what happen if a new IC is not issued after the BRC has been amended, (5) which tax department will be in charge of a Local Co after a foreign buyer’s purchase (the tax department in charge of foreign-invested companies or the tax department in charge of domestic companies), (6) licensing procedures and management regime for branches of Local Co after a foreign buyer’s purchase, especially in case the Local Co is involved in conditional businesses for foreign investors such as retail, restaurant), (7) exact definition of foreign-invested enterprises in light of a very broad definition provided in the Investment Law for the purpose of land regulations, tax regulations and reporting obligations; and (8) procedures to record foreign buyers being non-founding shareholders in the BRC of a Local Co being joint stock company;
  • The Business Registration Department of the MPI considers an “acquisition” (mua lại) of a Local Co being the purchase of 100% charter capital of such Local Co which must be a sole-owner company (doanh nghiệp tư nhân). In January 2010, the Foreign Investment Department of the MPI agreed to the Ho Chi Minh DPI that a new IC will be issued to replace the existing BRC of a Local Co if the foreign buyer acquires 100% equity interest of such Local Co. In February 2013, the Business Registration Department of the MPI took a different view that there is no procedures for replacing an existing BRC with a new IC;
  • In Ho Chi Minh City, when a foreign investor purchases equity interests in a Local Co, HCMC DPI would (1) amend the current BRC of the Local Co to record the foreign buyer and (2) thereafter,  issue a new IC to the Local Co for an investment project. Hanoi DPI disagrees with HCMC DPI’s approach due to the uncertainties (see above);
  • In Vinh Phuc province, the Vinh Phuc DPI applies Hanoi DPI’s approach;
  • In Can Tho province, the Can Tho DPI applies Hanoi DPI’s approach for Local Co being manufacturing entities. Can Tho DPI does not accept purchase of equity interest by foreign buyers in Local Co being trading or services entities;
  • In Da Nang, if a foreign buyer acquires no more than 49% equity interest in a Local Co, Da Nang DPI will only amend the existing BRC and will not issue an IC. If a foreign buyer acquires from 51% to less than 100% equity interest in a Local Co, Da Nang DPI adopts HCMC DPI’s approach. If a foreign buyer acquires 100% equity interest in a Local Co, Da Nang DPI will issue a new IC to replace the existing BRC; and
  • In Binh Duong, if a Local Co is a manufacturing entity then Binh Duong DPI adopts Hanoi DPI’s approach in case the foreign buyer acquires 51% or more of the Local Co. If foreign buyer only acquires no more than 49% of a Local Co being a manufacturing entity then Binh Duong DPI only amends the existing BRC and does not issue an IC. If a Local Co being trading or services entity then Binh Duong will issue a new IC to replace the existing BRC even the foreign buyer only acquire 1% of the charter capital. 
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Written by Nguyen Quang Vu On In ,

The case against Mr Nguyen Duc Kien and its potential implication

The first hearings of the criminal cases against Mr Nguyen Duc Kien, former Board member of Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) and Ms Huynh Thi Huyen Nhu, former staff of Vietinbank, a large State-owned bank have raised many fundamental issues about the business law framework in Vietnam. Unfortunately, without a full transcript of the hearings, one cannot comment on the legal interpretation adopted by the courts.

That being said, newspaper reports about Mr Kien’s conviction of illegally doing business (tội kinh doanh trái phép) have shed some light about the court’s interpretation of “doing business” under Article 4.2 of the Enterprise Law. The background of the case is as follows:

  • Mr Kien set up two companies which do not register for the business lines of sale and purchase of shares but for other business lines;

  • These two companies acquire and/or sell shares in other companies;

  • The procurator takes the view that the two companies have illegally done business which are not recorded in their business registration certificates. Under Article 9.1 of the Enterprise Law, a company is required to do business within the scope of its business registration certificates;

  • Mr Kien takes the view that under Article 13 of the Enterprise Law, a company is entitled to acquire shares in another company. Therefore, there is no need for Mr Kien’s companies to register for the business lines of sale and purchase of shares. In practice, the approach taken by Mr Kien’s companies is widely common. Some business registration authorities even refuse to register the business line of sale and purchase of shares on the basis that this activity is permitted by the Enterprise Law already; and

  • The first instance court hold that because Mr Kien’s companies do not do any business other than sale and purchase of shares, these companies are considered as engaging in the business of sale and purchase of shares.

 Article 4.2 of the Enterprise Law provides that “doing business” (kinh doanh) means the continuous conduct of one, several or all of the stages of the investment process, from production to sale of products or provision of services in the market for profits. There is no further interpretation of the term “continuous conduct”. Now, it seems that the court will consider a business conduct by a company to be a continuous conduct if such business conduct is the only business conduct of the company. In light of this interpretation, owners of companies in Vietnam will likely pay more attention to ensure that their companies will at least actually engage in some business lines as provided in their business registration certificates.

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Vietnam Refines The Framework For Direct Power Purchase Agreement With Decree 57/2025

Following the issuance of the Law on Electricity 2024, Vietnam's Government has swiftly replaced its initial framework for Direct Power Purchase Agreements (DPPAs) under Decree 80/2024 by issuing Decree 57/2025 on 3 March 2025. Coming into effect immediately, Decree 57/2025 repeals Decree 80/2024, which had only been active since 3 July 2024. Decree 57/2025 largely maintains the two DPPA models introduced by Decree 80/2024  (1) via private line (Private DPPA) and (2) via the national grid (Grid-Connected DPPA), but introduces important changes impacting eligibility, pricing, and contractual details. Key changes include:

  • Flexible customer eligibility - Decree 57/2025 links customer eligibility (for initial participation and ongoing qualification) to a minimum consumption threshold (Minimum Take Amount) defined in the Wholesale Electricity Market Operation Regulations issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT). Decree 80/2024 instead used a fixed threshold (average ≥200,000 kWh/month). Accordingly, eligibility for participating in either DPPA model now depends on potentially dynamic wholesale market rules rather than a static figure, requiring ongoing monitoring of MOIT's regulations.

  • Stricter customer eligibility – A Large Customer in a DPPA arrangement which has been implemented for 12 months must ensure that in a calendar year, it has purchased from EVN the Minimum Take Amount for the 12 month periods ending on 31 October of the previous calendar year. Under Decree 80/2024, there is no requirement that the Minimum Take Amount must be purchased from EVN. It is not clear if this requirement will apply to a Private DPPA under which the customer purchases directly from the RE Generator.

Understanding Market Access Requirements For Uncommitted Businesses Under Investment Law 2020

Article 9 of the Investment Law 2020 provides for three kinds of business for foreign investors:

  • market-access-prohibited business lines (ngành, nghề chưa được tiếp cận thị trường in Vietnamese) (Prohibited Businesses);

  • business lines with conditional market access (ngành, nghề tiếp cận thị trường có điều kiện in Vietnamese) (Conditional Businesses); and

  • business lines which are not Conditional Businesses and Prohibited Businesses and are subject to the same market access treatment as domestic investors (Unrestricted Businesses).

However, Decree 31/2021 introduces another category of business lines being "business lines without market access commitment" (ngành, nghề Việt Nam chưa cam kết về tiếp cận thị trường in Vietnamese) (Uncommitted Business). It is unclear what the relationship between the Uncommitted Business and the Conditional Business under the Investment Law 2020 is.

Unclear Condition For Offshore Investors To Acquire Equity Originating From Land Use Right Contributions

Under Article 24.2 of the Investment Law 2020, offshore investors who intend to acquire equity in Vietnam-based companies must meet the land regulations on “conditions for receiving land use right” (LUR). However, the land law does not specify any conditions applicable to the offshore investors given that they are not a regulated land user.

Article 28.1(d) of the Land Law 2024 and its guiding provision, Article 9.1 of Decree 102/2024 only permit foreign-invested entities (FIEs), which can be established by offshore investors, to receive a transfer of equity being value of land use right originating from land allocation with land use fee payment or land lease with one-time rental payment to the State. Article 9.1 of Decree 102/2024 suggests that "equity being value of land use right " (vốn đầu tư là giá trị quyền sử dụng đất) (LUR Equity) is the equity in a company's charter capital created by contributing land use rights.

These provisions seem vague and can be interpreted differently, leading to varying conclusions.

Vietnamese Government’s Decree on Self-Consumption Rooftop Solar Power: A few comments (Part 2)

In light of our earlier analysis of Decree 135/2024, we have further observations regarding the Decree's lack of clarity. This post is written by Le Thanh Nhat.

Firstly, the Decree lacks a clear definition of “self-generation and self-consumption rooftop solar power” (Self-Consumption RSP). This is crucial as only surplus power from Self-Consumption RSP systems may be sold to EVN, Vietnam's national electricity provider. Unfortunately, Decree 135/2024 only offers the rather ambiguous definitions for “self-generation and self-consumption power” and “rooftop solar power” (which are arguably the two ‘components’ of Self-Consumption RSP) separately, without clarifying their integration.

Key Highlights Of Vietnam New Data Law

A new Data Law, passed in late November 2024 and set to take effect on 1 July 2025, focuses primarily on establishing a national general database and data centre for state use. However, it also introduces rules on digital data (data in the rest of this article) that concerns the private sector, such as, data products and services. The Government is also drafting three draft decrees detailing key issues under the Data Law, including Data-Related Products & Services Draft Decree, Core & Important Data Draft Decree and a Master Draft Decree.

This blog will discuss several key points under the Data Law and related draft decrees. This post is written by Ha Thanh Phuc and Trinh Phuong Thao.

1)          The police will review and supervise your data activities

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) again is authorized to regulate all activities relating to data except for data under the Ministry of Defence. Accordingly, it seems that Vietnam considers data as security issue and violation of data activities could result in significant liabilities. This could raise significant compliance costs for businesses and companies in Vietnam if they want to be fully comply with unclear rules (see discussion below).

1)          Conditional Business Lines

Amendments to the Investment Law 2020 in late 2024 now require businesses involved in (i) data intermediary products and services, (ii) data analysis and synthesis, or (iii) data platform services to meet certain conditions. The Data Law suggests that:

a. data platform services may be restricted to state enterprises and public providers, potentially excluding private companies; and

b. only providers of data analysis and synthesis services that potentially harm national defence, national security, social order, safety, social ethics, or public health, which have been detailed under the Data-Related Products & Services Draft Decree, will be subject to these conditions.

Under the Data-Related Products & Services Draft Decree, businesses in these sectors are subject to strict requirements. Notably, all such businesses must maintain an escrow of at least 5 billion VND at a Vietnamese commercial bank to cover compensation and expenses in the event their licenses are revoked.

Dealing With Civil Liability In A Criminal Case In Vietnam – A Review Of Certain Practical Cases

In a criminal case involving a business, from time to time, the courts will need to decide on the civil liability of the criminal and other persons including those who are not aware of the crime relating to the case. For example, if A commits a fraud against B and uses the monies obtained from B to repay a debt between A and C who is not aware of A’s crime. In addition to deciding on whether A is guilty or not, the court will need to decide whether (1) requesting A to compensate B for the loss that B suffers or (2) requesting C to return the monies C receives from A to B (assuming that A is convicted). However, it appears that the court does not have a consistent approach. In this post, we discuss the approaches that the courts took in some significant criminal cases for the last decade.

Huyen Nhu Case – 2014

Huynh Thu Huyen Nhu was the head of a transaction office of Vietinbank (a large State-owned bank). Huyen Nhu has offered high interest rate (exceeding the interest rate cap provided by law) to various companies to convince them to deposit their monies with a branch of Vietinbank. After those companies made the deposit under instructions of Huyen Nhu, Huyen Nhu used fake documents and payment instruction to cause Vietinbank to transfer the deposit to Huyen Nhu’s designated accounts. Huyen Nhu used most of the amount obtained through her fraud to repay her debts to several individuals. The damages caused by Huyen Nhu is reported to be around VND 4000 billion (about US$ 200 million at such time), being largest bank fraud at the time.

In addition to convicting Huyen Nhu of the crime of committing fraud to appropriate properties (lừa đảo chiếm đoạt tài sản), the court also requested Huyen Nhu to compensate all the relevant companies for the losses that such companies suffer. The relevant companies took the view that they are not victim of Huyen Nhu’s fraudulent acts but Vietinbank is. Therefore, the relevant companies requested Vietinbank to repay them the deposits they made with Vietinbank. However, the court rejected such view and considered those companies to be victims of Huyen Nhu’s fraudulent acts. The court confiscated the amount of interests that Huyen Nhu paid her lenders but did not require these lenders to return the entire amount they received from Huyen Nhu.

Vietnamese Government’s Decree On Self-Consumption Rooftop Solar Power: A Few Comments

On 22 October 2024, the Government of Vietnam issued Decree 135/2024 on mechanisms and policies incentivising the development of “self-generation and self-consumption rooftop solar power” (Self-Consumption RSP). Unfortunately, there is still a great deal of ambiguity in the provisions of Decree 135/2024 that might create unnecessary confusion in applying and administering the implementation of Decree 135/2024. Please see our discussion of a few ambiguous provisions of Decree 135/2024 below.

1)       Potential risk from Decree 135/2024’s scope of application – Decree 135/2024 is said to only govern Self-Consumption RSP [systems] that are installed on the roof of construction works that were invested and constructed in strict compliance with law, including regulations on investment, construction, land, environment, safety, firefighting and fire prevention. As such, any noncompliance of the underlying building may cause the rooftop solar system to not be recognised as a Self-Consumption RSP system and therefore cannot enjoy the incentives policies under Decree 135/2024. It is unclear (i) whether mitigated noncompliance in the past (before the Self-Consumption RSP system is installed) would cause the building to be considered not “invested and constructed in strict compliance with law” and therefore prevents the installation of Self-Consumption RSP system on said building, and (i) whether noncompliance that arises after the Self-Consumption RSP system is installed and operated would affect the applicability of Decree 135/2024 to such system and what the outcome would be.

New Amendments To The Investment Law 2020

The National Assembly of Vietnam adopted a new law (the Amended Investment Law) to amend and supplement several provisions in Investment Law 2020. Most provisions of the Amended Investment Law take effect from 1 January 2025, except certain cases will take effect from 1 July 2025. In this post, we discuss some notable points in this Amended Investment Law.

Special Investment Procedures

The key point in this Amended Investment Law is the introduction of a special investment procedure (Special Procedure) which allows the eligible investors in certain high-tech sectors to obtain the investment registration certificate (IRC) and implement its project in a shorter time and reduces procedures, including waiver of various approvals and procedures.

The project utilizing the Special Procedure are exempt from various standard approvals and procedures, including IPA, technology appraisal, environmental impact assessment report, detail planning, construction permit and other approvals and permits in construction, fire fighting and prevention. The issued IRC serves as document for land lease or conversion of land use purpose. However, before commencing construction, investors are obliged to submit a report on the project's economic-technical construction investment, along with the corresponding appraisal report, to the relevant Authority.

This Special Procedure prevails relevant regulations under other laws enacted before 15 January 2025 when there is any difference between the Special Procedure and such other laws. For projects having IPA or IRC before the effective date of Amended Investment Law and eligible for utilizing the Special Procedure, the investor of such project can choose to apply the Special Procedure. The Special Procedure is still subject to further guidance from the Government and Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Resolution 171: Expanding Land Resources For Commercial Housing Development In Vietnam

Vietnam’s housing market has experienced rapid growth in recent years, driven by urbanization, economic development, and increasing demand. A shortage in housing supply in some big cities currently has prompted policymakers to enhance land policies to unlock resources for housing project development. As new Land Law 2024 seems to fall short in resolving the land supply constraints for residential development, on 30 November 2024, the National Assembly adopted Resolution 171 on piloting implementation of commercial housing projects through agreements on voluntary assignment of land use rights (LUR) or use of existing LUR (Resolution 171).

With its introduction of a more flexible mechanism for commercial housing development, Resolution 171 is anticipated to address the housing supply shortage. However, developers will need to wait for a detailed decree to ensure the feasibility and compliance of their proposed projects.

After The Storm - New Amendments to the Securities Law 2019

In the FLC and Van Thinh Phat cases, the authorities have accused the controlling shareholders of FLC and Van Thinh Phat of various crimes including crimes relating to public issuance of securities, stock manipulation or private issuance of bonds. In an apparent attempt to prevent these crimes to be recommitted, in December 2024, the National Assembly passes some important amendments to the Securities Law 2019 (2024 Amendment). The Amendment takes effect from 1 January 2025 and could impose significant risks to public companies and their shareholders in Vietnam.

Sweeping changes to the liability regime for public companies, their shareholders and advisors

Under the 2024 Amendment, organization or individuals participating in the process of preparing applicable files or reporting documents relating to securities activities and securities market (hoạt động chứng khoán và thị trường chứng khoán) will be responsible for ensuring that:

  • such application files and reporting documents are legal, accurate, true and complete; and

  • such application files and reporting documents have clear and not misleading information and contain all material content which affect decision of the authorities, organisations and investors.

Advisors, who provide advice on the application files and reporting documents relating to securities activities and securities market, must be honest and prudent and must ensure that all analysis is reasonable and prudent.

Before the 2024 Amendment, the Securities Law 2019 only imposes liabilities to issuers, underwriters, auditors and “certifying organisations” when they conduct a public offering of securities or register their securities for listing or trading. However, by referring to all securities activities and securities market, the 2024 Amendment appears to expand the liability regimes to apply to all activities in the market including those which are normally not subject to such liability such as (1) private offering of securities, (3) public disclosures by a public companies or their shareholders, (4) secondary trading of securities by investors, and (4) advisors who are involved in these activities.

In practice, it would be very difficult for public companies and their shareholders and advisors to ensure that all of the documents and information relating to their public disclosures and securities trading activities do not contain misleading information and contain all material information, which affect decision by not only investors but also the authorities and other organisations.


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Written by Nguyen Quang Vu On In ,

Can a limited liability company in Vietnam sell its new capital contribution for a premium?

A profitable and well-run company usually demands a “premium” when it issues new equity to investors. This means that in a profitable company, a new investor may be required to pay more than the price paid by an existing investor for the same amount of equity and voting rights in the past. Usually, the difference between the price of the new equity portion and the nominal value of such equity portion is referred to as premium.

However, it appears that a limited liability company (LLC) in Vietnam may not be able to do so without changing the voting rights of existing members. This is because:

  • Other than in the context of a joint stock company (JSC), there is no legal concept of equity capital premium in the Enterprise Law and in accounting regulations. “Par value” of shares only exists in the context of shares in JSCs. And under Circular 19/2003, the difference between issuance price of new shares by a JSC and their aggregate par values could be recorded as “capital premium accounts”. On the other hand, capital contribution in a charter capital of a LLC does not have a “par value”.  There is no legal concept for the difference between the price of the new capital contribution portion and the nominal value of such capital contribution portion. Therefore, LLC does not have capital contribution premium if it issues new capital contribution;
  • Decree 102/2010  further provides that charter capital of a LLC with two or more members is “the total value of capital portions” already contributed or undertaken to be contributed within a certain period by its members and is stated in the company charter. If the value of all assets contributed by members of a LLC including new members constitutes the charter capital of such LLC then there is no capital contribution premium in a LCC. In addition, under Decree 102/2010, all amounts paid by a new member of a LLC should carry voting rights; and
  • Tax regulations only expressly exempt corporate income tax on share premium received by a JSC. Therefore, there is no certainty that a LLC will be exempted from capital contribution premium.

In light of the above, a LLC wishing to issue new capital contribution at a premium may consider an alternative structure which allows such a LLC to record the actual value of the amount to be contributed by the new member and at the same time maintains the desired ownership percentage and voting among all members.

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Vietnam Refines The Framework For Direct Power Purchase Agreement With Decree 57/2025

Following the issuance of the Law on Electricity 2024, Vietnam's Government has swiftly replaced its initial framework for Direct Power Purchase Agreements (DPPAs) under Decree 80/2024 by issuing Decree 57/2025 on 3 March 2025. Coming into effect immediately, Decree 57/2025 repeals Decree 80/2024, which had only been active since 3 July 2024. Decree 57/2025 largely maintains the two DPPA models introduced by Decree 80/2024  (1) via private line (Private DPPA) and (2) via the national grid (Grid-Connected DPPA), but introduces important changes impacting eligibility, pricing, and contractual details. Key changes include:

  • Flexible customer eligibility - Decree 57/2025 links customer eligibility (for initial participation and ongoing qualification) to a minimum consumption threshold (Minimum Take Amount) defined in the Wholesale Electricity Market Operation Regulations issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT). Decree 80/2024 instead used a fixed threshold (average ≥200,000 kWh/month). Accordingly, eligibility for participating in either DPPA model now depends on potentially dynamic wholesale market rules rather than a static figure, requiring ongoing monitoring of MOIT's regulations.

  • Stricter customer eligibility – A Large Customer in a DPPA arrangement which has been implemented for 12 months must ensure that in a calendar year, it has purchased from EVN the Minimum Take Amount for the 12 month periods ending on 31 October of the previous calendar year. Under Decree 80/2024, there is no requirement that the Minimum Take Amount must be purchased from EVN. It is not clear if this requirement will apply to a Private DPPA under which the customer purchases directly from the RE Generator.

Understanding Market Access Requirements For Uncommitted Businesses Under Investment Law 2020

Article 9 of the Investment Law 2020 provides for three kinds of business for foreign investors:

  • market-access-prohibited business lines (ngành, nghề chưa được tiếp cận thị trường in Vietnamese) (Prohibited Businesses);

  • business lines with conditional market access (ngành, nghề tiếp cận thị trường có điều kiện in Vietnamese) (Conditional Businesses); and

  • business lines which are not Conditional Businesses and Prohibited Businesses and are subject to the same market access treatment as domestic investors (Unrestricted Businesses).

However, Decree 31/2021 introduces another category of business lines being "business lines without market access commitment" (ngành, nghề Việt Nam chưa cam kết về tiếp cận thị trường in Vietnamese) (Uncommitted Business). It is unclear what the relationship between the Uncommitted Business and the Conditional Business under the Investment Law 2020 is.

Unclear Condition For Offshore Investors To Acquire Equity Originating From Land Use Right Contributions

Under Article 24.2 of the Investment Law 2020, offshore investors who intend to acquire equity in Vietnam-based companies must meet the land regulations on “conditions for receiving land use right” (LUR). However, the land law does not specify any conditions applicable to the offshore investors given that they are not a regulated land user.

Article 28.1(d) of the Land Law 2024 and its guiding provision, Article 9.1 of Decree 102/2024 only permit foreign-invested entities (FIEs), which can be established by offshore investors, to receive a transfer of equity being value of land use right originating from land allocation with land use fee payment or land lease with one-time rental payment to the State. Article 9.1 of Decree 102/2024 suggests that "equity being value of land use right " (vốn đầu tư là giá trị quyền sử dụng đất) (LUR Equity) is the equity in a company's charter capital created by contributing land use rights.

These provisions seem vague and can be interpreted differently, leading to varying conclusions.

Vietnamese Government’s Decree on Self-Consumption Rooftop Solar Power: A few comments (Part 2)

In light of our earlier analysis of Decree 135/2024, we have further observations regarding the Decree's lack of clarity. This post is written by Le Thanh Nhat.

Firstly, the Decree lacks a clear definition of “self-generation and self-consumption rooftop solar power” (Self-Consumption RSP). This is crucial as only surplus power from Self-Consumption RSP systems may be sold to EVN, Vietnam's national electricity provider. Unfortunately, Decree 135/2024 only offers the rather ambiguous definitions for “self-generation and self-consumption power” and “rooftop solar power” (which are arguably the two ‘components’ of Self-Consumption RSP) separately, without clarifying their integration.

Key Highlights Of Vietnam New Data Law

A new Data Law, passed in late November 2024 and set to take effect on 1 July 2025, focuses primarily on establishing a national general database and data centre for state use. However, it also introduces rules on digital data (data in the rest of this article) that concerns the private sector, such as, data products and services. The Government is also drafting three draft decrees detailing key issues under the Data Law, including Data-Related Products & Services Draft Decree, Core & Important Data Draft Decree and a Master Draft Decree.

This blog will discuss several key points under the Data Law and related draft decrees. This post is written by Ha Thanh Phuc and Trinh Phuong Thao.

1)          The police will review and supervise your data activities

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) again is authorized to regulate all activities relating to data except for data under the Ministry of Defence. Accordingly, it seems that Vietnam considers data as security issue and violation of data activities could result in significant liabilities. This could raise significant compliance costs for businesses and companies in Vietnam if they want to be fully comply with unclear rules (see discussion below).

1)          Conditional Business Lines

Amendments to the Investment Law 2020 in late 2024 now require businesses involved in (i) data intermediary products and services, (ii) data analysis and synthesis, or (iii) data platform services to meet certain conditions. The Data Law suggests that:

a. data platform services may be restricted to state enterprises and public providers, potentially excluding private companies; and

b. only providers of data analysis and synthesis services that potentially harm national defence, national security, social order, safety, social ethics, or public health, which have been detailed under the Data-Related Products & Services Draft Decree, will be subject to these conditions.

Under the Data-Related Products & Services Draft Decree, businesses in these sectors are subject to strict requirements. Notably, all such businesses must maintain an escrow of at least 5 billion VND at a Vietnamese commercial bank to cover compensation and expenses in the event their licenses are revoked.

Dealing With Civil Liability In A Criminal Case In Vietnam – A Review Of Certain Practical Cases

In a criminal case involving a business, from time to time, the courts will need to decide on the civil liability of the criminal and other persons including those who are not aware of the crime relating to the case. For example, if A commits a fraud against B and uses the monies obtained from B to repay a debt between A and C who is not aware of A’s crime. In addition to deciding on whether A is guilty or not, the court will need to decide whether (1) requesting A to compensate B for the loss that B suffers or (2) requesting C to return the monies C receives from A to B (assuming that A is convicted). However, it appears that the court does not have a consistent approach. In this post, we discuss the approaches that the courts took in some significant criminal cases for the last decade.

Huyen Nhu Case – 2014

Huynh Thu Huyen Nhu was the head of a transaction office of Vietinbank (a large State-owned bank). Huyen Nhu has offered high interest rate (exceeding the interest rate cap provided by law) to various companies to convince them to deposit their monies with a branch of Vietinbank. After those companies made the deposit under instructions of Huyen Nhu, Huyen Nhu used fake documents and payment instruction to cause Vietinbank to transfer the deposit to Huyen Nhu’s designated accounts. Huyen Nhu used most of the amount obtained through her fraud to repay her debts to several individuals. The damages caused by Huyen Nhu is reported to be around VND 4000 billion (about US$ 200 million at such time), being largest bank fraud at the time.

In addition to convicting Huyen Nhu of the crime of committing fraud to appropriate properties (lừa đảo chiếm đoạt tài sản), the court also requested Huyen Nhu to compensate all the relevant companies for the losses that such companies suffer. The relevant companies took the view that they are not victim of Huyen Nhu’s fraudulent acts but Vietinbank is. Therefore, the relevant companies requested Vietinbank to repay them the deposits they made with Vietinbank. However, the court rejected such view and considered those companies to be victims of Huyen Nhu’s fraudulent acts. The court confiscated the amount of interests that Huyen Nhu paid her lenders but did not require these lenders to return the entire amount they received from Huyen Nhu.

Vietnamese Government’s Decree On Self-Consumption Rooftop Solar Power: A Few Comments

On 22 October 2024, the Government of Vietnam issued Decree 135/2024 on mechanisms and policies incentivising the development of “self-generation and self-consumption rooftop solar power” (Self-Consumption RSP). Unfortunately, there is still a great deal of ambiguity in the provisions of Decree 135/2024 that might create unnecessary confusion in applying and administering the implementation of Decree 135/2024. Please see our discussion of a few ambiguous provisions of Decree 135/2024 below.

1)       Potential risk from Decree 135/2024’s scope of application – Decree 135/2024 is said to only govern Self-Consumption RSP [systems] that are installed on the roof of construction works that were invested and constructed in strict compliance with law, including regulations on investment, construction, land, environment, safety, firefighting and fire prevention. As such, any noncompliance of the underlying building may cause the rooftop solar system to not be recognised as a Self-Consumption RSP system and therefore cannot enjoy the incentives policies under Decree 135/2024. It is unclear (i) whether mitigated noncompliance in the past (before the Self-Consumption RSP system is installed) would cause the building to be considered not “invested and constructed in strict compliance with law” and therefore prevents the installation of Self-Consumption RSP system on said building, and (i) whether noncompliance that arises after the Self-Consumption RSP system is installed and operated would affect the applicability of Decree 135/2024 to such system and what the outcome would be.

New Amendments To The Investment Law 2020

The National Assembly of Vietnam adopted a new law (the Amended Investment Law) to amend and supplement several provisions in Investment Law 2020. Most provisions of the Amended Investment Law take effect from 1 January 2025, except certain cases will take effect from 1 July 2025. In this post, we discuss some notable points in this Amended Investment Law.

Special Investment Procedures

The key point in this Amended Investment Law is the introduction of a special investment procedure (Special Procedure) which allows the eligible investors in certain high-tech sectors to obtain the investment registration certificate (IRC) and implement its project in a shorter time and reduces procedures, including waiver of various approvals and procedures.

The project utilizing the Special Procedure are exempt from various standard approvals and procedures, including IPA, technology appraisal, environmental impact assessment report, detail planning, construction permit and other approvals and permits in construction, fire fighting and prevention. The issued IRC serves as document for land lease or conversion of land use purpose. However, before commencing construction, investors are obliged to submit a report on the project's economic-technical construction investment, along with the corresponding appraisal report, to the relevant Authority.

This Special Procedure prevails relevant regulations under other laws enacted before 15 January 2025 when there is any difference between the Special Procedure and such other laws. For projects having IPA or IRC before the effective date of Amended Investment Law and eligible for utilizing the Special Procedure, the investor of such project can choose to apply the Special Procedure. The Special Procedure is still subject to further guidance from the Government and Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Resolution 171: Expanding Land Resources For Commercial Housing Development In Vietnam

Vietnam’s housing market has experienced rapid growth in recent years, driven by urbanization, economic development, and increasing demand. A shortage in housing supply in some big cities currently has prompted policymakers to enhance land policies to unlock resources for housing project development. As new Land Law 2024 seems to fall short in resolving the land supply constraints for residential development, on 30 November 2024, the National Assembly adopted Resolution 171 on piloting implementation of commercial housing projects through agreements on voluntary assignment of land use rights (LUR) or use of existing LUR (Resolution 171).

With its introduction of a more flexible mechanism for commercial housing development, Resolution 171 is anticipated to address the housing supply shortage. However, developers will need to wait for a detailed decree to ensure the feasibility and compliance of their proposed projects.

After The Storm - New Amendments to the Securities Law 2019

In the FLC and Van Thinh Phat cases, the authorities have accused the controlling shareholders of FLC and Van Thinh Phat of various crimes including crimes relating to public issuance of securities, stock manipulation or private issuance of bonds. In an apparent attempt to prevent these crimes to be recommitted, in December 2024, the National Assembly passes some important amendments to the Securities Law 2019 (2024 Amendment). The Amendment takes effect from 1 January 2025 and could impose significant risks to public companies and their shareholders in Vietnam.

Sweeping changes to the liability regime for public companies, their shareholders and advisors

Under the 2024 Amendment, organization or individuals participating in the process of preparing applicable files or reporting documents relating to securities activities and securities market (hoạt động chứng khoán và thị trường chứng khoán) will be responsible for ensuring that:

  • such application files and reporting documents are legal, accurate, true and complete; and

  • such application files and reporting documents have clear and not misleading information and contain all material content which affect decision of the authorities, organisations and investors.

Advisors, who provide advice on the application files and reporting documents relating to securities activities and securities market, must be honest and prudent and must ensure that all analysis is reasonable and prudent.

Before the 2024 Amendment, the Securities Law 2019 only imposes liabilities to issuers, underwriters, auditors and “certifying organisations” when they conduct a public offering of securities or register their securities for listing or trading. However, by referring to all securities activities and securities market, the 2024 Amendment appears to expand the liability regimes to apply to all activities in the market including those which are normally not subject to such liability such as (1) private offering of securities, (3) public disclosures by a public companies or their shareholders, (4) secondary trading of securities by investors, and (4) advisors who are involved in these activities.

In practice, it would be very difficult for public companies and their shareholders and advisors to ensure that all of the documents and information relating to their public disclosures and securities trading activities do not contain misleading information and contain all material information, which affect decision by not only investors but also the authorities and other organisations.

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New Circular on exchange control over foreign indirect investment

Earlier this week, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) issued Circular 5/2014 regulating exchange control over foreign indirect investment. Circular 5/2014 will take effects from 28 April 2014 replacing the old Circular 3/2004 on similar issue. Circular 5/2014 reinforces  the requirement under Decree 160/2006 and the Ordinance on Foreign Exchange that all foreign indirect investment must be made in Vietnamese Dong and through an indirect investment capital account (tài khoản vốn đầu tư gián tiếp) which is commonly named as the “CCA”. That being said, a quick read of Circular 5/2014 raises the following issues:

  • Circular 5/2014 does not apply to foreign investors who are resident under the foreign exchange regulations including foreign individuals residing in Vietnam for 12 months or more.
  • A foreign investor cannot use the Vietnamese Dong amount in the CCA to make fixed-term deposit or saving deposit. This restriction appears to restrict foreign investors using the CCA to conduct carry trades in Vietnamese Dong.
  • Investment entrustment (ủy thác đầu tư) is now regarded as a form of indirect investment.
  • Circular 5/2014 does not apply to a foreign investor who purchases shares or makes capital contribution and who does not “directly” participate in the management and operation of the target company.  However, as in other earlier legislation, Circular 5/2014 fails to clarify which activity could amount to direct participation in the management and operation of a company.
  • If an indirect investment becomes a direct investment and the foreign investor does not have any other indirect investment, Circular 5/2014 requires the foreign investor to open a “direct investment capital account in Vietnamese Dong” and closes the CCA. However, a “direct investment capital account in Vietnamese Dong” is a new concept and has not been contemplated in earlier regulations such as Decree 160/2006 or the Ordinance on Foreign Exchange.
  • Circular 5/2014 also does not contemplate necessary procedures in case where a direct investment becomes an indirect investment.
  • By around 28 July 2014, all capital contribution and share purchase accounts opened under Circular 3/2006 must be renamed to indirect investment capital accounts. In addition, all foreign currencies deposited by foreign investors with securities companies must be converted into Vietnamese Dong and transferred to the CCA under Circular 5/2014.
Vietnam Business Law Blog
Vietnam Refines The Framework For Direct Power Purchase Agreement With Decree 57/2025

Following the issuance of the Law on Electricity 2024, Vietnam's Government has swiftly replaced its initial framework for Direct Power Purchase Agreements (DPPAs) under Decree 80/2024 by issuing Decree 57/2025 on 3 March 2025. Coming into effect immediately, Decree 57/2025 repeals Decree 80/2024, which had only been active since 3 July 2024. Decree 57/2025 largely maintains the two DPPA models introduced by Decree 80/2024  (1) via private line (Private DPPA) and (2) via the national grid (Grid-Connected DPPA), but introduces important changes impacting eligibility, pricing, and contractual details. Key changes include:

  • Flexible customer eligibility - Decree 57/2025 links customer eligibility (for initial participation and ongoing qualification) to a minimum consumption threshold (Minimum Take Amount) defined in the Wholesale Electricity Market Operation Regulations issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT). Decree 80/2024 instead used a fixed threshold (average ≥200,000 kWh/month). Accordingly, eligibility for participating in either DPPA model now depends on potentially dynamic wholesale market rules rather than a static figure, requiring ongoing monitoring of MOIT's regulations.

  • Stricter customer eligibility – A Large Customer in a DPPA arrangement which has been implemented for 12 months must ensure that in a calendar year, it has purchased from EVN the Minimum Take Amount for the 12 month periods ending on 31 October of the previous calendar year. Under Decree 80/2024, there is no requirement that the Minimum Take Amount must be purchased from EVN. It is not clear if this requirement will apply to a Private DPPA under which the customer purchases directly from the RE Generator.

Understanding Market Access Requirements For Uncommitted Businesses Under Investment Law 2020

Article 9 of the Investment Law 2020 provides for three kinds of business for foreign investors:

  • market-access-prohibited business lines (ngành, nghề chưa được tiếp cận thị trường in Vietnamese) (Prohibited Businesses);

  • business lines with conditional market access (ngành, nghề tiếp cận thị trường có điều kiện in Vietnamese) (Conditional Businesses); and

  • business lines which are not Conditional Businesses and Prohibited Businesses and are subject to the same market access treatment as domestic investors (Unrestricted Businesses).

However, Decree 31/2021 introduces another category of business lines being "business lines without market access commitment" (ngành, nghề Việt Nam chưa cam kết về tiếp cận thị trường in Vietnamese) (Uncommitted Business). It is unclear what the relationship between the Uncommitted Business and the Conditional Business under the Investment Law 2020 is.

Unclear Condition For Offshore Investors To Acquire Equity Originating From Land Use Right Contributions

Under Article 24.2 of the Investment Law 2020, offshore investors who intend to acquire equity in Vietnam-based companies must meet the land regulations on “conditions for receiving land use right” (LUR). However, the land law does not specify any conditions applicable to the offshore investors given that they are not a regulated land user.

Article 28.1(d) of the Land Law 2024 and its guiding provision, Article 9.1 of Decree 102/2024 only permit foreign-invested entities (FIEs), which can be established by offshore investors, to receive a transfer of equity being value of land use right originating from land allocation with land use fee payment or land lease with one-time rental payment to the State. Article 9.1 of Decree 102/2024 suggests that "equity being value of land use right " (vốn đầu tư là giá trị quyền sử dụng đất) (LUR Equity) is the equity in a company's charter capital created by contributing land use rights.

These provisions seem vague and can be interpreted differently, leading to varying conclusions.

Vietnamese Government’s Decree on Self-Consumption Rooftop Solar Power: A few comments (Part 2)

In light of our earlier analysis of Decree 135/2024, we have further observations regarding the Decree's lack of clarity. This post is written by Le Thanh Nhat.

Firstly, the Decree lacks a clear definition of “self-generation and self-consumption rooftop solar power” (Self-Consumption RSP). This is crucial as only surplus power from Self-Consumption RSP systems may be sold to EVN, Vietnam's national electricity provider. Unfortunately, Decree 135/2024 only offers the rather ambiguous definitions for “self-generation and self-consumption power” and “rooftop solar power” (which are arguably the two ‘components’ of Self-Consumption RSP) separately, without clarifying their integration.

Key Highlights Of Vietnam New Data Law

A new Data Law, passed in late November 2024 and set to take effect on 1 July 2025, focuses primarily on establishing a national general database and data centre for state use. However, it also introduces rules on digital data (data in the rest of this article) that concerns the private sector, such as, data products and services. The Government is also drafting three draft decrees detailing key issues under the Data Law, including Data-Related Products & Services Draft Decree, Core & Important Data Draft Decree and a Master Draft Decree.

This blog will discuss several key points under the Data Law and related draft decrees. This post is written by Ha Thanh Phuc and Trinh Phuong Thao.

1)          The police will review and supervise your data activities

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) again is authorized to regulate all activities relating to data except for data under the Ministry of Defence. Accordingly, it seems that Vietnam considers data as security issue and violation of data activities could result in significant liabilities. This could raise significant compliance costs for businesses and companies in Vietnam if they want to be fully comply with unclear rules (see discussion below).

1)          Conditional Business Lines

Amendments to the Investment Law 2020 in late 2024 now require businesses involved in (i) data intermediary products and services, (ii) data analysis and synthesis, or (iii) data platform services to meet certain conditions. The Data Law suggests that:

a. data platform services may be restricted to state enterprises and public providers, potentially excluding private companies; and

b. only providers of data analysis and synthesis services that potentially harm national defence, national security, social order, safety, social ethics, or public health, which have been detailed under the Data-Related Products & Services Draft Decree, will be subject to these conditions.

Under the Data-Related Products & Services Draft Decree, businesses in these sectors are subject to strict requirements. Notably, all such businesses must maintain an escrow of at least 5 billion VND at a Vietnamese commercial bank to cover compensation and expenses in the event their licenses are revoked.

Dealing With Civil Liability In A Criminal Case In Vietnam – A Review Of Certain Practical Cases

In a criminal case involving a business, from time to time, the courts will need to decide on the civil liability of the criminal and other persons including those who are not aware of the crime relating to the case. For example, if A commits a fraud against B and uses the monies obtained from B to repay a debt between A and C who is not aware of A’s crime. In addition to deciding on whether A is guilty or not, the court will need to decide whether (1) requesting A to compensate B for the loss that B suffers or (2) requesting C to return the monies C receives from A to B (assuming that A is convicted). However, it appears that the court does not have a consistent approach. In this post, we discuss the approaches that the courts took in some significant criminal cases for the last decade.

Huyen Nhu Case – 2014

Huynh Thu Huyen Nhu was the head of a transaction office of Vietinbank (a large State-owned bank). Huyen Nhu has offered high interest rate (exceeding the interest rate cap provided by law) to various companies to convince them to deposit their monies with a branch of Vietinbank. After those companies made the deposit under instructions of Huyen Nhu, Huyen Nhu used fake documents and payment instruction to cause Vietinbank to transfer the deposit to Huyen Nhu’s designated accounts. Huyen Nhu used most of the amount obtained through her fraud to repay her debts to several individuals. The damages caused by Huyen Nhu is reported to be around VND 4000 billion (about US$ 200 million at such time), being largest bank fraud at the time.

In addition to convicting Huyen Nhu of the crime of committing fraud to appropriate properties (lừa đảo chiếm đoạt tài sản), the court also requested Huyen Nhu to compensate all the relevant companies for the losses that such companies suffer. The relevant companies took the view that they are not victim of Huyen Nhu’s fraudulent acts but Vietinbank is. Therefore, the relevant companies requested Vietinbank to repay them the deposits they made with Vietinbank. However, the court rejected such view and considered those companies to be victims of Huyen Nhu’s fraudulent acts. The court confiscated the amount of interests that Huyen Nhu paid her lenders but did not require these lenders to return the entire amount they received from Huyen Nhu.

Vietnamese Government’s Decree On Self-Consumption Rooftop Solar Power: A Few Comments

On 22 October 2024, the Government of Vietnam issued Decree 135/2024 on mechanisms and policies incentivising the development of “self-generation and self-consumption rooftop solar power” (Self-Consumption RSP). Unfortunately, there is still a great deal of ambiguity in the provisions of Decree 135/2024 that might create unnecessary confusion in applying and administering the implementation of Decree 135/2024. Please see our discussion of a few ambiguous provisions of Decree 135/2024 below.

1)       Potential risk from Decree 135/2024’s scope of application – Decree 135/2024 is said to only govern Self-Consumption RSP [systems] that are installed on the roof of construction works that were invested and constructed in strict compliance with law, including regulations on investment, construction, land, environment, safety, firefighting and fire prevention. As such, any noncompliance of the underlying building may cause the rooftop solar system to not be recognised as a Self-Consumption RSP system and therefore cannot enjoy the incentives policies under Decree 135/2024. It is unclear (i) whether mitigated noncompliance in the past (before the Self-Consumption RSP system is installed) would cause the building to be considered not “invested and constructed in strict compliance with law” and therefore prevents the installation of Self-Consumption RSP system on said building, and (i) whether noncompliance that arises after the Self-Consumption RSP system is installed and operated would affect the applicability of Decree 135/2024 to such system and what the outcome would be.

New Amendments To The Investment Law 2020

The National Assembly of Vietnam adopted a new law (the Amended Investment Law) to amend and supplement several provisions in Investment Law 2020. Most provisions of the Amended Investment Law take effect from 1 January 2025, except certain cases will take effect from 1 July 2025. In this post, we discuss some notable points in this Amended Investment Law.

Special Investment Procedures

The key point in this Amended Investment Law is the introduction of a special investment procedure (Special Procedure) which allows the eligible investors in certain high-tech sectors to obtain the investment registration certificate (IRC) and implement its project in a shorter time and reduces procedures, including waiver of various approvals and procedures.

The project utilizing the Special Procedure are exempt from various standard approvals and procedures, including IPA, technology appraisal, environmental impact assessment report, detail planning, construction permit and other approvals and permits in construction, fire fighting and prevention. The issued IRC serves as document for land lease or conversion of land use purpose. However, before commencing construction, investors are obliged to submit a report on the project's economic-technical construction investment, along with the corresponding appraisal report, to the relevant Authority.

This Special Procedure prevails relevant regulations under other laws enacted before 15 January 2025 when there is any difference between the Special Procedure and such other laws. For projects having IPA or IRC before the effective date of Amended Investment Law and eligible for utilizing the Special Procedure, the investor of such project can choose to apply the Special Procedure. The Special Procedure is still subject to further guidance from the Government and Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Resolution 171: Expanding Land Resources For Commercial Housing Development In Vietnam

Vietnam’s housing market has experienced rapid growth in recent years, driven by urbanization, economic development, and increasing demand. A shortage in housing supply in some big cities currently has prompted policymakers to enhance land policies to unlock resources for housing project development. As new Land Law 2024 seems to fall short in resolving the land supply constraints for residential development, on 30 November 2024, the National Assembly adopted Resolution 171 on piloting implementation of commercial housing projects through agreements on voluntary assignment of land use rights (LUR) or use of existing LUR (Resolution 171).

With its introduction of a more flexible mechanism for commercial housing development, Resolution 171 is anticipated to address the housing supply shortage. However, developers will need to wait for a detailed decree to ensure the feasibility and compliance of their proposed projects.

After The Storm - New Amendments to the Securities Law 2019

In the FLC and Van Thinh Phat cases, the authorities have accused the controlling shareholders of FLC and Van Thinh Phat of various crimes including crimes relating to public issuance of securities, stock manipulation or private issuance of bonds. In an apparent attempt to prevent these crimes to be recommitted, in December 2024, the National Assembly passes some important amendments to the Securities Law 2019 (2024 Amendment). The Amendment takes effect from 1 January 2025 and could impose significant risks to public companies and their shareholders in Vietnam.

Sweeping changes to the liability regime for public companies, their shareholders and advisors

Under the 2024 Amendment, organization or individuals participating in the process of preparing applicable files or reporting documents relating to securities activities and securities market (hoạt động chứng khoán và thị trường chứng khoán) will be responsible for ensuring that:

  • such application files and reporting documents are legal, accurate, true and complete; and

  • such application files and reporting documents have clear and not misleading information and contain all material content which affect decision of the authorities, organisations and investors.

Advisors, who provide advice on the application files and reporting documents relating to securities activities and securities market, must be honest and prudent and must ensure that all analysis is reasonable and prudent.

Before the 2024 Amendment, the Securities Law 2019 only imposes liabilities to issuers, underwriters, auditors and “certifying organisations” when they conduct a public offering of securities or register their securities for listing or trading. However, by referring to all securities activities and securities market, the 2024 Amendment appears to expand the liability regimes to apply to all activities in the market including those which are normally not subject to such liability such as (1) private offering of securities, (3) public disclosures by a public companies or their shareholders, (4) secondary trading of securities by investors, and (4) advisors who are involved in these activities.

In practice, it would be very difficult for public companies and their shareholders and advisors to ensure that all of the documents and information relating to their public disclosures and securities trading activities do not contain misleading information and contain all material information, which affect decision by not only investors but also the authorities and other organisations.

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Written by Nguyen Quang Vu On In ,