Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg promulgating Vietnam Standard Industrial Classification

On September 29, 2025, the Deputy Prime Minister signed Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg promulgating Vietnam Standard Industrial Classification, replacing Decision No. 27/2018/QD-TTg. Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg takes effect from November 15, 2025. Accordingly, in the Vietnamese economic sector system, several new business lines will appear, and those that are no longer suitable will be eliminated. Below, Viet An Law will provide some basic legal information on promulgating the standard industrial classification according to the new regulations applicable to enterprise registration information in Vietnam.

The purpose of promulgating the Vietnam Standard Industrial Classification

Previously, Decision No. 27/2018/QD-TTg did not have any provisions on the purpose of promulgating the standard industrial classification. However, the new provision in Clause 1, Article 2 of Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg clearly states the purpose of promulgating the Vietnam standard industrial classification. Specifically, the standard industrial classification is used consistently in:

• State statistical activities;
• Building administrative registration systems, national databases, and specialized databases;
• Other relevant state management activities.

In particular, when registering to establish an enterprise, the enterprise founder or the enterprise must choose a level four economic sector in the Vietnam standard industrial classification to record the business line in the enterprise registration dossier (Article 7 of Decree 168/2025/ND-CP). For business lines not included in the Vietnam standard industrial classification, the following applies:

• For business lines that are not included in the Vietnam standard industrial classification but are regulated in other legal documents, the business lines are recorded according to the business lines regulated in those legal documents.
• For business lines that are not included in the Vietnam standard industrial classification but are regulated in other legal documents, the business lines are recorded according to the business lines regulated in those legal documents.
• For business lines that are not included in the Vietnam standard industrial classification and are not yet regulated in other legal documents, the Business Registration Authority shall record the addition of this business line for the enterprise if it is not in the prohibited business line, and at the same time notify the Ministry of Finance to add the new business line.

Criteria for determining the Vietnam standard industrial

According to Clause 2, Article 2 of Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg, the promulgation of the Vietnam standard industrial classification is a collection of similar economic activities, based on 3 criteria ranked in the following order of priority:

• Production process of economic activity;
• Input ingredients that economic activity uses to create products;
• Output characteristics of economic activity.

Thus, the Vietnam standard industrial classification is not only a tool for classifying and arranging economic activities scientifically, but also a basis for the State to manage and plan socio-economic development policies, statistics, as well as facilitate enterprises in production and business activities. Determining economic sectors based on the above three criteria helps ensure transparency, consistency, and conformity with international practices, while reflecting the unique characteristics of the Vietnamese economy.

Note: The classification is not based on the type of ownership, type of organization, method, or scale of production activities. For example, for footwear production activities, regardless of whether this activity is privately or state-owned, the type of organization is an independent or dependent enterprise or individual business establishment, carried out by manual or mechanical methods, with large or small production scale, it is classified into the industry: “Footwear production”, code 15200.

List of Vietnam Standard Industrial Classification

According to Clause 2, Article 3 of Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg, the list of Vietnam standard industrial classification includes 5 levels as follows:

• Level 1 includes 22 sections hierarchically designated by alphabetical letters from A toV;
• Level 2 includes 87 sections formed according to each corresponding level 1 industry, and each industry is coded with two digits from 01 to 99;
• Level 3 includes 259 sections formed according to each corresponding level 2 industry, and each industry is coded with three digits from 011 to 990;
• Level 4 includes 495 sections formed according to each corresponding level 3 industry, and each industry is coded with four digits from 0111 to 9900;
• Level 5 includes 743 sections formed according to each corresponding level 4 industry, and each industry is coded with four digits from 01110 to 99000.

Thus, compared with Decision No. 27/2018/QD-TTg, the list of Vietnam standard industrial classification prescribed in Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg has the following new points:

• Level 1: add 1 section (previously there were 21 sections), specifically add section code V – Activities of international organizations and agencies;
• Level 2: remove 1 section, leaving 87 sections (previously there were 88 sections);
• Level 3: add 17 sections (previously there were only 242 sections);
• Level 4: remove 9 sections (previously there were 495 sections);
• Level 5: add 9 sections (previously there were 743 sections).

Note: The content of the Vietnam standard industrial classification clearly explains economic activities, including factors classified into each part, including:

• Includes: Economic activities identified within the economic sector;
• Excludes: Economic activities not identified within the economic sector but belonging to other economic sectors.

The difference between the standard industrial classification according to VSIC 2018 and VSIC 2025

Compared with Decision No. 27/2018/QD-TTg, the list of Vietnam standard industrial classification prescribed in Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg has the following new points:

• Level 1: add 1 section (previously there were 21 sections), specifically add section code V – Activities of international organizations and agencies;
• Level 2: remove 1 section, leaving 87 sections (previously there were 88 sections);
• Level 3: add 17 sections (previously there were only 242 sections);
• Level 4: remove 9 sections (previously there were 495 sections);
• Level 5: add 9 sections (previously there were 743 sections).

Note: The content of the Vietnam standard industrial classification clearly explains economic activities, including factors classified into each part, including:

• Includes: Economic activities identified within the economic sector;
• Excludes: Economic activities not identified within the economic sector but belonging to other economic sectors.

Instructions on documents and procedures for changing business lines according to the latest economic sector system

For enterprises that have been granted an Enterprise Registration Certificate or a Certificate of Operating Conditions before November 15, 2025, when the enterprise has a need or when the enterprise notifies of additional or changed business lines or requests to change to an Enterprise Registration Certificate, the enterprise can update its business lines according to the decision to promulgate the latest standard industrial classification.

Dossier components

According to Clause 1, Article 49 of Decree 168/2025/ND-CP on enterprise registration, the business line update dossier includes the following documents:

• Notice of change in business registration content;
• A copy or original of the resolution or decision of the company owner for a single-member limited liability company; of the Board of Members for a limited liability company with two or more members, a partnership; of the General Meeting of Shareholders for a joint stock company on changing the business lines of the enterprise.

Procedures

• In case of a change of business liné, the enterprise shall send a notification dossier to the provincial business registration authority where the enterprise has its head office.
• After receiving the business registration application, the provincial business registration authority will issue a receipt and schedule a return of results to the applicant.
• Within 03 working days from the date of receiving the dossier, the provincial business registration authority shall review the validity of the dossier and consider the market access conditions for industries and trades that restrict market access for foreign investors according to the provisions of the law on investment, and update information on the business industries and trades of the enterprise in the National Database on Business Registration.
• In case the dossier is invalid, the provincial business registration authority shall notify the enterprise in writing of the contents that need to be amended or supplemented. In case the enterprise has a need, the provincial business registration authority shall issue a Certificate of change of enterprise registration contents to the enterprise.

Instructions on dossiers and procedures for changing business lines online

Prepare:

• Register an account on dangkykinhdoanh.gov.vn
• Electronic payment account

Submit dossier:

• Create dossier
• Enter information
• Scan and upload attachments
• Prepare dossier
• Sign and authenticate dossier
• Make payment

Receive results:

• Track the status of the dossier
• Modify and supplement the dossier (if any)
• Receive results

If your business has difficulty changing its business lines according to the latest Vietnam standard industrial classification under Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg promulgating Vietnam Standard Industrial Classification, please contact Viet An Law for the fastest and most accurate support!