Conditions for establishing an information website business company in Vietnam

The business of operating an information website is a conditional activity that goes far beyond establishing a regular company, requiring strict compliance with the law. Many enterprises often overlook specific legal conditions to officially operate on digital platforms. Shortcomings in regulations, especially the procedure for applying for a License to establish a general information website, constitute a major legal risk. So, what prerequisite conditions does a company need to meet to do business legally? Through the article below, Viet An Law will analyze in depth the conditions for establishing an information website business company in Vietnam.

What is an information website?

An information website (website) is an information system used to establish one or more pages of information presented in the form of symbols, numbers, text, images, sounds, and other forms of information to serve the provision and use of information on the Internet.

Classification of information websites

Information websites are classified as follows:

• Electronic newspaper in the form of an information website.
• General information website is an information website of an agency, organization, or enterprise that provides aggregated information on the basis of citing the exact original text of the official source and clearly stating the name of the author or the name of the agency of the official source, and the time that information was posted or broadcast.
• Internal information website is an information website of an agency, organization, or enterprise that provides information on functions, powers, tasks, organizational structure, services, products, professions, and other information serving the operation of that agency, organization, or enterprise itself and does not provide aggregated information.
• Personal information website is an information website established by an individual or established through the use of a social networking service to provide and exchange information of that individual, not representing another organization or individual, and not providing aggregated information.
• Specialized application information website is an information website of an agency, organization, or enterprise providing application services in the fields of telecommunications, information technology, radio, television, commerce, finance, banking, culture, health, education, and other specialized fields and does not provide aggregated information.

Management of the establishment of information websites

• Electronic newspapers in the form of information websites are established and operate according to the provisions of the Law on Press.
• Specialized application information websites are established and operate according to the provisions of specialized laws and relevant regulations of this Decree.
• Personal information websites and internal information websites must comply with regulations on registration and use of Internet resources and relevant regulations in this Decree.
• Enterprises may only establish a general information website when they have a License to establish a general information website.

Conditions for establishing an information website business company in Vietnam

Conditions for establishing an information website business company in Vietnam

Business lines

Based on Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg on the Vietnam Standard Industrial Classification:

Type of enterprise

One of the types prescribed in the Enterprise Law 2020 (amended and supplemented in 2025):

• Partnership.
• Private enterprise.
• Single-member limited liability company.
• Multi-member limited liability company (two members or more).
• Joint stock company.

Company Name

According to Article 37 of the Enterprise Law 2020 (amended and supplemented in 2025), when naming a company, organizations and individuals need to note the following:

• Vietnamese name consists of 02 components: Type of enterprise and Proper name.
• The company name must not be identical to the name of another company.
• Do not use the names of state agencies, socio-political organizations, etc., to name the company.
• Do not use words or symbols that violate historical traditions, culture, fine customs, and practices.

Headquarters address

According to Article 42 of the Enterprise Law 2020 (amended and supplemented in 2025), the head office of the enterprise is located in the territory of Vietnam, determined according to the boundaries of administrative units.

Charter capital

Depending on the business line and scale, the enterprise can register a charter capital level suitable for its financial capabilities.

The enterprise must ensure full contribution of capital and the correct type of assets committed when registering the enterprise establishment within 90 days from the date of issuance of the Enterprise Registration Certificate, excluding the time for transportation, import of capital contribution assets, and performance of administrative procedures to transfer asset ownership.

In case after 90 days from the time of capital contribution commitment, if the actual contributed capital is not sufficient, the enterprise must carry out procedures to reduce charter capital.

Conditions for granting a License to establish an information website

Based on Clause 3, Article 25 of Decree 147/2024/ND-CP, the conditions are as follows:

Legal status

Being an agency, organization, or enterprise established under Vietnamese law, having functions, tasks, or registered business lines published on the National Business Registration Portal suitable for the services and information content provided.

Having registered the use of a domain name to establish a general information website and meeting the following regulations:

• • For agencies, organizations, and enterprises that are not press agencies, the domain name and page name must not be the same as or identical to the name of a press agency or contain words (in Vietnamese or equivalent foreign languages) that may cause confusion with a press agency or press activities such as: Newspaper (Báo), Station (Đài), Magazine (Tạp chí), News (Tin, Tin tức), Radio (Phát thanh), Television (Truyền hình), Media (Truyền thông), News Agency (Thông tấn, Thông tấn xã).
  • General information websites and social networks using the domain name “.vn” as the primary domain name and storing service user data at a server system with an IP address in Vietnam.
  • The domain name “.vn” must be registered for use by the agency, organization, or enterprise applying for the license, have a remaining validity of at least 06 months at the time of application, and must comply with regulations on management and use of Internet resources.
  • For international domain names, there must be confirmation of lawful domain name use for the agency, organization, or enterprise applying for the license.
  • General information websites licensed by the local Department of Information and Communications shall not use domain names with character strings identical to the names of other localities.

Meet conditions on organization, personnel, and techniques

• Conditions on organization and personnel: Have a content and information management department and a technical management department.
  • The personnel responsible for managing content and information must be a person with Vietnamese citizenship.
  • Have a head office with a clear and contactable address and phone number.
• Technical conditions: Establish a system of technical equipment capable of meeting the following requirements:
  • Store general information content for a minimum of 90 days from the time of posting.
  • Store logs of posted information processing for a minimum of 02 years.
  • Receive and process warnings of violating information from service users.
  • Detect, warn, and prevent illegal access and forms of attacks in the network environment and comply with standards and technical regulations on network information security according to the provisions of law.
  • Have a backup plan to ensure safe, continuous operation and remedy when incidents occur, except for force majeure cases according to the provisions of law.
  • Ensure there is at least 01 server system located in Vietnam, allowing for inspection, storage, and provision of information on all websites and social networks owned by the agency, organization, or enterprise at any time according to regulations.

Have measures to manage content and information for general information websites, specifically:

• Content management: Have a process for managing and checking information before and after posting, clearly identifying the source of information.
• Source control: Ensure information does not violate copyright, is accurate, and complies with the release time according to the agreement with the press agency (not earlier than 1 hour and removed after 3 hours if the source removes it).
• Feedback: Have tools to receive and handle user complaints.
• Comments: Do not allow readers to comment on cited content.
• Source citation: Clearly state the author’s name, source (full), posting time, and link to the original article.
• Content classification: Separate exchange columns related to the activities of the agency, organization, or enterprise.
• Content production linkage (if any): Do not link to produce content investigating or reflecting sensitive issues; the press agency is responsible for the linked information; the ratio of linked news/articles does not exceed 50%; website staff must not use the title of journalist.
• Press cooperation: Have source cooperation agreements with at least 03 press agencies.

Procedure for applying for a license to establish an information website

Step 1: Draft the dossier requesting the license

Prepare 01 set of dossier including:

• Application for a license to establish a general information website according to Form No. 16 in the Appendix issued with Decree 147/2024/ND-CP.
• One of the following documents: Enterprise Registration Certificate, Investment Registration Certificate, Establishment Decision (or valid copy of certificate, other valid equivalent license issued before the effective date of Law on Investment No. 67/2014/QH13 and Law on Enterprise No. 59/2020/QH14).
• Operation Charter (for associations and unions). The Establishment Decision or Operation Charter must have functions and tasks suitable for the information content provided on the general information website.
• Operation Scheme certified by the legal representative of the enterprise or the head of the agency, organization, or enterprise applying for the license, including main contents: Purpose of providing information, information content, expected columns, sources, printed copy of the homepage and main column pages; personnel, technical, and content management plans ensuring the operation of the general information website consistent with regulations; information on the location of the server system in Vietnam; in case of linking with a press agency to produce content, clearly state the ratio of linked news/articles, mechanism for cooperation, production, editing, censorship of news/articles, and posting/broadcasting on the general information website.
• Color print/scan of the homepage interface and main column pages; the homepage must have full expected information according to regulations in Clause 9, Article 24 of Decree 147/2024/ND-CP.
• Written agreement on source cooperation between the general information website and the press agency needs the following basic information: Duration of agreement; scope of content to be cited; responsibility for managing content and information of each party (press agency is responsible for notifying the general information website to promptly update amended information).
• For written cooperation agreements to link content production between the general information website and the press agency, it must clearly state: Mechanism for cooperation in producing news/articles, the press agency is responsible for the content of news/articles within the scope of linkage; field of cooperation in content production and commitment to comply with regulations.

Step 2: Submit the dossier

The dossier requesting the license is sent directly, via post, or via the Internet to the Department of Science, Technology and Digital Transformation of provinces and centrally run cities.

Step 3: Granting the License to establish an information website

• Department Leadership assigns the dossier to a specialist in the Division for processing: 1/2 working day.
• Division Specialist receives the dossier from Department Leadership to check and handle the dossier: 6.5 working days.
• Processing Specialist submits to Division Leadership to control and approve the dossier to submit to Department Leadership: 01 working day.
• Processing time: 10 working days from the date of receiving a complete and valid dossier.

Customers wishing to establish a company and set up an information website, please contact Viet An Law Firm for the fastest support!