The official establishment of Minh Phung Ward in Ho Chi Minh City within the framework of the policy of rearranging administrative units has led to direct legal impacts on the business community and investors in this area. This has made the information about the project location recorded on the issued Investment Registration Certificate no longer consistent with the new administrative name. Many investors wonder: Is the implementation of the procedure for adjusting the Certificate a mandatory obligation? And how are the order and dossiers to carry out this procedure specifically regulated? In order to support businesses to answer the above problems, Viet An Law would like to send you detailed instructions in the content of the article below.
Table of contents
Pursuant to Resolution No. 1685/NQ-UBTVQH15 on the arrangement of commune-level administrative units of Ho Chi Minh City in 2025, Minh Phung Ward was established based on the following criteria:
“Arrange the entire natural area and population size of Ward 1, Ward 7 and Ward 16 (District 11) into a new ward called Minh Phung Ward.”
In the volatile macroeconomic picture of 2024 and the beginning of 2025, Ho Chi Minh City continues to affirm its position as the economic locomotive of the country, indicators of attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) are showing signs of strong restructuring. Data recorded in the first period of 2025 shows that total FDI into the city reached nearly 2.3 billion USD, but this figure reflects a significant decline of up to 39.5% over the same period. In this context, District 11 – an inner-city district with high population density, limited industrial land and a history of development associated with handicrafts – is facing challenges to reposition its role in the city’s FDI attraction map. The strategic forecast shows that Ho Chi Minh City aims to attract 11.5 billion USD of FDI in 2026. For District 11 to shift foreign investment capital flows from traditional to modern. Ward 16 is leading the trend with the presence of international brands on the 3/2 road. Ward 1 plays a solid role in commercial logistics with service models such as schools, hospitals, entertainment areas, etc. Meanwhile, Ward 7, although it has not attracted real FDI investment, contains great potential in the medical supply chain. To optimize FDI attraction, the merger of the above three wards is essential to:
According to Clause 16, Article 1 of Decree 239/2025/ND-CP amending Decree 31/2021/ND-CP guiding the Law on Investment, a dossier to carry out procedures for adjusting the Investment registration certificate includes the following documents:
Pursuant to Article 39 and Clause 2, Article 41 of the Law on Investment 2020, in Ho Chi Minh City, the determination of the competent authority to process the dossier of adjustment of the Investment Registration Certificate is determined based on the area of project implementation. Investors need to contact the right unit according to the following decentralization:
For projects located outside industrial parks, export processing zones and hi-tech parks
The jurisdiction to settle belongs to the Department of Finance of Ho Chi Minh City (the unit that has merged the Department of Planning and Investment).
For projects located in industrial parks, export processing zones, hi-tech parks
The jurisdiction to settle belongs to the Management Board of Hi-Tech Parks and Industrial Parks of Ho Chi Minh City.
Step 3: The competent authority to process the dossier
The investment registration agency shall check the validity within 07 working days from the date of receipt of the dossier. In case of adjustment of an investment project related to updating information on the location of the investment project on the basis of arrangement of administrative units and two-level local government organizations, the time for processing the dossier will be 03 working days. There will be two cases as follows:
After the merger, many businesses wonder whether to change the Investment registration certificate or not, Viet An Law would like to answer customers as follows:
According to Official Letter 4370/BTC-DNTN in 2025, guiding business registration in case of change of administrative boundaries:
“Enterprises, business households, cooperatives, cooperative unions, and cooperative groups continue to use the issued Enterprise Registration Certificate, Business Household Registration Certificate, Cooperative Registration Certificate, Cooperative Group Registration Certificate, Certificate of Operation Registration of Branches/Representative Offices/Business Locations.
2. Business registration agencies may not request enterprises, business households, cooperatives, cooperative unions and cooperative groups to register changes in address information due to changes in administrative boundaries. Enterprises, business households, cooperatives, cooperative unions and cooperative groups shall update information on addresses due to changes in administrative boundaries on enterprise registration certificate, business household registration certificate, cooperative registration certificate, cooperative group registration certificate, etc Certificate of registration of operation of branches/representative offices/business locations when there is a need or at the same time when registering changes, notifying changes in other contents in the registration of enterprises, business households, cooperatives, unions of cooperatives, cooperative groups.”
Therefore, the adjustment of the Investment registration certificate in this case is not mandatory. Enterprises have the right to take the initiative to do so when there is a need, or combine in other times of registration to change content in the future.
All difficulties and problems related to the adjustment of investment registration certificate in Minh Phung Ward after the merger, please contact the legal consultancy department of Viet An Law Firm for detailed advice and the most effective support
