How Much Does It Cost to Set Up a Company in Vietnam? Full Fee Breakdown (2026)

If you’re opening a small foreign-owned company in Vietnam, plan on spending around VND 80 to 160 million (USD 3,000 to 6,000) on fees and professional help. That gets you registered. Your charter capital, office rent and first year of accounting and audit come on top. What surprises most founders is how little the government itself charges. The bigger bills come from lawyers, paperwork, office space and keeping the books in order.

There’s some good news for 2026, too. Vietnam dropped the annual business licence fee on 1 January 2026, so new companies skip that cost entirely. We’ll go through each expense in the order you’ll run into it, from registration day to your first audit. Treat the numbers as ballpark figures, with USD worked out at roughly VND 26,000 to the dollar.

Company Setup Costs in Vietnam in General

For a small, fully foreign-owned service company in Ho Chi Minh City, the main costs look something like this. They’re based on typical 2026 market rates, and your own quotes may come in a little higher or lower depending on your industry and provider.

You won’t find rent, salaries or charter capital in the table. Those swing too much from one business to the next, so each gets its own section further down.

Government and Registration Fees

Official fees are the smallest part of the budget. Vietnam keeps them low to attract foreign investors, and the push toward online filing has brought a few of them down to zero.

Registration Certificates

Foreign investors have usually needed two certificates, an Investment Registration Certificate (IRC) followed by an Enterprise Registration Certificate (ERC). That changed a little on 1 March 2026, when the amended Investment Law let many investors get the ERC first and set up the company before the IRC comes through. The ERC costs VND 50,000 if you file on paper. File online through the National Business Registration Portal and it’s free.

Public Announcement Fee

Each new company has to publish its registration details on the national portal. You pay VND 100,000 (about USD 4) for this when you hand in your dossier.

Business Licence Fee Abolished in 2026

Until last year, companies paid VND 2 to 3 million every year in business licence fee, depending on their capital. Resolution 198/2025/QH15 ended that, and taxpayers no longer declare or pay the fee from 1 January 2026. New companies save a little money and skip one annual form.

If all you need right now is market research and liaison work, a representative office is cheaper to run than a full company.

>>> Read more: Branch Office vs Representative Office in Vietnam

Charter Capital: How Much You Need to Inject

Most service businesses in Vietnam have no fixed minimum charter capital. The licensing office does look at whether your capital makes sense for the business you describe, though. Small consulting, IT and trading-service companies often register somewhere between VND 260 and 390 million (USD 10,000 to 15,000).

Some conditional sectors do have legal minimums. Real estate trading starts at VND 20 billion, and insurance, banking and payment services sit far higher. It pays to check your business lines against the conditional sector list before you pick a number.

The 90-Day Deadline

You have 90 days from the date on your ERC to put the full amount into the company. Miss that window and fines can follow. Plenty of founders register a figure they know they can fund on time, then top it up as the business grows.

Capital Stays in Your Business

Keep in mind that charter capital stays your money. After it lands in the direct investment capital account, you can move it to the operating account and use it for rent, wages and equipment.

Professional Service Fees

Here’s where most of your setup budget ends up. Very few foreign founders handle the paperwork on their own, and these are the services you’re most likely to pay for in year one.

Incorporation Package

A standard incorporation package from a law firm or corporate service provider usually runs VND 65 to 130 million (USD 2,500 to 5,000). For that price you can normally expect the IRC and ERC filings, the company seal and your first tax registration. Manufacturing projects and conditional sectors cost more since they need extra permits.

Legalisation, Translation and Notarisation

Your passport and the parent company’s documents need legalising at a Vietnamese embassy or consulate first. Once they reach Vietnam, they get translated and notarised. Set aside VND 8 to 18 million (USD 300 to 700) for this, depending on how much paperwork you have.

Bookkeeping and Tax Filing

Tax returns are due even in months when you earn nothing. An outside accountant for a small company typically charges VND 2.6 to 7.8 million (USD 100 to 300) a month.

Statutory Annual Audit

Foreign-invested companies have to get their financial statements audited by an independent Vietnamese firm every year. For a small company, the bill usually comes to VND 39 to 78 million (USD 1,500 to 3,000).

Digital Signature and E-Invoices

You’ll need a digital signature token to file taxes and sign contracts electronically. It costs about VND 2 to 3 million for three years. Add VND 1 to 2 million for your first batch of e-invoices.

Work Permits and Residence Cards

Any foreign director or employee will need a work permit, and usually a temporary residence card too. Service providers commonly charge VND 16 to 26 million (USD 600 to 1,000) per work permit. A residence card adds roughly VND 8 to 16 million on top.

>>> Read more: Vietnam Work Permit Guide for Foreigners

Office, Staffing and First-Year Running Costs

After registration, your spending shifts from one-off fees to monthly bills. These are the ones that shape your first year the most.

Registered Office Address

Your lease and the landlord’s land-use papers get checked during licensing, so the address has to be a proper commercial space that fits what you do. In Ho Chi Minh City, the usual choices stack up like this.

With a traditional lease, expect to hand over around three months’ rent as a deposit before a single desk goes in. Serviced and coworking offices tend to ask for smaller deposits, and the furniture is already there.

>>> Read more: How Much Does a Serviced Office Cost in Ho Chi Minh City? 2026 Pricing Guide

Signboard

Companies must hang a signboard at their registered address. A basic acrylic one costs around VND 500,000, and inspectors can fine you if it’s missing.

Local Staff Costs

On top of each local employee’s gross salary, you’ll pay about 21.5% into social, health and unemployment insurance. If your company has a trade union, add 2% of payroll for that as well. Both are easy to forget when you first sketch out salaries.

>>> Read more: How to Hire Your First Employees in Vietnam: Labor Law Basics for Foreign Companies

Corporate Income Tax and VAT

Profits are taxed at the standard 20% corporate income tax rate. Most companies also register for VAT and file returns monthly or quarterly, and that work usually lands on your accountant’s desk.

How to Keep Your Setup Costs Down

Some of the biggest savings come from decisions you make in the first few weeks. All of them keep you fully compliant.

1. File online. You skip the ERC fee, and applications usually move through the portal faster.
2. Pick a capital figure you can fund. A realistic number keeps the 90-day deadline from turning into a headache, and you can raise it later.
3. Legalise in one go. Send every parent company and personal document to the embassy together to save on courier and service fees.
4. Start small with your workspace. A coworking private office or dedicated desk gives you a valid address on short terms, with a smaller deposit and nothing to fit out.
5. Use one provider for accounting and audit. Plenty of firms give a better audit price when they already keep your books.
6. Get foreign hires’ paperwork moving early. Filing work permits alongside the company licence saves you paying extra for rushed processing.

>>> Read more: Hot Desk vs Dedicated Desk: How to Choose the Right One for Your Work

Launch Your Vietnam Company From The Sentry

At The Sentry, we help new companies keep office costs in check with furnished workspaces you can move into straight away. You’ll find us at:

• The Sentry C at 15 Le Thanh Ton, District 1, close to banks and law firms
• The Sentry Z at 25 Nguyen Binh Khiem, District 1, Vietnam’s first sustainable flexible office
• The Sentry P at 16 Nguyen Dang Giai, Thao Dien, popular with international teams
• The Sentry Q at Orbital 2.0 in Quang Trung Software City, District 12, built for tech companies

Each location has private offices, dedicated desks and meeting rooms, plus a community of more than 70 startups and established firms to connect with.

Book a tour today and find the right base for your new company.