Reducing conditional business lines from July 1, 2026

From July 1, 2026, the business environment in Vietnam officially entered a major turning point. Follow Resolution No. 66.17/2026/NQ-CP of the Government, the number of conditional business lines decreased sharply from 198 to 142 occupations. This is an extremely positive signal, opening up an open space for development and reducing the burden of procedures for the business community.

Cut or modify industries and trades where business investment conditions are not clear and have similar nature

The reduction and modification of conditional investment and business lines shall be carried out according to the following principles:

Cut down on industries and occupations that are not really necessary for the reasons of national defense, national security, social order and safety, social ethics and health of the community as prescribed in Clause 1, Article 7 of the Law on Investment.

Cut down on industries and trades where business investment conditions can be studied and managed through standards, technical regulations or vocational standards for management by post-inspection method.

 Cut down or amend sectors and trades where business investment conditions are unclear or of similar nature, which have been controlled through other management activities or industries and trades that have not been promulgated until now and have not yet provided for business investment conditions. Business investment.

Strongly shifting from ‘pre-check’ to ‘post-check’

The core change of Resolution 66.17/2026/NQ-CP is management thinking. Instead of maintaining a ‘pre-check’ mechanism that requires businesses to have a sub-license before operating, the state is moving comprehensively to the ‘post-inspection’ method.

The cumbersome administrative barriers are replaced by a clear and clear system of standards and technical regulations. Enterprises are proactive in doing business, taking responsibility for themselves, while the management agency will play the role of supervising and checking the actual operation process.

This change has a positive and direct impact on the business community:

Optimizing costs, removing the burden of ‘sublicenses’: Enterprises can reduce unnecessary administrative compliance costs (licensing fees, cumbersome pre-inspection documents).

Shortening the time to enter the market: The reduction of 56 occupations helps to eliminate the process of waiting for approval and appraisal of documents. Enterprises can actively implement the project and operate the business immediately after registering for establishment or supplementing the industry.

Promote innovation and increase competitiveness: A clear, clear legal environment stimulates investors to experiment with new business models and optimize capital flows.

Important notes for businesses when applying the ‘post-inspection’ mechanism

Although the ‘pre-inspection’ procedure (for permission before doing) for these 56 industries has been removed, businesses should note that the compliance pressure does not lose but moves to the post-inspection stage. In order to prevent legal risks, be sanctioned or suspended when there are specialized inspection activities, businesses need to be proactive:

Standardize the process according to new standards: regularly update the system of technical standards and mandatory quality standards applied specifically for their field of activity.

Transparency of internal records: Ensure that the entire operation process, personnel and product/service quality always meet professional standards, ready to provide when the management agency conducts post-inspection.

Expert consultation: For industries that have just been abolished or modified or grouped, businesses should consult professional legal consulting units to reposition the most accurate operating conditions.