What it is and how it works
Legal status: a separate legal person under Vietnamese law from the date it receives its IRC, governed by the Law on Enterprise and Law on Investment like any other company.
Ownership: 100% of charter capital is held by one or more foreign individuals or entities — no Vietnamese equity participation is required in most sectors.
Control and profits: foreign owners make all key decisions (strategy, budget, hiring, IP, data), and profits can be repatriated after tax and compliance obligations are met.
Default rule: under Vietnam's negative-list regime, if your business lines are not on the prohibited/conditional lists, you can generally own 100% and are treated the same as domestic investors for market access, subject to the applicable foreign ownership requirements.
Confirm your sector qualifies
We'll check whether your business lines are open to 100% ownership before you commit capital.
Talk to us →How a 100% foreign-owned company is typically set up
Single-member LLC
One foreign shareholder — the simplest and most common structure for a sole foreign parent.
Multi-member LLC
2–50 foreign shareholders — used when there are multiple foreign investors but no plan to list.
Joint Stock Company
3 or more foreign shareholders — used when you may later list, issue shares to many investors, or run a larger, more complex business.
See LLC vs JSC for a full comparison of governance, share transfer and fundraising trade-offs.
When 100% foreign ownership is allowed
You can usually establish a 100% foreign-owned company if your intended business lines are not prohibited for foreign investment, and are not subject to foreign ownership caps or JV requirements.
Sectors commonly open to 100% foreign ownership include many manufacturing, IT/tech, professional services, and many trading activities — though some trading sub-activities require additional retail/outlet licensing.
If your sector is restricted (some banking, telecom infrastructure, airlines, certain media/education activities), you may need a JV or another structure with capped foreign ownership — see foreign ownership limits in Vietnam.
Why choose a 100% foreign-owned company
Advantages: full control over governance, operations and exit; clear alignment with group policies; easier profit repatriation and capital management.
Trade-offs: you handle all local requirements — land/office, licenses, hiring, relationships — without a local equity partner, and in some sectors a JV may still be legally required or strategically helpful.
High-level setup process
The company registration process typically takes 4–8 weeks for straightforward sectors, longer if conditional licenses are needed.
Investment Registration Certificate (IRC)
Approves the investment project and confirms foreign ownership — required for most wholly foreign-owned setups.
Enterprise Registration Certificate (ERC)
Registers the company, charter capital, owners, legal representative and business lines.
Post-licensing steps
Engrave the company seal, open a capital account and contribute charter capital (usually within 90 days), complete tax registration, digital signature and e-invoicing, register labour and social insurance, and obtain any sector-specific sub-licenses.