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Legal Updates

Vietnam Circular 12/2025 marketing authorization pharmaceutical

On May 16, 2025, the Ministry of Health promulgated Circular No. 12/2025/TT-BYT (“Circular 12”), governing the registration for marketing authorization (MA) of pharmaceutical products and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) in Vietnam. Circular 12 officially supersedes Circular No. 08/2022/TT-BYT, Circular No. 16/2023/TT-BYT, and Circular No. 55/2024/TT-BYT.

Ministry of Health proposes stricter regulations on cosmetic business

Legal Updates

The cosmetics sector in Vietnam is currently governed primarily by Decree No. 93/2016/ND-CP, Circular No. 06/2011/TT-BYT, and related legal documents. However, over time, these regulations have revealed significant gaps with substandard cosmetic products continuing to circulate openly in the market, posing risks to consumer health and undermining fair competition.

Tax department’s guidance on corporate income tax for capital transfers involving real estate

Legal Updates, Resources Nguyen Quoc Phong

The Tax Department has issued specific guidance on corporate income tax (CIT) related to capital transfer activities in Official Letter No. 159/CT-CS, dated March 14, 2025.

Tax department provides guidance on determining land rental expenses for CIT calculation

Legal Updates, Resources

On March 14, 2015, the Tax Department - Ministry of Finance issued an official letter addressing inquiries related to deductible expenses for corporate income tax (CIT) purposes. Specifically, the guidance pertains to the treatment of one-time lump-sum land rental payments and management fees for leased land that has not yet been utilized for production and business activities. The issue raised was whether land rental expenses for leased land that has not yet been put into use for business operations could be considered deductible when determining taxable income for CIT purposes.

Proposal to expand VAT-exempt agricultural products

Legal Updates, Resources

Recently, the Ministry of Finance has announced and solicited public and business feedback on the draft Decree detailing the implementation of certain provisions of the Law on Value-Added Tax ("Draft"). The Draft introduces several noteworthy amendments, including the following:

Clarification on multiple issues in invoice and documentation regulations

Legal Updates, Resources

On March 20, 2025, the Government issued Decree No. 70/2025/ND-CP (“Decree 70”), amending and supplementing several provisions of Decree No. 123/2020/ND-CP on invoices and documents (“Decree 123”), with the aim of updating regulations concerning the time of issuance of invoices for certain types of business activities. The key updates in Decree 70 include the following:

Guidance on determining investment incentive areas following administrative unit reorganization

Legal Updates, Resources

On April 9, 2025, the Ministry of Finance issued Official Letter No. 4525/BTC-PC to officially guide state management agencies and investors on how to determine areas eligible for investment incentives in the event of administrative boundary changes due to the reorganization and consolidation of administrative units. The Official Letter clarifies several important points as follows:

Enterprises are not required to update address upon reorganization of administrative boundaries

Legal Updates, Resources

In the area of business registration, the Ministry of Finance issued Official Letter No. 4370/BTC-DNTN on April 9, 2025, providing guidance on business registration procedures following administrative boundary changes.

Extended deadlines for VAT, corporate income tax, personal income tax, and land rent payments from April 2025

Legal Updates, Resources

On April 2, 2025, the Government officially issued Decree No. 82/2025/NĐ-CP regarding the extension of deadlines for the payment of value-added tax (“VAT”), corporate income tax (“CIT”), personal income tax (“PIT”), and land rent in 2025 (“Decree 82/2025”). Some of the key points of Decree 82/2025 are as follows:

The Government proposes 30% reduction in the land lease fee for 2025

Legal Updates, Resources

In order to implement the Government's directive under Resolution No. 233/NQ-CP dated December 10, 2024, on supporting individuals and businesses in developing production and business activities, the Government is currently drafting the Draft Decree regulating the reduction of land rental fees for 2025 (“Draft”).

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