What are Prohibited Acts in Marine Operations in Vietnam?

 According to Article 12 of Vietnam Maritime Law, the acts prohibited in marine operations in Vietnam are grouped in activities that negatively impact national security, people, traffic, environment, in particular:

Harm or pose threatened harms to national sovereignty and security.

Carry people, goods, baggage, weapons, radioactive substances, hazardous discarded substances and narcotics in contravention of laws.

Intentionally create obstacles which can pose dangers or obstructions to marine traffic.

Use and operate ships which have not been registered or inspected or exceed the validity duration of registration and inspection; use counterfeit registration and inspection.

Refuse to participate in marine search and rescue activities if practical conditions permit.

Cause environmental pollution.

Infringe upon life, health, honor and dignity of persons aboard ships; embezzle and intentionally damage or ruin property aboard ships; take flight after causing any shipwreck.

Cause the public disorder, impede or react against implementation of duties of law enforcers on board ships and at seaports.

Destroy, damage, disassemble or steal components, parts, raw materials, building materials and equipment of marine construction works.

Damage, destroy and intentionally move or reduce the efficacy of marine signaling systems.

Explode bombs or other explosive materials within the boundaries of a seaport, port water area or navigational channel without authorization granted by competent authorities.

Illegally build and operate seaports and other structures within the planned boundaries of approved seaports, navigational channels and within the protective enclosure of marine structures.

Develop construction projects which may reduce or eliminate effects of marine structures.

Commit abuse of title, position and authority to contravene regulations on port authority; abet and screen persons who commit violations against maritime laws from any punitive measures.

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Recognize Father for Child in Vietnam

How to Recognize Father or Mother for a Child??

It is a legal requirement in Vietnam to register the recognition of father, mother of a child regardless the child’s parents are married or not. Such recognition shall be made on the newly issued birth certificate of the child.

The recognition of the father, mother protects the legal rights of all involved parties. For the family involving foreign elements i.e foreigners, expatriates living in Vietnam, the procedure for recognition of father, mothers of a child have to follow the laws of Vietnam, through various steps at Vietnam Authority including People’s Committee, Provincial Department of Justice and at Consular of foreign country where the mother or father of the child comes from.

The dossiers of application for recognition of fathers, mothers or children shall include the following papers:

-The application for recognition of father, mother of the child;

-The copies of the ID (for Vietnamese citizens staying in the country), or passports or substitute papers (for foreigners and Vietnamese citizens in foreign countries);

-The copies of the birth certificates of the persons to be recognized as child;

-Papers, documents or evidences (if any) to prove that there is a blood relationship between the father or mother and the child;

-The copy of the household registration book or collective resident certificate (for Vietnamese citizens permanently residing in the country);

-The permanent residence card (for foreigners permanently residing in Vietnam) of the persons to be recognized as father or mother.

Documents issued in foreign language shall need to be translated into Vietnamese, notarized or legalized to conform with legal document requirements of Vietnam authorities.

The time for processing dossiers at various authorities depend on the submitted documents and the time taken by the authorities to validate the case and could range between two weeks to two months.

The Vietnam authorities will need to study and examine dossiers of application for recognition of father, mother of the child. In cases where there is any doubts, complaints or denunciation about the recognition of father, mother of the child, or whether it is deemed that the personal identification of the involved parties or papers in the dossiers of application need to be clarified, the Provincial Department of Justice shall carry out the verification, including interviews with the involved parties or request for the additional proof.

Once the application is processed, verified and confirmed, the revised birth certificate of the child will be issued to reflect the changes which will show the name of the father or mother added.

We help clients overcome cultural barriers and achieve their strategic and financial outcomes, while ensuring the best interest rate protection, risk mitigation and regulatory compliance. ANT lawyers have Attorneys in Hanoi, Attorneys in Ho Chi Minh and Attorneys in Danang.



Finding the right business partner in Vietnam is also important. We recommend doing research on the reputation of the company and individual shareholders, corporate or individual, gathering publicly available company information, and performing background checks on key personnel to find potential risks in cooperation. Working with a reliable partner can help achieve economic benefits, saving time and money in business.

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Recognize Father for Child in Vietnam

 How to Recognize Father or Mother for a Child??

It is a legal requirement in Vietnam to register the recognition of father, mother of a child regardless the child’s parents are married or not. Such recognition shall be made on the newly issued birth certificate of the child.

The recognition of the father, mother protects the legal rights of all involved parties. For the family involving foreign elements i.e foreigners, expatriates living in Vietnam, the procedure for recognition of father, mothers of a child have to follow the laws of Vietnam, through various steps at Vietnam Authority including People’s Committee, Provincial Department of Justice and at Consular of foreign country where the mother or father of the child comes from.

The dossiers of application for recognition of fathers, mothers or children shall include the following papers:

-The application for recognition of father, mother of the child;

-The copies of the ID (for Vietnamese citizens staying in the country), or passports or substitute papers (for foreigners and Vietnamese citizens in foreign countries);

-The copies of the birth certificates of the persons to be recognized as child;

-Papers, documents or evidences (if any) to prove that there is a blood relationship between the father or mother and the child;

-The copy of the household registration book or collective resident certificate (for Vietnamese citizens permanently residing in the country);

-The permanent residence card (for foreigners permanently residing in Vietnam) of the persons to be recognized as father or mother.

Documents issued in foreign language shall need to be translated into Vietnamese, notarized or legalized to conform with legal document requirements of Vietnam authorities.

The time for processing dossiers at various authorities depend on the submitted documents and the time taken by the authorities to validate the case and could range between two weeks to two months.

The Vietnam authorities will need to study and examine dossiers of application for recognition of father, mother of the child. In cases where there is any doubts, complaints or denunciation about the recognition of father, mother of the child, or whether it is deemed that the personal identification of the involved parties or papers in the dossiers of application need to be clarified, the Provincial Department of Justice shall carry out the verification, including interviews with the involved parties or request for the additional proof.

Once the application is processed, verified and confirmed, the revised birth certificate of the child will be issued to reflect the changes which will show the name of the father or mother added.

We help clients overcome cultural barriers and achieve their strategic and financial outcomes, while ensuring the best interest rate protection, risk mitigation and regulatory compliance. ANT lawyers have Attorneys in Hanoi, Attorneys in Ho Chi Minh and Attorneys in Danang.



Finding the right business partner in Vietnam is also important. We recommend doing research on the reputation of the company and individual shareholders, corporate or individual, gathering publicly available company information, and performing background checks on key personnel to find potential risks in cooperation. Working with a reliable partner can help achieve economic benefits, saving time and money in business.

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Which Court Could Grant a Decision to Arrest a Ship in Vietnam?

 According to Article 130 of Vietnam Maritime Law, the following courts could issue decision to arrest a ship in Vietnam.

The People’s Court at the level of a province where the seaport at which a ship subject to a request for arrest of a ship is having marine operations is located shall be vested with authority to grant a decision to arrest that ship.

Where a seaport has different port terminals located within different centrally-affiliated cities and provinces, the People’s Court at the level of a province where the seaport at which a ship subject to an arrest request is having marine operations is located shall be vested with authority to grant a decision to arrest that ship.

The People’s Court that is dealing with a civil case, or the People’s Court at the level of a province where the Arbitration Council is resolving any dispute, shall be accorded authority to impose an arrest of a ship as an interim injunction.

The Chief Justice of the People’s Supreme Court shall consider and decide whether the lower Court has been accorded authority to grant a decision on arrest of a ship in the event that there is any dispute over jurisdiction between the People’s Courts at the provincial level.

We help clients overcome cultural barriers and achieve their strategic and financial outcomes, while ensuring the best interest rate protection, risk mitigation and regulatory compliance. ANT lawyers have Attorneys in Hanoi, Attorneys in Ho Chi Minh and Attorneys in Danang.

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How to Terminate Representative Office in Vietnam

Foreign Traders wishing to terminate the operation of representative office in Vietnam need to complete the procedure at Tax authorities, the Provincial Department of Industry and Trade and the procedure to return the seal at the police.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Vietnam laws, the termination of operation of representative offices of foreign traders in Vietnam at the Provincial Department of Industry and Trade shall be conducted as follows:

Preparation of dossiers for termination of operation of representative offices includes:Notice of termination of operation of the representative office, made according to the form set by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, signed by the competent representative of the foreign trader.

List of creditors and unpaid debts, including tax debts and social insurance premiums;

List of employees and their respective current interests;

Original License for establishment of representative office.

Documents evidencing that the representative office has fulfilled all tax and financial obligations to the State of Vietnam

The order and procedures for termination of operation of representative offices at competent agencies shall be as follows:The foreign trader submits a dossier for termination of operation of the representative office directly or via post or online (if applicable) to the Provincial Department of Industry and Trade (or the Management Board of Industrial parks, export processing zones, economic zones and hi-tech parks) where the representative office is licensed.

Within three working days from the date of receipt of the file, the competent authority shall examine and request the supplement if the dossier is incomplete and invalid. Requests for supplementary records are made at most once during the process of processing applications;

Within a time-limit of five (05) working days from the date of receipt of a complete and valid file, the competent authority shall be responsible to publish on its website the termination of operation of the representative office.

Foreign traders shall publicly post up the termination of their operation at the representative office.

Foreign traders whose representative offices have terminated of operation shall be responsible for performing contracts, paying debts, including tax debts and settling lawful interests for laborers who have worked at the representative office in accordance with the laws.

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The Purposes of Using Criminal Record Card

 Under Clause 1, Article 2 of the Law on Criminal Record 2009, criminal record card is the records on the previous convictions of a person that is sentenced under valid court judgments or decisions, and banning individual from holding position, establishing or managing enterprises and cooperatives in cases where the enterprises or cooperatives are declared bankrupt by the court.

Article 7 – The Law on Criminal Record 2009 regulates that the following individual, agencies and organizations may request competent agencies to issue Criminal Record card:

Vietnamese citizens and foreigners who have been or are residing in Vietnam have the right to request the issuance of their criminal record cards;

Proceeding agencies may request the issuance of criminal record card for investigation, prosecution and trial;

State agencies, political organizations and socio-political organizations may request the issuance of criminal record to serve the personnel management, business registration, establishment and management of enterprises and cooperatives.

Criminal record cards include:

a/ Criminal record card no.1 is issued to individual, agencies and organizations defined in Clauses 1 and 3, Article 7 of this Law;

b/ Criminal record card no.2 is issued to agencies conducting the proceedings, defined in Clause 2, Article 7 of this Law and issued at the request of the individual so that he/she can know the contents of his/her criminal resume.

The basic difference of these two types is that the criminal record card no.1 only records the sentence has not been removed. If the case has been deleted, it will state “no criminal record”. The criminal record card no.2 records all previous criminal convictions regardless of whether they were deleted or not.

We help clients overcome cultural barriers and achieve their strategic and financial outcomes, while ensuring the best interest rate protection, risk mitigation and regulatory compliance. ANT lawyers have law firm in Hanoi, law firm in Ho Chi Minh City and law firm in Da Nang.

Finding the right business partner in Vietnam is also important. We recommend doing research on the reputation of the company and individual shareholders, corporate or individual, gathering publicly available company information, and performing background checks on key personnel to find potential risks in cooperation. Working with a reliable partner can help achieve economic benefits, saving time and money in business.

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Vietnam Encourages Investment in Solar Power

 The Vietnam government has stepped up to encourage investment in solar power plant and project, which is part of the effort to close the gap of energy growth demand versus supply, and support the sustainable energy development in Vietnam.

According to Decision No. 11/2017/QD-TTg issued on Apr 11th, 2017 to be effective from Jun 1st, 2017, organizations and individuals involved in the development of solar power projects are entitled to investment, tax and land incentives.

Specifically, organizations and individuals involved in the development of solar power projects can legally mobilize capital from domestic and foreign organizations and individuals to invest in the implementation of solar power projects in accordance with the provisions of current law.

Solar power projects are exempted from import duties on imported goods to create fixed assets for the project; complying with the current law on import tax and export tax on goods imported for production of projects which are raw materials, supplies and semi-finished products which cannot be produced at home.

The exemption and reduction of corporate income tax for solar power projects shall be implemented the same as for projects in the field of investment incentives in accordance with current tax law.

On land preference, the Decision stipulates that solar power projects, transmission lines and transformer stations for connecting to electricity grids shall be exempted from or reduce land use fees, land rents and water surface rents in accordance with current law applies to projects in the field of investment incentives.

Based on the planning approved by competent authorities, the provincial people’s committees create conditions for arranging land funds for investors to carry out solar power projects. The compensation and support for ground clearance shall be implemented in accordance with the current land legislation.

The decision also specifies that organizations and individuals investing in the construction of solar power projects have the responsibility to install solar power equipment must ensure the safety of structures and work safety in accordance with the current regulations.

The investment in the construction of solar power projects shall comply with the current law provisions on investment, construction, fire prevention and fighting, environmental protection and other relevant regulations.

The Vietnam laws on electricity will be changed to attract investment of the private sector, boosting the industrial development of the country, which is always hunger for power to develop.

We help clients overcome cultural barriers and achieve their strategic and financial outcomes, while ensuring the best interest rate protection, risk mitigation and regulatory compliance. ANT lawyers have law firm in Hanoi, law firm in Ho Chi Minh City and law firm in Da Nang.





Finding the right business partner in Vietnam is also important. We recommend doing research on the reputation of the company and individual shareholders, corporate or individual, gathering publicly available company information, and performing background checks on key personnel to find potential risks in cooperation. Working with a reliable partner can help achieve economic benefits, saving time and money in business.

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Renewal of License for the Establishment of Branches Office in Vietnam

 How to extend branch license in Vietnam?

The extension of the license for the establishment of a foreign trader’s branch in Vietnam shall be following the regulation of the commercial law and the relevant guiding decrees and circulars under Vietnam laws.

Preparation of dossiers for extension of license for the establishment of branches includes:

Application for extension of license for the establishment of branches, made according to the form set by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, signed by a competent representative of the foreign trader;

A copy of the business registration certificate or equivalent paper of the foreign trader that is translated into Vietnamese and certified by a Vietnamese diplomatic mission or consulate abroad consular legalization in accordance with the law of Vietnam;

Copies of audited financial statements or documents certifying the fulfillment of tax or financial obligations in the latest fiscal year or papers of equivalent value issued by competent agencies or organizations (where the foreign trader established) to prove the existence and operation of the foreign trader in the latest financial year, it must be translated into Vietnamese and authenticated in accordance with the provisions of Vietnamese law;

A copy of the license for the establishment of the branch.

Finding the right business partner in Vietnam is also important. We recommend doing research on the reputation of the company and individual shareholders, corporate or individual, gathering publicly available company information, and performing background checks on key personnel to find potential risks in cooperation. Working with a reliable partner can help achieve economic benefits, saving time and money in business.

The order and procedures for extension of the license for the establishment of the branch at a competent agency shall be as follows:

A dossier for extension of the license for the establishment of the branch must be submitted within 30 days at the latest before the license expires;

Foreign traders submit applications directly or via post or online (if applicable) to the Ministry of Industry and Trade;

Within 03 working days from the date of receipt of the dossier, the Ministry of Industry and Trade shall check and request the supplement if the dossier is incomplete and invalid. Requests for supplementary records are made at most once during the process of processing applications;

Within 05 working days from the date of receipt of the complete and valid dossier, the Ministry of Industry and Trade shall renew the branch establishment permit. In case of non-renewal, the reasons therefor must be clearly stated in writing;

In case the extension of the license for the establishment of the branch is not governed in specialized legal documents, the Ministry of Industry and Trade shall send a written request for comment to the specialized management ministry within 03 working days from the date of receipt of a complete and valid file. Within 5 working days from the date of receiving the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s written request, the specialized managing ministries shall clearly state whether they agree or disagree with the license extension. Within 5 working days after receiving the opinions of the specialized management ministry, the Ministry of Industry and Trade shall extend or not extend the branch establishment permit to the foreign trader. In case of non-renewal, the reasons therefor must be clearly stated in writing;

Within 15 days from the date of extension of the license for the establishment of the branch, the Ministry of Industry and Trade shall publish on the website of the Ministry.

Our lawyers in Vietnam constantly follow up with changes of law to provide the client with update for better decision making process.

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