Repatriating Profits, Banking and Currency in Vietnam: FAQs
Vietnam guarantees foreign investors the right to transfer capital and profits abroad once their financial obligations are met, but the money moves through licensed banks, dedicated capital accounts and State Bank of Vietnam rules. These answers explain the guarantee, the mechanics and the tax cost, and the mirror-image rules for Vietnamese investors investing abroad.
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Can I repatriate profits and capital from Vietnam?
Yes. Article 11 of Law No. 143/2025/QH15 on Investment guarantees that, after fully meeting its financial obligations to the Vietnamese State, a foreign investor may transfer abroad its invested capital and liquidation proceeds, its income from business investment, and other money and assets it lawfully owns. Profits are normally remitted once a year after the financial year ends, or when the investment is terminated, and only once audited financial statements and the corporate income tax finalisation have been filed, taxes are paid and there are no accumulated losses. The company must notify its tax office at least seven working days before remitting, and the money moves through its investment capital account.
What tax conditions apply before profits can leave Vietnam?
From 1 July 2026, Decree No. 252/2026/ND-CP, implementing Law No. 108/2025/QH15 on Tax Administration, sets the tax conditions. The company must have paid all taxes, other State charges, late-payment interest and penalties that have fallen due, and must have no outstanding tax debt when the profits are remitted. On termination of the investment, every obligation under tax administration law must be settled, including amounts not yet due. Secondary sources report that global minimum tax liabilities are not a precondition for remitting profits. Dividends paid to foreign corporate shareholders currently attract no further Vietnamese withholding tax, but dividends paid to individuals are subject to personal income tax withheld by the company.
Yes. Foreign exchange is governed by Ordinance No. 28/2005/PL-UBTVQH11 on Foreign Exchange, as amended by Ordinance No. 06/2013/PL-UBTVQH13, and administered by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV). Current payments such as imports, services and interest can be made through licensed banks against documents, while capital flows such as equity, offshore loans and divestment follow specific account and registration rules. Vietnamese investors investing abroad face the mirror-image rules: under Decree No. 103/2026/ND-CP they must bring profits home within 12 months of distribution unless they reinvest them or obtain an extension. Banks apply the rules strictly, so check the documents they will require before signing.
Can I price contracts and receive payment in US dollars?
Generally no, for domestic transactions. Circular No. 32/2013/TT-NHNN, most recently amended by Circular No. 75/2025/TT-NHNN, prohibits residents from quoting, pricing, advertising, invoicing or paying in foreign currency within Vietnam except in listed cases. The exceptions include contracts with non-residents, exports and imports, winners of international bidding packages for their offshore costs, reinsurance, paying foreign employees' salaries by bank transfer, and capital transactions through an investment capital account. Foreign-currency bank accounts are available, but domestic contracts should be priced and paid in VND. Tax is computed in VND, so exchange gains and losses affect your tax position.
How are shareholder loans and offshore borrowing treated?
Offshore loans must follow SBV rules in Circular No. 12/2022/TT-NHNN, as amended by Circular No. 80/2025/TT-NHNN from 25 January 2026. Medium and long-term loans (over one year), and short-term loans still outstanding after 12 months, must be registered with the SBV, reportedly within 30 working days of signing and before drawdown, now online through the National Public Service Portal. Interest paid abroad bears foreign contractor tax, generally a 5% corporate income tax element unless a treaty reduces it, and where the borrower has related-party transactions its net interest deduction is capped at 30% of adjusted EBITDA under Decree No. 255/2026/ND-CP.
How do I open a corporate bank account as a foreign-owned company?
Once the company has its enterprise registration certificate (and investment registration certificate, if one was needed), you approach a licensed bank with the charter, certificates, board resolution, beneficial ownership details and identification for the legal representative and signatories. Circular No. 17/2024/TT-NHNN, amended by Circular No. 25/2025/TT-NHNN, requires in-person or biometric verification of the account holder's legal representative, and since 1 July 2025 banks suspend online payments and withdrawals on corporate accounts whose representative has not completed biometric verification. Expect enhanced due diligence and source-of-funds questions. A foreign-invested company also needs an investment capital account for capital flows, so open both early.
What tax applies when I pay foreign suppliers or group companies?
Payments to foreign organisations without a Vietnamese permanent establishment are subject to foreign contractor tax (FCT), which the Vietnamese payer withholds and pays. FCT combines VAT and a deemed corporate income tax on the payment, commonly 5% for services, 10% for royalties and 5% for interest, reduced where a double tax treaty applies and the treaty procedure is followed. Circular No. 20/2026/TT-BTC, effective 12 March 2026 and guiding Law No. 67/2025/QH15 on CIT, amended Circular No. 103/2014/TT-BTC, abolishing its deduction method, and now computes the CIT element on revenue including VAT. Related-party fees must be at arm's length, so document intercompany arrangements before payments begin.
Can a foreign company operate through a branch and send its profits home?
Only in limited cases. Foreign companies usually invest through a Vietnamese subsidiary, because a branch of a foreign trader under Decree No. 07/2016/ND-CP is permitted only where Vietnam's treaty market-access commitments allow it, and branches are mainly used in regulated sectors such as banking and insurance. Where a branch is permitted, it pays corporate income tax on its Vietnamese profits. Vietnam imposes no separate branch profits remittance tax, but the branch must complete its annual tax finalisation, file audited financial statements and settle all tax before the bank will transfer profits to head office. Compare the branch and subsidiary routes with advice before choosing.
What is the Vietnam International Financial Centre?
The Vietnam International Financial Centre (VIFC) is a single centre with hubs in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, created by National Assembly Resolution No. 222/2025/QH15 (adopted 27 June 2025, effective 1 September 2025) and formally launched on 21 December 2025. Its members benefit from a special legal regime set out in Government decrees of December 2025, including Decree No. 323/2025/ND-CP on establishment and Decree No. 324/2025/ND-CP on financial policy, supervised by dedicated executive and supervisory bodies. Online membership registration opened in August 2026 for non-financial businesses; banks and financial institutions follow separate licensing. It has its own arbitration centre and a specialised court.
How should I bring in capital so that I can repatriate it later?
Bring equity in by bank transfer into the company's investment capital account, which Circular No. 38/2026/TT-NHNN (effective 18 August 2026, replacing Circular No. 06/2019/TT-NHNN) requires for foreign-invested companies and uses for contributions, share transfers, profit remittance and divestment. The account can now be opened before the investment registration certificate is issued. Contribute the charter capital within the 90-day statutory period, keep bank advices and registration updates, and value in-kind contributions carefully. Banks apply the Law on Anti-Money Laundering, and Vietnam remains on the FATF increased-monitoring list, so expect source-of-funds and beneficial-ownership checks. Domestic investors may contribute their own foreign currency through the same account.
Ask the Be Vietnam Wise advisor. It checks official Vietnamese sources and points you to the governing law, or read how to find and check a Vietnamese lawyer.
This page gives legal and tax information, not legal advice. Rates, thresholds and procedures change; the answers are re-checked against official sources every month, but you should confirm anything important with the relevant authority or a licensed Vietnamese lawyer before you act.