“Companies Search in Vietnam” is the most visited post in www.vietnam-business-law.info. In this post, we discuss more about potential independent public searches that can be conducted against a company incorporated in Vietnam. This post is contributed by Tran Thi Thu Thao, a VILAF associate:

1.         Domestic companies: The portal about local companies maintained by the Business Registration Authority allows anyone to obtain: (1) basic information of a company such as enterprise code, names, address, name of the legal representative and registered business lines for free; (2) Public announcements made by a company concerning its changes in enterprise registration contents for free. It appears that the published announcements only cover those made by the company after 1 July 2015 when the Enterprise Law 2014 comes into force and requires a company to make announcement on the Enterprise Portal; (3) copy of the enterprise registration of a company for VND 20,000 (about U$1); and (4) information about the changes in enterprise registration contents of a company for the last three years for VND 100,000 (about US$5). The Enterprise Portal is also expected to make public the seal sample of a company in case the company formulates its seal in accordance with the new procedures under the Enterprise Law 2014.

2.        Foreign-invested companies: The newly-built online database of foreign-invested companies now allows anyone to obtain the information about date of incorporation, name and address of the company, business lines, capital structures, details of the legal representative, and the latest change of the investment certificate or enterprise certificate of the company in search.

3.        Tax-related information: The General Department of Tax maintains its own online database to record the information of tax payers. Using the tax code, name, address of the company or identification number of the company’s legal representative, one may find further available information about the bank account, independent unit(s), applicable taxes and business lines of the company. The database of the Tax authority also confirms if the company in search is operative or not.

4.        Encumbrances and Security:  Interested person may try to find information about the secured transactions against a company or a company shareholder at the online database of National Registration Agency of Secured Transactions (NRAST). For local companies or institutional foreign investors, the NRAST database allows users to use the enterprise code/investment certificate number or tax code as searching keywords. The results, if any, will show details of the parties to the secured transactions and the descriptions of the secured assets involved.

5.        Registered intellectual properties: The online database maintained by the National Office of Intellectual Property (NOIP) at allows searchers to find information about the registered trademarks, industrial designs or patents of a company based on the input of, among others, the names of the intellectual property, applicant or owner. The search will show information about the registration certificate for protection as well as description of the intellectual properties involved. 

6.         Public company searches: In case the company in search is a public or listed company then in addition to the above public sources, one may also find various information about the target company in the following online databases of the State Security Commission (SSC), Vietnam Securities Depository Center (VSD), and the relevant stock exchanges (HSX or HNX). The search outcomes may include not only the general information of the target company, but also information about various extraordinary events of such company which are required by laws to make public disclosure.