Market entry services

Vietnam-Saigon-HCMC

Vietnam market entry servicesGBS advises you on the market related strategic advisory and issues that influence your investment decisions

Entering a new market is a complicated process and requires a clear understanding of local culture, behavior, language, and foreign business regulations and practices

GBS’s market entry services team is able to provide local knowledge regarding Vietnamese regulatory, financial, taxation and commercial issues to help identify opportunities and manage risk.

Join the thousands of companies that started their business in Vietnam without the hassle. Our market entry services team can assist with strategy, market entry analysis, tax and legal structuring or provide due diligence services for new acquisitions.

What we can help?

We can support you through your investment decision making process and advise you on a range of issues including:

  • Advising on initial structuring and regulatory advice for market entry
  • Advising on the establishment of a company, branch or representative office
  • Drafting joint venture agreements, company charters and shareholders’ agreements
  • Assisting with licensing and post licensing procedures, including the application for an investment registration certificate, enterprise registration certificate and operational licenses
Why clients choose us?

GBS is your reliable partner for successful market entry.

  • We offer a structured approach to market entry with our professional network having a strong understanding of international and cross-cultural issues for successfully doing business.
  • Our multicultural team of advisers with diverse backgrounds and experience are always up-to-date with the latest developments in tax, accounting and legal and can add value to your expansion plans.
  • GBS BS has a team of highly skilled professionals in each country we operate. We can identify opportunities, capture them for you, eliminate cultural, language, social and communication barriers and create a foundation for success.
Common business structures for foreign investors in VietnamOur expert team can help you identify the ideal corporate structure for your business.

Limited liability company has legal status recognized by the law (Enterprise Law). The company owner and the company are two separate legal entities. The company has the legal status from the date of being granted the business registration certificate. The company owner is the natural person with the rights and obligations corresponding to the company ownership.

A limited liability company must have no more than 50 members who contribute capital, and the company is only liable for debts and other financial obligations within the scope of its asset obligations. Limited liability companies are not allowed to issue shares to raise capital.

A joint stock company is a type of company whose charter capital is divided into parts called shares that exist independently. A joint-stock company must have a General Meeting of Shareholders, a Board of Directors and a Director (General Director). For a joint-stock company with more than eleven shareholders, it must have the Control Board.

Shareholders are only responsible for debts and other property obligations of the company within the amount of capital contributed to the company, have the right to freely transfer their shares to other people. The minimum number of shareholders in a joint stock company is three and there is no maximum number. A joint stock company has the right to issue shares in accordance with the law on securities.

A partnership is a company in which at least two general partners are the co-owners of the company. In addition to members, partnerships may have capital-contributing members who are only liable for the debts of the company within the amount of capital contributed to the company.

A partnership has legal status, the members have the right to manage the company and conduct business activities on behalf of the company, and are jointly responsible for the company. Capital-contributing members are entitled to share profits in accordance with the provisions of the company’s charter, and general partners have equal rights when deciding on corporate management issues.

A Representative Office is a unit dependent on the enterprise and obliged to represent the enterprise’s interests under authorization and protect such interests. Thus, Representative Office is not a separate legal entity under the laws of Vietnam.

The activities of a Representative Office in Vietnam are limited to business promotion, identification and accelerating trade opportunities, and supervising the implementation of contracts signed between its parent company and local partners.

The Representative Office is a very common form of registered legal presence in Vietnam, particularly those in the first stage of a market entry strategy.

As a foreign investor, you can also select one of the forms below:

  • Private enterprise: A private enterprise is an economic organization that is allowed to register its business and conduct business activities. A private enterprise is owned by an individual, has assets, and has a transaction office. The owner of a private enterprise is the legal representative who has full power to make business decisions.
  • Business Cooperation Contract: Which is a contractual relationship akin to a partnership that does not create a new legal entity but which is licensed to engage in business activities in respect of a specific project in Vietnam. BCCs are most commonly used in the oil industry, where production sharing contracts have traditionally been structured as BCCs, and in telecommunications and advertising projects. This is changing as LLCs and JSCs are being allowed into these fields.
  • Branch Office: A foreign business entity or a foreign trader is entitled to establish a branch in Vietnam to conduct business activities. A branch is a unit dependent on the enterprise and obliged to perform part or all of the enterprise’s functions, including representation under authorization. The business lines of the branch must be consistent with those of the enterprise.

Have a question? Get in touch today

Would you like to speak to one of our advisers over the phone? Call, SMS, Viber, WhatsApp, iMessage: +84903189033 or just submit your details and we’ll be in touch shortly. You can also send an email to: ask@gbs.com.vn if you would prefer.

    how can we help you?

    Contact us at the GBS office nearest to you or submit a business inquiry online.

    It was not easy for our group to understand and apply for an investment certificate, business license in Vietnam when we first came to this country. Then we searched for a professional law firm to support us. Thanks to GBS, we started our business within 3 months after the first meeting with GBS’s lawyer.

    CHIP HARDY
    President, Nova Hotel Renovation & Construction

    Thanks to GBS’ professional service, their hard working and smart lawyers helped me start my own business in Vietnam at the right time of a new opportunity opened to me and my family.

    JONI LIO. SPRATT
    Business Owner, USA Business Group