How to Look Up Business Line Codes in Vietnam

Looking up the business line is one of the important steps when establishing an enterprise or changing business registration to add or remove business registration content. Therefore, to find the appropriate industry code, you must look up the Business line, along with the corresponding business line code under the latest version of Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg promulgating Vietnam Standard Industrial Classification (VSIC). Hereby, Viet An Law will guide clients to look up business line codes in Vietnam.

How do you look up business line codes in Vietnam?

Legal basis

According to current law, the system of business lines for registration is systematized according to Decision 36/2025/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister, replacing Decision No. 27/2018/QD-TTg. This Decision takes effect from November 15, 2025.

Compared to Decision 27/2018/QD-TTg, the new business line code system has been updated, adjusted and supplemented with many new economic sectors, especially in the context of the digital economy, e-commerce, information technology services, renewable energy, and green production. These changes help reflect the reality of socio-economic development and facilitate enterprises to access emerging sectors.

Decision 36/2025/QD-TTg is updated by Viet An Law on the website and you can visit the website www.vietanlaw.com to look up Decision 36/2025/QD-TTg.

Category and content

The Vietnam standard industrial classification in Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg ensures full reflection of economic activities taking place within Vietnam’s territory and ensures international comparison.

The list of business lines, registered business lines and business line codes specified in Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg are classified as follows:

The Vietnam standard industrial classification includes 5 levels:

• Level 1 includes 22 sections hierarchically designated by alphabetical letters from A to V;
• Level 2 includes 87 divisions formed according to each corresponding primary sector, and each sector is coded with two digits from 01 to 99;
• Level 3 includes 259 groups formed according to the corresponding secondary sector, and each sector is coded with three digits from 011 to 990;
• Level 4 includes 495 classesformed according to each corresponding level 3 industry, and each industry is coded with four digits from 0111 to 9900;
• Level 5 includes 743 sub-classes formed according to each corresponding level 4 industry, and each industry is coded with four digits from 01110 to 99000.

The content of Vietnam’s economic sector clearly explains economic activities, including factors classified into each part, including:

• Includes: Economic activities identified in the economic sector;
• Exclusions: Economic activities that are not identified in the economic sector but belong to other economic sectors.

How to look up business line codes in Vietnam

• Step 1: Go to the website of Viet An Law at vietanlaw.com, then go to the search box and type the search keyword Decision No. 36/2025, then press search to get Decision No. 36/2025.
• Step 2: Click on the link and open Decision 36/2025. Scroll down and click on the Full Screen icon. Here you can download the Decision to your computer and also look it up in this Word version.
• Step 3: You perform the search combination on the keyboard Ctrl + F will open the search box in the left corner of the screen, then you type the name of the business line you want to do business with. For example, if you are in the tourism business, you can type “tourism” and then enter, and you will find details of the levels and business lines according to the content of the business lines you are looking for.
• If you cannot find the business line code for the content you want to register your business, you can send an Official Letter to the business registration office where your company is located. Or contact Viet An Law for specific advice. Phone number 0961675566.

Why do we need to look up business line codes?

Looking up business line codes not only helps enterprises register correctly and completely but also ensures many practical benefits:

• First, ensure the legality of business operations. Enterprises are only allowed to conduct business in industries registered with the business registration authority.
• Second, it helps determine business conditions for conditional sectors (for example: real estate business, employment services, transportation, education, healthcare, etc.).
• Third, support in tax procedures, bidding, licensing, loans, and trade cooperation when partners or state agencies request to determine business line
• Fourth, avoid being administratively fined or having to adjust records multiple times due to incorrect declaration of business line

Therefore, looking up the business line code is an important and mandatory step when establishing an enterprise, registering changes, or expanding the scope of business.

If no suitable business line code can be found, how should the business line be recorded?

In the process of looking up the business line code according to Decision 36/2025/QD-TTg, you may encounter the following situation: the business line you intend to do business with does not have a corresponding business line code, or the name of the industry you want to register is different from the way it is shown in the official list. So in this case, how should the enterprise record its business line in accordance with regulations?

According to Article 7 of Decree 168/2025/ND-CP, for business lines not included in the Vietnam standard industrial classification, they shall be handled as follows:

• 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.

In addition, if an enterprise needs to record a more detailed business line than the fourth-level economic sector, the enterprise shall select a fourth-level economic sector in the Vietnam standard industrial classification, then record the enterprise’s detailed business line below the fourth-level economic sector, but must ensure that the enterprise’s detailed business line is consistent with the selected fourth-level economic sector. In this case, the enterprise’s business line is the detailed business line the enterprise has recorded.

Nowadays, the business line is no longer displayed on the Enterprise Registration Certificate, so few enterprises pay much attention to this content. However, this is an extremely important step for you to successfully register or change, or add business lines for your enterprise.

Customers will receive specific advice regarding business line registration code look-up when using the full company establishment service of Viet An Law.

Thank you for listening to the video shared by Viet An Law. If you need advice on how to look up business line codes in Vietnam, as well as procedures related to business registration, please contact Viet An Law for the best advice and support!