Vietnam: guide for English and Welsh solicitors and law firms

Temporary fly-in fly-out (FIFO) visits

Vietnam does not formally recognise any regime of temporary practice for foreign lawyers.

English and Welsh solicitors can visit Vietnam temporarily for business‑related activities, such as:

• attending meetings
• supporting cross‑border matters
• liaising with clients

You are not obliged to work in commercial association with a local lawyer or law firm when carrying out FIFO work, although this is also allowed.

You can work in Vietnam for up to 45 days without a visa.

For visits up to 90 days, you can apply for an e-visa.

You cannot convert an e-visa into long-term stay permits while inside Vietnam.

For visits between 90 days and 12 months, you’ll need to apply for a business visa.

You should be aware of cultural differences when conducting business in Vietnam. Learn more about business culture in Vietnam.

Licence to practise

To practise law in Vietnam, you will need a licence for professional practice.

You must complete a permit application in accordance with Form No. 10-PLIII-LS provided under Circular 08/2025/TT-BTP dated 12 June 2025.

For help completing your licence application, contact the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice.

Members report the Ministry of Justice is responsive and will be glad to assist.

Your application must contain the following information:

• your name, sex, birth date and nationality
• your ID number or passport number, date it was issued, authority it was issued by and validity
• your address
• the date your foreign practice licence was issued and the issuing authority (the SRA for English and Welsh solicitors)
• information of your professional records (how long you’ve been in the profession, where you’ve worked, your practice areas, some notable cases)
• information about the Vietnamese law firm, branch of foreign law firm or foreign law firm in Vietnam where you will practise. You must include the name, address and practice areas of the organisation
• how long you intend to practice in Vietnam. You can put a maximum term of 50 years under the Investment Law. The Law on Lawyers does not prescribe a specific duration
• a commitment to comply with Vietnamese laws and practise strictly within the scope in the licence

Alongside your application, you’ll need to submit:

• a copy of your practising certificate
• a juridical resume or substitute papers

You must also submit papers certifying that you have been:

• nominated to practise law in Vietnam by a foreign law-practising organisation, or
• recruited by a Vietnam-based branch of a foreign law firm, or
• recruited by a foreign law firm in Vietnam, or
• recruited by a Vietnamese law-practising organisation

You must submit your documents to the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice. You can:

• post your application documents to Ministry of Justice, 60 Tran Phu, Ba Dinh, Hanoi
• submit your documents in person, or
• submit your application online via the National Public Service Portal. Some steps such as physical verification will need to be done in person

You must also pay a fee. The current fee is VND2.5M (approximately £71) until the end of 2026. From 1 January 2027, the fee will be VND5M (approximately £141).

The Ministry of Justice will review your application and make a decision within 20 working days from receiving all your documents.

Once issued, a licence for professional practice is valid for five years.

You can extend the licence for another five years. Your licence will then substitute as a work permit under Vietnamese labour law.

You should send an application to extend your licence to the Ministry of Justice at least 30 days before your licence expires.

You must also:

• pay personal income tax in accordance with Vietnamese law
• be regularly present in Vietnam

There is no official definition of ‘regularly present’. However, Article 27 of Decree 123/2013/ND-CP guiding the Law on Lawyers says foreign lawyers are required to practice in Vietnam for at least 183 days within a consecutive 12-month period. This applies to foreign lawyers working in a foreign law firm or branch of a foreign law firm in Vietnam.

Law firms in Vietnam are required to purchase professional indemnity insurance (PII) that covers your professional activities carried out in Vietnam. This includes foreign law firms in Vietnam and branches of foreign law firms in Vietnam.

The PII must be issued by an insurer licensed to operate in Vietnam. This can be a local or licensed branch of foreign insurer.

You will also need to maintain SRA‑compliant PII for any practice in England and Wales.

Before practising in the region, you should familiarise yourself with business culture in Vietnam.

Apply for a licence

To get a licence to set up an office within Vietnam, you must compile application documents and submit them to the Ministry of Justice along with a fee.

The content of these documents will depend on whether you’re applying to open a branch of an existing foreign law firm or a new foreign law firm.

Your documents must be translated into Vietnamese. The translation must be:

• carried out by a qualified translator who is a collaborator of a notarial practice organisation, and
• notarised by a Vietnamese notary

The British Embassy in Hanoi can help with notarial and documentary services.

The application fee is VND10M (approximately £283) until the end of 2026. From 1 January 2027, the fee will be VND20M (approximately £566).

For help completing your licence application, contact the Vietnamese Ministry of Justice.

Members report the Ministry of Justice is responsive and will be glad to assist.

Branch licence

You must complete a licence application in accordance with Form No. 04-PLIII-LS provided under Circular 08/2025/TT-BTP dated 12 June 2025.

Your application should include:

• the name, nationality and head office address of your firm
• general information of your firm including organisational structure, personnel, areas of operation and some notable achievements
• the name of the branch
• the branch’s area of practice
• intended duration of the branch’s existence and operations in Vietnam. You can put a maximum term of 50 years under the Investment Law. The Law on Lawyers does not prescribe a specific duration
• full name of the lawyer appointed to be the head of the branch (this can be a Vietnamese lawyer)
• documents proving that the head of the branch has at least two consecutive years’ experience of practising law
• a list of foreign lawyers expected to practise at the branch
• a commitment to have at least two foreign lawyers present and practising in Vietnam (this can include the branch head). Each foreign lawyer must have practised in Vietnam for 183 days or more over a period of 12 months
• expected operating plan of the branch in Vietnam

You should submit your application along with:

• copies of documents proving the legal establishment of your firm. These must be issued by a competent foreign agency or organisation (the SRA for English and Welsh firms)
• an original or a certified copy of decision on appointment of head of branch

You can:

• post your application documents to Ministry of Justice, 60 Tran Phu, Ba Dinh, Hanoi
• submit your documents in person, or
• submit your application online via the National Public Service Portal. Some steps such as physical verification will need to be done in person

The Ministry of Justice will review your application and make a decision within 40 working days from receiving all your documents.

Foreign law firm licence

You must complete a licence application in accordance with Form No. 05-PLIII-LS, 06-PLIII-LS or 07-PLIII-LS provided under Circular 08/2025/TT-BTP dated 12 June 2025.

Your application should include:

• the name, nationality and head office address of your firm
• general information of your firm including organisational structure, personnel, areas of operation and some notable achievements
• the name and head office address of the Vietnamese law-practising organisation if you’re setting up a limited liability or joint venture firm
• an introduction to the activities of the Vietnamese law-practising organisation you’re partnering with if you’re setting up a joint venture firm
• name of the foreign law firm being established
• field of practice
• intended duration of the foreign law firm’s existence and operations in Vietnam. You can put a maximum term of 50 years under the Investment Law. The Law on Lawyers does not prescribe a specific duration
• the headquarters of the foreign law firm being established
• the full name of the lawyer appointed as director (this can be a Vietnamese lawyer)
• documents proving that the director has at least two consecutive years’ experience as director of a foreign law firm
• a list of foreign lawyers expected to practise at the foreign law firm
• a commitment to have at least two foreign lawyers present and practising in Vietnam
• expected operating plan of the foreign law firm

You should submit your application along with:

• copies of documents proving the legal establishment of your firm. These must be issued by a competent foreign agency or organisation (the SRA for English and Welsh firms)
• list of Vietnamese lawyers expected to work at the company with a copy of their Lawyer’s Card (official professional ID)
• draft charter of the firm
• power of attorney for organisations and individuals to carry out procedures

If you’re setting up a joint venture, you’ll also need to provide:

• a copy of the operation registration certificate of the Vietnamese law-practising organisation you’re partnering with
• the joint venture contract

You can:

• post your application documents to Ministry of Justice, 60 Tran Phu, Ba Dinh, Hanoi
• submit your documents in person, or
• submit your application online via the National Public Service Portal. Some steps such as physical verification will need to be done in person

The Ministry of Justice will review your application and make a decision within 40 working days from receiving all your documents.

Register your operations

Once you have a licence, you must register your operations.

To register your operations, you must submit:

• a copy of your licence to establish a foreign law firm
• proof of address for your headquarters

You must submit these forms to the local provincial or municipal justice department where you are headquartered. You must submit them within 60 days of receiving your licence.

You can:

• post your documents to the relevant justice department
• submit your documents in person, or
• submit your documents online via the National Public Service Portal

The justice department will issue an operation registration certificate within 10 working days of receiving the completed documents.

Your branch or firm can operate in Vietnam from the date the operation registration paper is granted.

Your branch or firm must only operate in the fields stated in your establishment licence and operation registration papers.

Regulatory bodies

The Vietnamese legal profession is regulated by the:

• Vietnam Ministry of Justice (MOJ), and
• local provincial or municipal bar associations

The MOJ issues licences to practise for foreign lawyers.

As of 1 July 2025, the relevant Provincial People’s Committee issues practice certificates for domestic lawyers. Domestic lawyers who have already been issued a practice certificate by the MOJ are not required to apply for a new one.

The Vietnam Bar Federation (VBF) represents, supports and protects the legitimate rights and interests of lawyers and member bar associations.

The VBF also issues Lawyer Cards (official professional ID).

The National Lawyers Council of the VBF issues the Code of Ethics and Conduct for Vietnamese Lawyers.

The VBF is the highest governing body for lawyers. All qualified Vietnamese lawyers are members.

All provincial and municipal bar associations in Vietnam are also members of the VBF and are subject to its supervision.

The VBF’s duties and powers are set out in article 65 of the Law on Lawyers 2006.

English law in Vietnam

English law may govern a contract where:

• at least one party is a foreign individual or legal entity
• the contract is performed or formed partly outside Vietnam, or
• the transaction otherwise qualifies as an international contract

In these cases, party autonomy is generally respected if the chosen law does not contradict fundamental principles of Vietnamese law.

English law cannot be used where:

• a transaction is purely domestic and has no foreign element
• a contract concerns immovable property located in Vietnam
• mandatory protections apply. For example, labour or consumer contracts where foreign law would reduce statutory rights

If foreign law cannot be clearly proved or applied, Vietnamese law will apply by default.

Networking and events

You can travel to Vietnam to promote your legal services at conferences or networking events, so long as the promotion relates to foreign or international law.

Browse upcoming:

• BritCham events
• Vietnam-UK Network events

Business opportunities in Vietnam

Vietnam is currently establishing an International Financial Centre (IFC) in Ho Chi Minh City and a Regional Financial Centre in Da Nang.

This is expected to draw in greater international investment to Vietnam. This has the potential to accelerate further development of the country’s professional services sector, particularly legal professional services.

Specialised courts have been established for the IFC. Contracts in these courts can be governed by foreign law or international commercial practices as long as:

• at least one party is a foreign individual or organisation, and
• the result will not be contrary to the public order of Vietnam 

Explore business opportunities via the Vietnamese Trade Representative Office.