Guide to Change Vietnamese Business Codes under Decision 36/2025

The Vietnam Economic Sector System (VSIC) is a fundamental statistical classification tool, used uniformly in state statistical activities; it builds an administrative registration system, a national database, a specialized database, and other related state management activities. From November 15, 2025, Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg on Vietnam’s economic sector system officially takes effect, replacing Decision No. 27/2018/QD-TTg with many new changes in economic sectors. Viet An Law will guide to change Vietnamese business codes under Decision 36/2025/QD-TTg.

Update changes in economic sectors according to the new Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg

According to Decision 36/2025/QD-TTg, economic sectors are determined based on three priority criteria:

• Production process or technology of economic activity.
• Input materials that economic activities use to create products.
• Characteristics of output products of economic activities.
• The system does not classify by ownership, type of organization, method, or scale of production. For example, whether footwear is produced manually or by machine, on a small or large scale, it belongs to the industry “Footwear manufacturing” (code 15200).

From November 15, 2025, the new Vietnam economic sector system (according to Decision 36/2025/QD-TTg) officially takes effect. Businesses and organizations need to update industry codes in accordance with registration, reporting and statistical activities.

Vietnam’s economic sector system according to new Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg (VSIC 2025) compared to Decision No. 27/2018/QD-TTg dated July 6, 2018 of the Prime Minister promulgating Vietnam’s economic sector system (VSIC 2018) has changes in the number of economic sectors:

• Level 1 economic sector: Increase 01 economic sector (from 21 sectors to 22 sectors) by separating sector J “Information and communication” into sector J “Publishing, broadcasting, content production and distribution activities” and sector K “Telecommunications; Computer programming, computer consulting and other information service activities”;
• Level 2 economic sector: Reduce 01 economic sector (from 88 sectors to 87 sectors);
• Level 3 economic sectors: Increase 17 economic sectors (from 242 sectors to 259 sectors);
• Level 4 economic sectors: Increase 31 economic sectors (from 464 to 495 sectors);
• Level 5 economic sector: Increase 09 economic sectors (from 734 sectors to 743 sectors).

Instructions for searching for changes in economic occupations according to new Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg

To check how the business registration code that a business has registered under VSIC 2018 has changed with VSIC 2025, businesses can look up the following comparison table:

Some notable new changes include:

• 033: Support service activities for aquaculture and exploitation: This is a new additional activity according to ISIC 5.
• 03: “Aquaculture and exploitation” is changed to “Aquaculture and related service activities”: Change the economic sector name to reflect more service activities
• 1103: Production of beer and fermented malt is separated into 1103: Production of beer and 1104: Production of fermented malt: Correction of code and name of economic sector due to ISIC 5 separating sector 1103 in VSIC 2018 into sectors 1103 and 1104
• 141: “Sewing costumes (except costumes from fur)” was changed to “Manufacturing costumes (except costumes from fur)”: Change the economic sector name accordingly
• Sector 2610 in VSIC 2018 is separated into sectors 2611 and 2619 according to ISIC 5 changes including: 26110 – Production of solar cells, solar panels and photovoltaic inverters; 26190 – Manufacture of other electronic components.
• Sector 4542 – 45420 in VSIC 2018 moved to sector 9532 – 95320 according to ISIC 5 changes
• Sector 4543 in VSIC 2018 moves to sectors 4663, 4783, 4610 according to ISIC 5 changes

Thus, the change in economic sectors according to new Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg is not only to suit reality but also to meet the change of ISIC 5. ISIC (International Standard Industrial Classification), has been developed by the United Nations since 1948 to address the need for international comparison between economic statistical indicators. ISIC has been updated to Revision 5 (adopted in March 2023).

Instructions for converting economic sectors according to new Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg

When converting an economic industry leading to a change in business lines, the enterprise needs to carry out procedures for notifying a change in business lines according to Article 49 of Decree 168/2025/ND-CP.

The steps are as follows:

Instructions for converting economic sectors according to new Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg

Step 1: Search economic industry information according to the new Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg

Enterprises need to look up new information about economic sectors according to new Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg of Viet An Law at this [LINK].

Enterprises can look up the business registration code as follows:

• Access the National Information Portal on business registration: https://dangkykinhdoanh.gov.vn/ or direct access https://dangkykinhdoanh.gov.vn/vn/Pages/NganhNghe.aspx
• In the “SUPPORT” section, select “Look up business lines”.
• Enter the industry code and industry name to search.

Step 2: Prepare documents to notify changes in business lines

Dossier for notification of change in business lines includes the following documents:

• Notice of change in business registration content according to Form No. 12, Appendix I issued with Circular No. 68/2025/TT-BTC;
• 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 limited liability companies with two or more members or partnerships; of the General Meeting of Shareholders for a joint stock company on changing the enterprise’s business lines.

Step 3: Submit documents to the provincial business registration agency

In case of changing business lines, the enterprise sends a notification document to the Provincial Business Registration Authority where the enterprise is headquartered.

Step 4: The provincial business registration agency receives and processes the documents

• After receiving the business registration dossier, the Provincial Business Registration Authority issues a receipt of the dossier and promises to return the results to the applicant.
• Within 03 working days from the date of receipt of the dossier, the Provincial Business Registration Authority reviews the validity of the dossier and considers market access conditions for industries and occupations that limit market access for foreign investors according to the provisions of law on investment, updates information about the enterprise’s business industries and occupations in the National Business Registration Database; In case the dossier is not valid, the Provincial Business Registration Authority will notify the enterprise in writing of the content that needs to be amended or supplemented.
• In case an enterprise needs, the Provincial Business Registration Authority shall issue a Certificate of change in business registration content to the enterprise.

Note how to record the industry and business code of the enterprise

According to Article 7 of Decree 168/2025/ND-CP, businesses need to pay attention to how to record the business industry and business code as follows:

• Enterprises choose level four economic sectors in the Vietnam Economic Sector System in Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg to record business sectors and professions in the business registration dossier.
• For conditional business investment sectors and trades prescribed in other legal documents, the business sectors and trades are recorded according to the sectors and trades specified in those legal documents.
• For business sectors and trades that are not included in the Vietnam Economic Sector System but are regulated in other legal documents, the business sectors and trades are recorded according to the sectors and professions specified in those legal documents.
• For business sectors and trades that are not included in the Vietnam Economic Sector System and have not been regulated in other legal documents, the Business Registration Authority shall record additional business sectors and trades for the enterprise if they are not in the sectors and trades banned from business investment, and at the same time notify the Ministry of Finance to add new business sectors and trades.
• In case an enterprise needs to record a more detailed business line and industry than a level four economic industry, the enterprise will select a level four economic industry in the Vietnam Economic Industry System, then write down the details of the business industry and business line under the fourth level economic industry but must ensure that the detailed business industry and line of the enterprise is consistent with the selected level four economic industry. In this case, the business line of the enterprise is the detailed line of business that the enterprise has recorded.

This article has presented a guide to change Vietnamese business codes under Decision 36/2025/QD-TTg. Clients who need advice on economic professions or business registration procedures, please contact Viet An Law for the best advice and support!