Vietnam Targets All Business Procedures Online by End of 2025

A single digital gateway for businesses across Vietnam

Vietnam aims to move 100% of administrative procedures related to businesses online by the end of 2025, alongside targets to reduce processing time and compliance costs by at least 30%. The changes would allow a company in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City or a remote province to complete government procedures through a unified digital platform, regardless of administrative boundaries.

The government has set July 1, 2025, as a major transition date for both public service portals and business electronic identity accounts. Provincial portals were scheduled to be deactivated on that date, while companies operating in Vietnam were required to register for electronic identification through VNeID, the platform managed by the Ministry of Public Security.

The changes form part of a broader administrative simplification program for 2025-2026. Government resolutions and directives require ministries, agencies and local authorities to review their procedures, remove unnecessary requirements and make the remaining rules easier to find and follow.

For businesses, the intended change goes beyond replacing paper forms with electronic ones. The government wants information to move between agencies, applications to be tracked digitally and routine transactions to require less travel, waiting and repeated paperwork.

The timetable sets out what authorities are required to deliver. As of July 5, the account of the reform gives no confirmation that every June and July milestone has been completed, or that the technical difficulties facing foreign legal representatives have been resolved.

What the government wants to remove

The reform combines online access with a review of the rules businesses must follow. Its principal targets include eliminating at least 30% of unnecessary business and investment conditions, reducing administrative processing time by at least 30%, and cutting business compliance costs by 30%.

Compliance costs are the resources a business spends meeting government requirements, including paperwork, travel and administrative fees. Reducing those costs would leave companies with more time and money for their operations.

Ministries, agencies and localities were required to review, update and publish all administrative procedures on the National Database on Administrative Procedures by June 2025. Publishing the requirements in one place is intended to give applicants a transparent record of the documents, conditions and steps involved.

The government also wants to abolish outdated practices associated with the so-called "ask-give" mechanism, in which businesses depend on officials granting permission. For most business activities, the proposed direction is toward public disclosure and checks after an activity begins, instead of requiring approval before it can start.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has called for unnecessary state intervention to be removed. His approach retains formal authorization where international norms require it, while seeking a broader shift toward post-inspection. In simple terms, authorities would check whether businesses follow the rules after they begin operating, rather than making advance permission the routine starting point.

Why administrative reform has become urgent

Vietnam's rapid economic growth, rising foreign investment and expanding digital economy have increased the pressure to make public administration work more efficiently. Excessive paperwork, slow procedures and inconsistent regulations can hold back business activity and discourage investment.

The government's stated aims include making it easier to do business, attracting investment from Vietnam and abroad, increasing transparency and reducing opportunities for corruption. The program also supports the country's wider digital transformation and electronic government goals.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has repeatedly described administrative reform as a central part of Vietnam's development strategy. At a recent press conference, he called for automation, artificial intelligence and big data to be integrated into public administration, particularly business registration, taxation, customs and land management.

Automation allows a system to carry out routine steps without someone repeating them manually. Artificial intelligence and the use of large collections of data are part of the government's proposed approach to modernizing how agencies handle information and applications.

For a company, the practical goal is a more predictable relationship with government: knowing which requirements apply, submitting the necessary information and following the application's progress without repeated visits to public offices.

One portal, with agencies keeping their responsibilities

The National Public Service Portal is being upgraded into a single digital entry point for online public services. Provincial portals were scheduled to be deactivated by July 1, 2025, and portals operated at ministry level are due to be phased out by early 2026.

The national portal is intended to connect with the administrative systems used by ministries, agencies and localities. Businesses and citizens would use the same gateway to submit applications, follow their status in real time, receive results and feedback digitally, and check published requirements.

Applications would be accessible from computers, tablets and smartphones. The aim is to let businesses complete procedures from anywhere, without being restricted by local administrative boundaries or public office hours.

Nguyen Duy Hoang, Director General of the Administrative Procedure Control Agency, explained that the portal would leave ministries and local authorities responsible for handling the procedures within their authority. The change concerns the public gateway and the visibility of the process, while decision making remains with the responsible agencies.

A common platform is expected to make applications easier for the public to monitor. Greater visibility into requirements and progress is also intended to reduce bureaucratic delays and opportunities for informal payments.

Electronic identity becomes part of doing business

Electronic identity, or e-ID, is a central part of the new system. Businesses and individuals conducting administrative procedures are required to use electronic identity accounts so government agencies can verify who is making an online transaction.

Starting July 1, 2025, every company operating in Vietnam must register for a company e-ID account through VNeID. The account serves as the organization's verified identity when dealing online with government agencies.

A company's legal representative must hold a Level 2 e-ID account to register the business account. Registration can be completed through the VNeID application or in person at the relevant authority. Once approved, the account must be activated within seven days.

Foreign companies face additional documentation requirements. A particular difficulty concerns foreign legal representatives: current regulations do not allow foreign nationals to obtain Level 2 e-ID accounts, creating a technical barrier within a process that requires that level of identification.

The business community has requested a delay in implementation for those cases while the difficulties are addressed. For affected companies, access to an electronic government service depends on having a workable route through the identity verification process.

Less repeated paperwork and shorter processing times

The government expects the changes to reduce the time needed to complete administrative tasks by at least 30% in 2025. For 2026, the target is a 50% reduction in both processing time and compliance costs compared with 2024.

Businesses are also expected to see compliance costs fall by 30% in the first year of full implementation. Savings would come from spending less on paperwork, travel and administrative fees, alongside the time recovered when procedures move faster.

Data sharing is a central part of that effort. Information and documents are intended to be submitted once and reused across government agencies, rather than repeatedly requested by different offices. Connecting administrative systems is therefore as important as providing an online application form.

The tax sector shows the scale of activity already taking place online. More than 87% of tax submissions were made online in 2024. The sector has committed to further digitizing its 219 procedures, with attention to declarations made once and connected data systems.

Dang Ngoc Minh, Deputy Director of the Tax Department, described administrative reform as an urgent practical requirement and linked it to investment and economic development:

Administrative reform is not only an inevitable requirement but also an urgent necessity in practice. It fosters a favourable investment and business environment and supports economic recovery and development.

Tax administration is a frequent point of contact between businesses and government. Reducing repeated declarations and connecting records would apply the wider reform's goals to transactions that companies already conduct in large numbers.

Infrastructure, access and legal coordination

Vietnam's transition requires investment in digital infrastructure, training for government officials and businesses, and cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive information. Each is needed for companies to submit documents and receive decisions reliably through the new system.

Local readiness varies. Businesses and authorities in rural or less developed areas may face greater difficulty moving to fully online procedures. Small businesses and people with limited digital skills also need access to the system, alongside companies already familiar with online administration.

Foreign companies face the additional identity registration difficulties. The government's inclusion challenge therefore covers both the ability to use digital tools and the legal conditions required to obtain an account.

Public officials must adapt as well. The reform calls for new workflows, performance measures and accountability standards, changing how applications are handled and how progress is assessed.

The government has issued 28 decrees and 58 circulars to clarify decentralization and standardize procedures. Decentralization concerns how responsibilities are distributed among levels of government. Those responsibilities need to align with the procedures applicants encounter through the national portal.

Further legal updates and coordination are needed to keep implementation running smoothly. Authorities are providing support and guidance to ministries, agencies and businesses, including legal services for e-ID registration and technical assistance for adopting digital systems.

Feedback mechanisms and satisfaction surveys are being used to identify concerns and refine procedures. These give users a way to report problems as agencies adjust to the new arrangements.

How the changes fit Vietnam's digital economy

Vietnam's administrative program forms part of its ambition to become a leader in digital government and the digital economy in Southeast Asia. The country has risen 15 places to rank 71st among 193 countries in the United Nations' e-government development index.

The digital economy accounts for more than 18% of Vietnam's gross domestic product and is growing by more than 20% a year, three times faster than GDP growth. GDP measures the value of goods and services produced in the economy; the figures show why digital activity has become an important part of the government's development plans.

Marvell, NVIDIA and SK Hynix are expanding their presence in Vietnam, attracted by improvements in the business environment and digital infrastructure. Their expansion sits alongside the government's wider focus on science, technology and innovation as a strategic choice for sustainable development in the digital era.

The administrative changes connect that national strategy with everyday business tasks. Registering an activity, dealing with tax, completing customs procedures or handling land matters are practical encounters with the state, and each is among the areas identified for modernization.

The government's intended result is a business environment in which digital access, transparent requirements and fewer unnecessary conditions support investment and innovation. Reaching that result requires the portal, identity system, agency databases and legal rules to work together.

The timetable through 2026

The program's milestones extend from the publication of procedures in June 2025 to further integration and larger savings targets in 2026. The coming 18 months are presented as a critical period for delivering the transformation.

• June 2025: Ministries, agencies and localities must update and publish all administrative procedures and business conditions on the National Database on Administrative Procedures.
• July 1, 2025: Provincial public service portals are scheduled to be deactivated, and mandatory company e-ID registration begins.
• End of 2025: Vietnam aims to have 100% of administrative procedures related to businesses conducted online, regardless of administrative boundaries.
• Early 2026: Portals operated at ministry level are due to be phased out as the National Public Service Portal moves toward full integration.
• 2026: Processing time and compliance costs are targeted to fall by 50% compared with 2024.

Ministries, agencies and localities are required to submit monthly progress reports. The Government Office is responsible for monitoring implementation and addressing problems that arise, while the prime minister has called for regular reporting to maintain accountability and timely delivery.

The government expects the reform to serve as a model for other sectors and countries seeking to modernize public administration. For businesses in Vietnam, the immediate priorities are more concrete: access to a functioning account, clear requirements, connected services and decisions delivered with less time and expense.

Key Points

• Vietnam aims to move all business administrative procedures online by the end of 2025, without restrictions based on local administrative boundaries.
• The reform targets the removal of at least 30% of unnecessary business and investment conditions, alongside reductions of at least 30% in processing time and 30% in compliance costs.
• The National Public Service Portal is intended to become the common gateway, while ministries and local authorities retain responsibility for handling procedures.
• Company e-ID registration through VNeID became mandatory from July 1, 2025, with technical barriers affecting foreign legal representatives.
• The 2026 goal is to reduce processing time and compliance costs by 50% compared with 2024.
• Infrastructure, training, cybersecurity, legal coordination and access for smaller businesses are central implementation challenges, with monthly reporting required.