Vietnam – General – Page 51 – Duane Morris Vietnam

July 24, 2015July 24, 2015 by Dr. Oliver Massmann

Mining in Vietnam – And the Message is:Better Transparency on Fee and Tax Management by Authorities

The economy of Vietnam is heavily dependent on the mining industry. Using modern, high technology in mining was emphasized by Directive No. 2/CT-TTg of January 2012 and Decree No. 15/2015/ND-CP and during a visit by the Prime Minister to Australia. However, the legislation governing the mining sector seem unfriendly to both foreign and local investors, especially concerning the high royalty rates and other taxes and fees, particularly:

• Payment for mining rights: Under Decree No. 203/2013/ND-CP, mining companies have to make a payment between 1-5% of the original value of the original ore to get mineral exploitation rights before receiving licenses. This fee is impractical and will deter foreign companies from investing in the mining industry. The reason behind is that in this period, they must spend a lot on exploitation and mining construction without any revenue. Accordingly, they will seek to reduce their investment in mining technologies to pay for such fee. Consequently, advanced and environmentally friendly technology is not used by mining companies for exploitation, resulting in economic inefficiency. In light of the above, the Government should amend the Decree to allow such fee to be paid on an annual basis after the mining companies make revenue.
• Environmental protection fee: Circular No. 158/2011/TT-BTC imposes the environmental protection fee on the basis of “the quantity of crude metal mineral ores actually exploited”. The calculation of such fee is only based on the mineral output without taking into account the level of pollution caused by each mine. This regulation is not fair because mining companies using advanced technology to limit impacts on the environment and those which are using cheap technology and destroying the environment must pay the same fee. It will discourage mining companies from investing in modern machinery and technology to protect the environment. The Circular should be amended to reflect the fee calculated in proportion to the levels of pollution caused by mining exploitation.
• Royalty tariff on minerals: Under Resolution No. 712/2013/UBTVQH13, the natural resources tax has considerably increased for many types of minerals such as wolfram (18%), titanium (16%), copper (13%), iron (12%), etc. Although the natural resources tax for gold, silver, alumina and bauxite, tin, lead and zinc was not increased but was subject to 10% royalty tariff. Moreover, the Ministry of Finance proposes increasing tax on exploitation of natural resources for almost minerals at 15-50% from 1 January 2016. This has increased the tax burden on the mining companies and it is likely that they will be liquidated. Therefore, the Government should support this industry by postponing the tax increase.
• Corporate income tax for mining enterprises: Decree No. 122/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Government’s Decree No. 124/2008/ND-CP detailing and guiding the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Enterprise Income Tax No. 14/2008/QH12 reduced Corporate Income Tax for all companies to 25% except for mining of precious and rare natural resources which are currently fixed at 50%. Under this Decree, the rate will be reduced to 40%, more than 70% of the mine areas located in difficult social-economic areas. The Decree also confirmed that mineral exploitation activities do not enjoy other incentives of the enterprise income tax.

Although the royalties, fees and taxes of the mining operations in Vietnam are high, but the ways they are collected and spent afterwards are not transparent. The business community is not informed of fee management. The environmental protection fee must be used to recover the environment at the mining areas, however, the mining companies have to pay a fee for this. The Government should publicize information on licensing and financial obligations of the applicants for mining operations and fee management.
Additionally, the Government should not raise taxes at this period because an increase in tax and mining right fee will cause a reduction in investment of the mining companies in the technology. Accordingly, they will use cheap machinery and technology for their mining exploitation activities and this goes contrary to the Prime Minister’s Directive.
In conclusion, in order to encourage more investments in mineral exploitation operations and use of advanced and environmental friendly technology for mining industry, the Government should control the tax collection instead of raising taxes and provide transparency on fee and tax management.

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Please do not hesitate to contact Oliver Massmann under omassmann@duanemorris.com if you have any questions on the above. Oliver Massmann is the General Director of Duane Morris Vietnam LLC.

INTERESTED IN DOING BUSINESS IN VIETNAM? VISIT: www.vietnamlaws.xyz;

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

July 21, 2015 by Dr. Oliver Massmann

Vietnam Latest on Customs and Tax Compliance – What Has to be Improved to Match WTO Commitments

Over the past year, we have seen significant efforts and progress made by the General Department of Customs in terms of improved regulations, more effective e-customs operations, and increased dialogue and consultation with the business community. From 01 January 2015, the new Customs Law takes effect with its implementing Decrees coming into force on 15 March. The implementing Circulars are also already in force from 01 April with the most notable one, Circular No. 38/2015/TT-BTC. This Circular, which replaces 13 previous customs regulations, is considered the most comprehensive among the new regulations. We are looking forward to more regulations being adopted soon following the new Customs Law, for example, regulations on advance customs rulings, post-clearance inspection which stem from the ASEAN agreements implementing the AFTA, the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, or regulations in anticipation of the upcoming Free Trade Agreements. These agreements commonly have major requirements on advance customs ruling, availability of information, separation of customs clearance from final determination of duties and taxes, international cooperation in customs, etc. The Prime Minister has adopted Resolution No. 19 for a period of three years, from 2015 to 2018, to prioritize these changes. During the implementation process, Vietnam has been receiving much technical support from foreign experts of the WTO, WCO and other organizations.
We have also seen progress in reforming Vietnam’s tax procedures over the recent years. Up to 01 January 2015, the total time for tax compliance is reduced to 370 hours per year, which is an impressive decrease compared with 872 hours annually according to the 2013 statistics. Time spent for tax declaration and payment is also reduced to 121.5 hours per year, with possibility of online tax declaration and payment. Although German enterprises highly appreciate these tax reforms, we would expect that the efforts are not only at Government or ministerial levels but also at the local levels where we have to deal with the authorities there directly.
Notwithstanding the above positive developments, Vietnam still has much to do in the upcoming time. We address below certain major issues and suggest solutions accordingly.
1. Application of blended tax
Blended tax is a combination of ad valorem tariff and specific/ fixed duty rate. Since Vietnam has made WTO commitments in reducing import duty, especially for goods of commercial value imported from WTO members, the application of blended tax could be considered as going against WTO commitments on market opening and tax reduction. We suggest that if the Draft Law on Import and Export Tariff has to include provisions on blended tax, it should specify in which cases it is applicable or else it would create confusion for local companies in Vietnam who are only familiar with either ad valorem or specific duty for each of their commercial goods.
2. Application of quota duty
Decree No. 187/2013/ND-CP and Circular No. 111/2012/TT-BTC subject salt, raw tobacco, eggs, and sugar to tariff quota regime. This means if the imported quantity of these goods exceed the quota as prescribed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade or there is no import license as required under the tariff quota regime, import of these products will be imposed an import tariff of 50%-90%. We would suggest these provisions be included in the Law on Export and Import Tariffs rather than Decree No. 197 or Circular No. 11. Moreover, the Law on Export and Import Tariffs should also address applicable import tariffs for minimum and maximum import quota for specific types of goods and the authority to issue documents governing the application of import quota from time to time. This would serve as the basis for the competent authorities to perform their rights and obligations and enterprises to clearly understand government’s import and export policies.
3. Tariff policies for goods imported for production of exports
It is recommended that goods which are imported for production of exports be not subject to tariff upon importation. This tariff exemption works more efficiently compared with tax refund upon goods exportation in terms of cash flows burden for export enterprises and will help improve the competitiveness of domestic enterprises. However, there should be a mechanism to monitor and request for tariff payment if the goods are then used for domestic consumption.
4. Goods imported for implementation of investment projects
According to the new Investment Law, projects being implemented in certain geographical areas and industries will enjoy tax incentives. The implementing Decrees of the Investment Law or the Law on Export and Import Tariffs should provide a detailed list of such areas and industries. The law should also clarify whether imported goods are still exempted from duty if the investment project is entitled with tax incentives under the initial investment license but is no longer qualified for such preferential treatment due to a change in technology.

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Please do not hesitate to contact Oliver Massmann under omassmann@duanemorris.com if you have any questions on the above. Oliver Massmann is the General Director of Duane Morris Vietnam LLC.

INTERESTED IN DOING BUSINESS IN VIETNAM? VISIT: www.vietnamlaws.xyz

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

July 20, 2015July 20, 2015 by Dr. Oliver Massmann

Vietnam Current Investment and Trade Issues and Solutions

The Government of Vietnam has made certain success in stabilizing the economy to reach a high growth rate projection in 2015 by World Bank (i.e., 6%) and maintain import-export balance over the five years. Nevertheless, there are a lot of outstanding issues which should be further addressed as analysed below:
1. Enforcement and recognition of arbitral awards – Status, issues and solutions
The major regulatory framework on arbitration proceedings in Vietnam includes the Law on Commercial Arbitration No. 54/2010/QH12, which took effect on 1 January 2011 (“Arbitration Law”) and replaced the Ordinance on Commercial Arbitration (“Arbitration Ordinance”) in 2003; Decree No. 63/2011/ND-CP of the Government on detailing the implementation of certain regulations in the Arbitration Law (“Decree No. 63/2011”) and Resolution No. 01/2014/NQ-HDTP by the Vietnamese Supreme Court guiding the implementation of a number of regulations in the Arbitration Law (“Resolution No. 01”).
Vietnam also ratified the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards of 1958 in September 1995 and the provisions of the New York Convention have been incorporated into the arbitration laws in Vietnam.
The above shows that Vietnam has made great attempts in building a legal framework for arbitration which played an important role in attracting foreign investment over the recent years. However, statistics from Vietnam International Arbitration Centre show that almost 50% (19 out of 44) of its awards submitted for recognition and enforcement were set aside. This is a disaster as this number is far below the statistics in other countries (for example, Japan – 100%; China and Hong Kong – 90% of arbitral awards are recognized and enforced).
The reason behind it lies in the judges’ misunderstanding of fundamental principles of arbitration, which is based on a contractual agreement between parties to submit their disagreement to a dispute settlement forum, where they await a simplified and expedited procedure. However, the judges seem to complicate it and apply very strict standards to arbitration awards that are simply unnecessary and inappropriate. The judges even re-consider the merit of the case despite it being heard by arbitrators’ expertise in relevant fields and provide no chance of challenge. The main reasons for judges to annul arbitral awards could be summarized in two points as follows: (i) arbitration procedures failing to strictly follow procedures under the Civil Procedure Code; and (ii) the arbitral awards in certain aspects violating fundamental principles of Vietnamese law.
Arbitration procedures failing to strictly follow procedures under the Civil Procedure Code
It should be noted that when parties to the dispute agree to submit their case to arbitration by a contractual agreement, they already opt to select a much more simplified and tailor-made procedures than court litigation. They stipulate the rules of arbitration to be applied. The principle that, dispute resolution by arbitration is a contractually agreed process and does not involve timely and costly procedural rules as litigation does, is widely recognized in every arbitration organization in the world. Claiming that arbitration procedures do not follow procedures under the Vietnam’s Civil Procedure Code is a baseless, unreasonable argument and goes against the main spirit of arbitration process.
The arbitral awards in certain aspects violating fundamental principles of Vietnamese law
“Fundamental principles of Vietnamese law” is a very vague and ambiguous concept that is nowhere defined in Vietnamese law. Further, there is also no consistent standard of “fundamental principles” so the Vietnamese judges take certain discretion in assessing the compliance of arbitral awards with Vietnamese fundamental principles. They take the view that anything that is not compliant with Vietnamese administrative procedures would be considered violating “fundamental principles”. Due to the inaccessibility to the court’s decisions by the public, it is nearly impossible to establish a well-founded jurisprudence of what “fundamental principles” are. It is also create unpredictability in the court decision in recognizing and enforcing arbitral awards.
All of the above somehow discourages foreign investors from having their disputes resolved in judicial system of Vietnam. With an attempt to addressing this problems, certain measures are strongly requested to take by the Government.
How to protect the parties from the request for setting aside an arbitral award
Recently, with the issuance of Resolution No. 01, the Council of Judges gave a signal to support the enforcement of domestic arbitral awards in Vietnam as well as the development of arbitration proceedings. Resolution No. 01 provides more criteria and grounds for handling a request for annulment and especially, the cases when an arbitral award is set aside are more clearly defined. However, there should also be a special mechanism to appeal to judicial decisions that annul arbitral awards on an unreasonable and wrongful basis.
In order to do that, the Government should first task a special body to review all the cases that have been set aside. The content of the case as well as the court’s decision must be made public for transparency purposes and this could be considered as a supervising tool of the public on the court and review process.
2. New Investment Law and Enterprise Law – standing issues
Under the old Investment Law, the Investment Registration Certificate (“IRC”) concurrently serves as the Enterprise Registration Certificate (“ERC”) of a foreign-invested company. However, under the new Investment Law which takes effect from 01 July 2015, enterprises need to apply for two separate certificates with different application dossiers. Though the timeline and procedures seem to be quicker and clearer, investors are still concerned about the reason behind the separate applications, especially in the context of administrative reforms conducted by the Government.
The new Investment Law shortens the period for charter capital contribution from 03 (three) years to (90) ninety days. In connection with the existence of two separate certificates, investors are concerned about the delay it may cause when applying for an increase in the charter capital. (Note: Charter capital is an amount contributed by the investor to establish a legal entity). Such delay could result in slow disbursement of the additional capital, which in turn affect business operations of enterprises. Thus, the Government needs to take further measures to prevent such delay.
With regards to conditional sectors, the number has been reduced much compared with the old laws and from several workshops on this topic, conditional sectors will only be promulgated by the Government and the National Assembly. However, in terms of conditions applicable to doing business in conditional sectors and any inconsistency, it is unclear which law will prevail (the Investment Law itself or its implementing decrees, ordinances, etc.).
3. Draft Circular on import of used equipment – New trade restrictive measures?
Draft Circular No. 20/2014/TT-BKHCN is to take effect on July 01, 2015 to encourage imports of new machinery, equipment and production lines that are manufactured with the latest technology. This Draft Circular is aimed to prevent Vietnam from being a “dumping ground” of old technology and scrap machinery in place of China when this country adopted a regulation prohibiting imports of used machinery and equipment.
Despite the good intention of the Draft Circular, it somehow introduces new trade restrictive measures that could be considered as violation of Vietnam’s international treaties and agreements. In particular, the Draft Circular conditions the imports of used machinery and equipment on its usage period of 10 years and remaining quality of 80%. While it is hard to evaluate the quality of technology and production lines due to available information of the products, it is even harder and impractical to apply these standards across all types of technology and production lines. Furthermore, the Draft Circular also requires the imported goods be in conformity with safety, energy saving and environment protection and be inspected before being imported and customs released. This may significantly delay the customs clearance process and create more burden for enterprises, which go contrary to the objectives mentioned in Resolution No. 19 of the Prime Minister in 2015. A question of consistency with the WTO Agreement on Pre-shipment Inspection and WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade arises in relation with the required standards and pre-shipment requirement as well.
4. Tax administration
Vietnam currently ranks 78 out of 189 countries in terms of ease of doing business according to 2015 World Bank Report. This low ranking is mainly due to tax problems such as requiring importers to pay VAT twice on the same import transaction, delay in tax complaints resolution, etc.
It is notable that business complaints do not mostly relate to high total tax over net profit of 40% but the compliance cost and time, lack of predictability, simplicity and transparency in the tax system.
The Government should take immediate actions to improve the tax administration for a better growth in Vietnam’s economy.
5. Privatization of state-owned enterprises – the problem for every solution…
State-owned enterprises have long played an important role in Vietnam’s economy. These enterprises have operated in an inefficient manner compared with private companies, many enterprises operating at loss for several years. Therefore, the Government has conducted several rounds of state-owned enterprises reform. However, setting aside the ambitious target of 289 state-owned enterprises to be privatized in 2015, the privatization process has been very slow and only by name. Only 5%- 20% of the shares are offered for sale, which is too low to attract foreign investors. They will be reluctant to invest in these enterprises as long as they have no chance to gain decision-making power by purchase of shares. The Government must then show stronger effort and commitment in reforming state-owned enterprises to attract more foreign investment in the process.

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Please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Oliver Massmann under omassmann@duanemorris.com if you have any questions on the above. Oliver Massmann is the General Director of Duane Morris Vietnam LLC.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN DOING BUSINESS IN VIETNAM PLEASE VISIT: www.vietnamlaws.xyz
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

July 17, 2015July 17, 2015 by Dr. Oliver Massmann

Stock Market in Vietnam – Better Corporate Governance but more Flexibility – Mission Impossible for Real Privatization ?

Recently the State Securities Commission (“SSC”) has been advanced in supporting investors. Nevertheless there are still certain factors that go beyond the SSC’s control, leading to a step backwards of the stock market in Vietnam. Compared with other ASEAN countries, the stock market capitalization in Vietnam is quite small in terms of its ratio to the GDP (only 25% while in Singapore and Thailand, this number is 112% and 135% respectively).
With that current status, the stock market is almost unable to support the “privatization process” of US$25 billion worth state-owned enterprises in the next three years. If the Government only offers to sell 15% of the shares, the market will then already need US$3.75 billion. Thus, it is necessary to open up the stock market to foreign investors rather than depending only on capital locally mobilized. Certain suggestions are discussed below.
Privatization and listing of privatized state-owned enterprises (“SOEs”)
The Government is recommended to take the following actions:
• Making a list of enterprises to be privatized available to the public, including information on names of SOEs, privatization timeline and price offer to the public, etc.;
• Selling a significant number of shares to foreign investors, minimum 25-30% of the total shares but the more the better;
• Establishing rules on corporate governance and apply them to privatized SOEs; and
• Creating domestic pension funds.
More flexible rules on foreign ownership limits on public listed companies
Previously, for foreign ownership ratio in public listed companies, the same rules applied for all sectors and subsectors. Now, Decree No. 60/2014/ND-CP provides different foreign ownership ratio for each sector and subsector, in particular:
• Requirements on foreign ownership limits in international treaties to which Vietnam is a party will prevail;
• In case public listed companies do business in sectors, where foreign ownership is limited they are stipulated by the investment law and its related requirements;
• In case public listed companies do business in conditional sectors or subsectors applicable for foreign investors but there is not yet a specific requirement on foreign ownership limit, such limit would be 49%;
• In case public listed companies do business in different sectors or subsectors with different requirements on foreign ownership limits, the applicable foreign ownership limit will not exceed the lowest foreign ownership limit required for sectors or subsectors that the company does business in, except otherwise stipulated by the international treaties;
• There would be no limit on foreign ownership ratio for other public listed companies, except otherwise stipulated by the company’s charter.
Decree No. 60/2014/ND-CP is expected to have a positive impact on the development of the securities market by attracting more foreign investment in the market and expedite the current privatization process.
Creation of pension funds
The Government’s efforts to establish the pension funds by considering the approval of the Draft Decree is highly appreciated. With the pension funds establishment, less pressure will be placed on the current Social Security Fund and the funds will also provide an advanced security platform to ensure benefits for the employees. Members of the pension funds will get more benefits as there is no limitation on contribution to those funds.
Coordination between stock exchanges and the Vietnam Securities Depository to announce the first trading date for bonus shares
The investors are currently having difficulties in obtaining information on the first trading date for the bonus shares they receive. They have to rely on the translation or the information provided by custodian banks, which are not members of the stock exchanges. These custodian banks have to access the stock exchanges’ websites daily to timely unblock the new stocks of their clients, getting the investors prepared for the trading of their bonus stocks as soon as possible in the morning of the first trading date. It is then recommended that there be a coordination mechanism between the stock exchanges and the Vietnam Securities Depository to ensure that all investors have equal access to information on the payment date of the bonus shares/ stock dividend.
Rules on corporate governance
There is an increasing number of foreign investors participating in the Vietnam’s stock market. Thus, the SSC is encouraging public companies to publish their information in English on their websites. However, basic documents of the companies which investors usually use to track and supervise the activities of companies, such as the minutes of the General Meeting of Shareholder, are not required to be published in English. It is therefore recommended to apply this requirement to companies with charter capital of VND 100 billion for sound corporate governance purposes.
In addition, it is recommended that meeting materials, meeting agenda be sent to shareholders together with the meeting invitations for annual or extraordinary shareholder meetings at least 15 working days before the official meeting commencement date as required by Circular No. 52/2012/TT-BTC on information disclosure in securities market. Strict compliance with this requirement is necessary for investors, especially for foreign investors to get themselves ready for the meeting (for example, arranging translation of documents, authorization of their proxy, etc.).

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Please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Oliver Massmann under omassmann@duanemorris.com if you have any questions on the above.

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN DOING BUSINESS IN VIETNAM PLEASE VISIT: www.vietnamlaws.xyz

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

July 16, 2015July 16, 2015 by Dr. Oliver Massmann

Vietnam – Banking – Solutions for Liquidity and Non-performing Loans

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) is in the verge of creating a better administered and transparent banking system. To become an international attractive financial market, the SBV needs to implement the planed Circulars and adopt international financial standards as described below.
Foreign exchange governance
The Foreign Exchange Ordinance is revised by Article 1.4, Ordinance No. 06/2013/PL-UBTVQH13 which specifies that enterprises with foreign direct investment and foreign investors shall set up a direct capital account in an eligible credit institution, and all transactions regarding equity financing and capital earnings shall be made through this account. The SBV implemented Circular 19 to guide the Ordinance and clarified that foreign invested companies and foreign investment projects have to comply with all relevant national regulations, i.e. Investment Law, Enterprise Law, Personal income-tax Law, Corporate income-tax Law.
It is recommended that SBV includes and provides guidance on the transfer in foreign currency since it is only allowed to take US$ 5,000 abroad and the transfer of funds in foreign currencies is restricted.
Possible additional banking products by the SBV
The draft Circular which is replacing Decision 1627 is not specific enough on debt restructure lending. Credit institutions and branches of foreign banks have adopted a various number of procedures to restructure loans without altering their nature or mask bad debts, for example, by using mid-term or long-term loans to restructure a short-term loan or lending in foreign currency to restructure a VND loan. Allowing such restructuring measures would help the borrower to stabilize their business, financially recover and be able to repay the loan.
Licensing
The Government is recommended to allow banks to carry out activities in both domestic and international markets in order to provide their clients with necessary information and service while doing business in Vietnam and overseas. This is to ensure their liquidity and more importantly, there should not be any limitation on basic foreign exchange activities.
Furthermore there is a need to update general banking licenses. All applications for re-issuance of the eligible certificate are put on hold and this could raise certain legal risks to banks.
Even if Article 89.1 of the Law on Credit Institutions requests branches of foreign banks have a written approval for the time being, the approval procedures are pending at the Licensing Department because there is no guideline on how to approve the organizational structure of branches of foreign banks.
The SBV is recommended to push the process and allow branches of foreign banks to implement their structure without its approval during the interim period.

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Please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Oliver Massmann under omassmann@duanemorris.com if you have any questions on the above.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN DOING BUSINESS IN VIETNAM PLEASE VISIT: www.vietnamlaws.xyz
THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

July 14, 2015July 14, 2015 by Dr. Oliver Massmann

FIRST EVER Double Taxation Agreement signed between Vietnam and the United States of America

On 07th July 2015, the United States and Vietnam signed an income tax treaty with Vietnam, the first ever between the two countries. The Double Taxation Agreement applies to personal income tax and enterprise income tax in the case of Vietnam.
What is a permanent establishment?
Under the Double Taxation Agreement, a company is considered to have a permanent establishment if its business is wholly or partly carried out through a fixed place.
Permanent establishment does not include the following: (1) the use of facilities solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise; (2) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of storage, display or delivery; (3) the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of processing by another enterprise; (4) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of purchasing goods or merchandise, or of collecting information for the enterprise; (5) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of carrying on, for the enterprise, any other activity of a preparatory or auxiliary character; and (6) the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for any combination of the activities mentioned in subparagraphs (1) through (5), provided that the overall activity of the fixed place of business resulting from this combination is of a preparatory or auxiliary character.
A broker, general commission agent or any other agent of an independent status will not be considered as a permanent establishment of an enterprise of the United States or Vietnam merely because such enterprise carries on business in that other contracting country through these persons. However, where a person other than an agent of an independent status is acting in a contracting state on behalf of an enterprise of the other contracting state and habitually exercises in that contracting state an authority to conclude contracts in the name of the enterprise, that enterprise would be considered to have a permanent establishment in the first-mentioned contracting state.
The fact that a company that is a resident of a contracting state controls or is controlled by a company that is a resident of the other contracting state, or that carries on business in that other contracting state (whether through a permanent establishment or otherwise), does not of itself constitute either company a permanent establishment of the other.
Enterprise income tax
The enterprise is subject to taxation in Vietnam if it derives certain income as defined by the Double Taxation Agreement in Vietnam, however, only to the extent that such profits are attributable to the permanent establishment. Executive and general administrative expenses so incurred, whether in the contracting state in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere, or other deductible expenses, are taken into the determination of the profits of a permanent establishment for tax purposes.
Personal income tax
The Agreement applies to persons who are residents of one or both of the contracting states. The applicability of the Agreement does not depend on the nationality. The term “person” means an individual or corporate body.
Article 14, paragraph 1 stipulates that “Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of professional services or other activities of an independent character shall be taxable only in that state unless he has a fixed base regularly available to him in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing of his activities or his stay in the Contracting State is for a period or periods amounting to or exceeding in the aggregate 183 days within any twelve-month period commencing or ending in the taxable year concerned.” The income may be taxed in the other country to the extent that it is attributable to the fixed base.
Income from salaried work derived by a resident of a contracting country should be taxable in that country unless the employment is exercised in the other country (Article 15, paragraph 1). Notwithstanding of this, “remuneration derived by a resident of the Contracting State in respect of an employment exercised in the other Contracting State shall be taxable only in the first-mentioned State, if the recipient is present in the other State for a period or periods not exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in the calendar year concerned, and the remuneration is paid by, or on behalf of, an employer who is not a resident of the other State and the remuneration is not borne by a permanent establishment or a fixed base which the employer has in the other State.” (Article 15, paragraph 2).
Methods for eliminating double taxation
Where a resident of a contracting state generates profits, income, or gains which under the law of the other contracting state and in accordance with the Double Taxation Agreement, the former will allow a credit against its tax on the income, profits or gains an amount equal to the tax paid to the later. It is possible to get the credit for already paid income tax on dividends by the contracting state if a company in one contracting state owns at least ten percent of the voting stock of the company which is a resident of the other contracting state.
Special regulations apply to, among others, entertainers and sportsmen, pensions, social security, annuities, alimony and child support, students and apprentices.
Automatic protection under the Agreement?
Residents of Vietnam and the United States wishing to be protected under the Agreement need to file an application to relevant tax authority. Please do not hesitate to contact us so that we can advise you on how to apply for such protection according to Vietnam laws.
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Please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Oliver Massmann under omassmann@duanemorris.com if you have any questions or want to know more details on the above. Oliver Massmann is the General Director of Duane Morris Vietnam LLC.

INTERESTED IN DOING BUSINESS IN VIETNAM? VISIT: www.vietnamlaws.xyz;

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

July 6, 2015July 6, 2015 by Dr. Oliver Massmann

Question on doing business in Vietnam!

Interview by Vietnam Financial Times
Oliver Massmann

Question 1: What do you think about the reform in tax and customs of Vietnam so far? For the German enterprises in Vietnam, how do these policies affect them?

We have also seen much progress in reforming Vietnam’s tax procedures over recent years. Up to 01 January 2015, the total time for tax compliance is reduced to 370 hours per year, which is an impressive decrease compared with 872 hours annually according to the 2013 statistics. Time for tax declaration and payment is also reduced to 121.5 hours per year, with possibility of online tax declaration and payment. Although German enterprises highly appreciate these tax reforms, we would expect that the efforts are not only at Government or ministerial levels but also at the local levels where we have to deal with the authorities there directly.

Question 2: How do the German enterprises in Vietnam look at the VN’s business environment? In the future, what should VN adjust to attract more German enterprises?

Vietnam is also extremely successful in international economic integration, especially by joining the negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (“TPP”), the European – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (“EVFTA”), Korea – ASEAN Free Trade Agreement, Japan – ASEAN Economic Partnership Agreement, and establishment of the customs union Russia- Kazakhstan-Belarus, and notably the ASEAN Economic Community by end of this year. Vietnam is expected to be the main beneficiary of the major trade pacts, with additional growth of 13.6% (for the TPP) and 15% growth of GDP (for the EVFTA). With such deep integration into the multilateral and regional economy, Vietnam is expected to be an attractive investment environment for investors and witness a significant growth in the upcoming years.

Moreover, with the adoption of the 2014 Investment Law and Enterprise Law, the investment environment in Vietnam now even becomes more attractive to foreign investors, especially to German investors. Nevertheless, there are still certain outstanding issues that should be further addressed to attract foreign investors in general and German enterprises in particular. These problems include annulment and unenforceability of arbitral awards in Vietnam, certain trade restrictive measures in the field of import and export, burdens created for enterprise in tax administration by state authority, and especially corrosive and widespread corruption in Vietnam. These problems require Government’s stronger efforts and urgent actions to solve, in addition to several current attempts which we really appreciate.

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Please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Oliver Massmann under omassmann@duanemorris.com if you have any questions or want to know more details on the above. Oliver Massmann is the General Director of Duane Morris Vietnam LLC.

INTERESTED IN DOING BUSINESS IN VIETNAM? VISIT: www.vietnamlaws.xyz

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

July 1, 2015 by Dr. Oliver Massmann

More room for foreign investors in Vietnam’s securities market

On 26 June 2015, the Government issued Decree No. 60/2015/ND-CP to amend and supplement certain provisions of Decree No. 58/2012/ND-CP on detailing and guiding the implementation of certain provisions of the Law on Securities and the Law on amending and supplementing certain provisions of the Law on Securities (“Decree 60”).
More flexible foreign ownership ratio in public listed companies
Previously, foreign ownership ratio in public listed companies is the same for all sectors and subsectors. Decree 60 now provides different foreign ownership ratio for each sector and subsector, in particular:
– Requirements on foreign ownership limits in international treaties to which Vietnam is a party will prevail;
– In case public listed companies do business in sectors, subsectors where foreign ownership limits are stipulated by the investment law and its related requirements, such limits will apply;
– In case public listed companies do business in conditional sectors or subsectors applicable for foreign investors but there is not yet a specific requirement on foreign ownership limit, such limit would be 49%;
– In case public listed companies do business in different sectors or subsectors with different requirements on foreign ownership limits, the applicable foreign ownership limit will not exceed the lowest foreign ownership limit required for sectors or subsectors that the company does business in, except otherwise stipulated by the international treaties;
– There would be no limit on foreign ownership ratio for other public listed companies, except otherwise stipulated by the company’s charter.
Decree 60 is thus expected to have a positive impact on the development of the securities market by attracting more foreign investment in the market and expedite the current equitization process.
Unlimited foreign investment in Government bond
Decree 60 allows foreign investors to make unlimited investment in Government bonds, bonds guaranteed by the Government, bonds of the provincial authority or enterprises.
Foreign investors may also invest in securities investment fund certificates, shares of securities investment companies, non-voting shares of public listed companies, derivative securities, and depository receipts without limit.
New delisting requirements
If the listing company does not meet the listing requirements after its offer for sale, issues 50% or over of its existing shares in exchange for shares or contribution part in another company, the securities delisting is compulsory.
The company may also voluntarily delist their securities with the condition that there is approval of at least 51% of the voting shares of all shareholders (not including major shareholders) instead of 50% in the previous requirement. The delisting can only be conducted after at least two years from the listing date on the stock exchange.

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Please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Oliver Massmann under omassmann@duanemorris.com if you have any questions or want to know more details on the above. Oliver Massmann is the General Director of Duane Morris Vietnam LLC.

INTERESTED IN DOING BUSINESS IN VIETNAM? VISIT: www.vietnamlaws.xyz

THANK YOU VERY MUCH

May 12, 2015 by Dr. Oliver Massmann

Contract Manufacturing And Tolling Agreements

I. VAT and Customs
In many cases, the principal in the contract manufacturing relationship owns some or all of the raw materials, work-in-process and finished goods throughout the manufacturing process. The principal and many of the suppliers are typically outside of the manufacturing jurisdiction.

1. Generally Speaking, What Are The VAT, Customs And Related Costs (e.g. Broker Fees) That Arise When A Foreign Principal Has Goods Dropped Shipped Into Your Jurisdiction To The Local Contract Manufacturer? In Particular, Is There Any Non-recoverable VAT? If So, Are There Strategies For Avoiding Or Reducing This VAT Cost? With Respect To Customs, Please Provide The Range For The Customs Rates That May Apply. Also Are There Any Planning Techniques That Taxpayers Typically Employ To Reduce Customs Costs? Please Address The Same Issues In Connection With The Export Of The Finished Goods Outside Of The Country.

Most regulations on the Vietnamese VAT regime are included in the Law on Value Added Tax No. 13/2008/QH12 of the National Assembly, as amended by Law No. 71/2014/QH13.

Due to Article 7.3 of the Law on Tax Management, importers are obliged to pay tax in full and in a timely manner, including the VAT.

This norm includes the concept of drop shipping, which means an arrangement between a seller and the manufacturer or distributor of a product that shall be sold. According to the arrangement the product will be shipped to the buyer directly by the manufacturer or distributor and not by the seller. This definition can be understood as an alternative form of import. The law does not make any differences on the way that goods are delivered. Therefore drop shipping is not subject to tax exemptions or reductions.

It should be noted that no VAT is raised for goods in transit or transshipment or crossing Vietnamese borders as well as goods temporarily imported and re-exported and goods temporarily exported and re-imported. There are no further special regulations for drop shipping supplies.

2. In Many Cases The Principal Supplies Equipment That The Local Contract Manufacturer Uses In The Manufacturing Process. This Equipment May Remain In The Local Jurisdiction For A Substantial Period Of Time. Any Addition VAT Or Customs Issues That Are Unique To The Capital Equipment That The Principal May Import?

Capital equipment is not subject to the catalogue of VAT exemptions. According to the Law on Value Added Tax the following objects are exceptionally not subject to VAT: “Machinery, equipment and supplies which cannot be manufactured domestically and need to be imported for direct use in scientific research and technological development activities; machinery, equipment, spare parts, special-purpose means of transport and supplies which cannot be manufactured domestically and need to be imported for prospecting, exploring and developing oil and gas fields; aircraft, drilling platforms and ships which cannot be manufactured domestically and need to be imported for the formation of enterprises fixed assets or which are hired from foreign parties for production and business activities or for lease.”

3. Have There Been Any Recent Developments That Impact The VAT, Customs And Related Costs Applicable To Such Structures?

On 25 March 2015, the Ministry of Finance issued Circular No. 38/2015/TT-BTC, according to which machinery and equipment suitable for investment field, target, and scale of the investment project, satisfying other certain conditions, imported as fixed assets of investment projects in the fields or areas eligible for preferential import tax are exempted from taxes.

4. To The Extent That There Are Significant VAT Or Customs Issues That Arise If The Factory Imports And Owns The Raw Materials And Work-In-Process That Are Contract Manufacturing Specific, Please Let Us Know.

Raw materials and supplies imported for production of goods for export shall be subject to import duties and VAT and shall be entitled to refund of import duties and VAT corresponding to the ratio of exported goods on the basis of the levels of use of raw materials and supplies [Article 114, Circular No. 38/2015/TT-BTC in respect of raw materials and other supplies for production of goods for export].

According to Point c.5) of Circular No. 38/2015/TT-BTC dated 25 March 2015, enterprises that import raw materials for productions [“importing enterprise”] and then sell their products to another enterprise to directly produce or process products for exports [“exporting enterprise”], after the actual export by the exporting enterprise the importing enterprise is entitled to request for refund of import duty tax equivalent with the materials that the exporting enterprise already used.

5. Are There Any Additional Issues Taxpayers Should Be Aware Of In Connection With Locally Procured Raw Materials And/ Or Finished Goods That Are Sold In The Local Market?

Circular No. 128/2013/TT-BTC on guiding imported goods export, import, processing, liquidation and consuming products of foreign invested enterprises dated 10 September 2013 stipulates that:

– In the case of the sale of domestic goods to an export processing enterprise, the seller shall be exempt from export duties.

– In the case of the purchase by an export processing enterprise of domestic goods for export (without conducting any production activity), the export processing enterprise must pay export duties.

– In the case of the purchase by an export processing enterprise of domestic goods for the production of goods for export, the export processing enterprise shall be exempt from export duties upon export.

II. Permanent Establishment

1. As Noted Above, The Principal May Own Raw Materials, Work-In-Process And Finished Goods In The Local Jurisdiction. Is There Any Significant Risk That The Principal Could Have A Local PE Due To The Fact That It Has Such Inventory In The Country? Does It Matter Whether The Principal Has A Local Warehouse?

In Vietnam companies overseas conducting business activities through resident establishments in Vietnam are liable to pay corporate income tax.

According to the definition in Article 2.3 of the Law on Corporate Income Tax, Resident establishment means a business establishment through which a company overseas conducts all or a part of its business activities in Vietnam which earn income. A resident establishment of a company overseas can take different forms that are listed as well in the Law on Corporate Income Tax.

This list includes a representative in Vietnam in a case where it has authority to enter into contracts in the name of a company overseas or a representative which is not competent to enter into contracts in the name of a foreign company but regularly delivers goods or provides services in Vietnam.

This very broad reference might also include principals with assets as named above. These elements are not likely to form the risk of a permanent establishment in Vietnam but the authorities decide about permanent establishments on a case by case basis.

Where a treaty on avoidance of double taxation to which the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is a signatory contains different provisions relating to resident establishments, such treaty shall prevail.

2. Does The Answer Change If The Principal Also Owns Capital Equipment That It Has Provided To The Local Contract Manufacturer?

Also the ownership of capital by the principal does not necessarily bear the risk of a permanent establishment.

3. In Many Cases The Local Contract Manufacturer Purchases The Raw Materials (Either In Its Own Name Or As A Purchasing Agent Acting On Behalf Of The Principal) Because It Knows The Production Schedule Better Than The Principal. In Addition, In Some Cases The Contract Manufacturer May Have More Leverage With The Suppliers. Please Address Any Additional PE Issues That May Arise If The Contract Manufacturer Also Acts As A Purchasing Agent On Behalf Of The Principal.

The Law on Corporate Income Tax provides that the business conducted by a company overseas can be regarded as a resident establishment if the company has an agent that has authority to enter into contracts in the name of the company overseas. Given this the situation above might likely rise a PE.

4. In Certain Cases, The Principal Will Have Its Own Employees Or Agents In The Factory To Supervise The Contract Manufacturer, Provide Quality Assurance And Sometimes Technical Information. To What Extent Would Independent Or Dependent Agents (That Do Not Have Contract Concluding Authority) Providing Such Services, Combined With The Other Facts Set Forth Above, Result In A PE For The Principal. To The Extent That Actual Employees Or Staff May Result In A PE, Can The Principal Avoid The PE By Forming A Local Subsidiary To Employee The Staff? If So, Can The Subsidiary Be Compensated On A Cost Plus Basis?

Article 1.4.b of Decree No. 24/2007/ND-CP (as amended and partially superseded by Decree No. 218/2013/ND-CP and Decree No. 12/2015/ND-CP) (“Decree No. 24/2007/ND-CP”) stipulates that a business is considered as resident establishment if it takes the form of a “location of supervisory activities for construction, construction works, or installation and assembly works.

If the principal wants to be safe regarding the avoidance of a PE, he might establish a Representative Office [“RO”] to perform the tasks named above. This is possible as long as the RO is not doing business. Article 13.1.c of Decree 45 on Representative Offices allows to “monitor and activate the implementation of signed contracts of the foreign business entity or foreign tourism enterprise for which it acts as a representative.” This covers the activities named above.

According to Article 37 of the Commercial Law and Article 5 of Decree 45 any foreign business entity or foreign tourism enterprise which has lawful business registration in accordance with the law of the foreign country and has operated for at least 05 (five) years shall be issued with a license to establish a representative office in Vietnam.

5. To What Extent Do The Answers To These PE Questions Change If The Factory’s Sole Activity Is Acting As A Contract Manufacturer For A Single Principal.

This constellation is not directly addressed in Vietnamese Laws. Contract manufacturing for only one single principal might give rise to a PE if tax authorities interpret the business activities of the overseas company according to Article 1.4.b of Decree No. 24/2007/ND-CP [pls. see above under point II.4] as a form of “installation and assembly works”.

6. Assume An Extreme Set Of Facts Where In Addition To The Factors Set Forth Above The Principal Has A High Degree Of Control Over The Operations In The Factory. Assume For Instance That The Principal Hires The Employees And Its Employees In The Factory Have The Power To Stop Production To Correct Problems. At What Point Does The Principal’s Control Over The Factory Activity Give Rise To A PE?

We refer to point II.5 above. These business activities will be even more likely be considered as PE.

7. To The Extent That A PE May Arise In Any Of The General Fact Patters Described Above, Comment On Whether Additional Income Would Be Attributable To The PE. Can The Principal Argue That It Has Paid An Arm’s Length Gee Such That There Is No Additional Income That Such Be Taxed In The Jurisdiction? If So, What Transfer Pricing Methodologies Would Typically Be Used To Determine The Amount Of Income Attributable To The PE?

If there are no special rules in tax agreements, the principal can calculate on an arm’s length’s basis.

The Ministry of Finance has released a Circular on Transfer Pricing which requires companies to make a full self-assessment of their profits, calculated on an arm’s length’s basis. According to this circular, companies will be required to declare the related party transactions in a prescribed for and submit it within 90 days from the year end. Furthermore, the Circular provides an obligation for companies to maintain transfer pricing documentation to set out the evidence that they have taken place on arm’s length’s terms.

If companies fail to comply with these terms they risk double taxation and penalties.

III. Local Incentives

In many of your jurisdictions, the government grants tax incentives or holiday for taxpayers that invest in the local economy and manufacture within the country. In many contract manufacturing structures, however, the contract manufacturer receives a cost plus return, and the contract manufacturer generally does not own intangibles.

1. Is The Taxpayer’s Ability To Obtain A Tax Incentive Or Holiday Diminished By Operating Under A Risk-Stripped Structure Where The Local Entity Receives Cost Plus Remuneration?

Exemptions from and reductions of Corporate Income Tax are based on Chapter V of Decree No. 24/2007/ND-CP on Corporate Income Tax.

Tax incentives are provided in cases of encouraged investments. This term covers enterprises located in special export processing zones, enterprises that export a certain percentage of the manufactured goods or enterprises with a certain number of Vietnamese employees or laborers.

The contract manufacturer may carry forward their losses of a financial year to offset against future profits for a maximum of 5 years after the year incurring loss. The enterprise can freely choose how to allocate the loss to the later 5 years. When the 5 years period has lapsed but the loss has not been fully carried forward, the loss is not allowed to be carried forward to the next year.

2. Is The Taxpayer’s Ability To Obtain A Tax Incentive Diminished By The Lack Of Locally Owned Intangible Property?

This case is not addressed by the Vietnamese tax law.

3. Are There Any Other Aspects In Contract Manufacturing Structures That May Impact A Taxpayer’s Ability To Obtain A Tax Incentive Or Holiday?

Chapter V of Decree No. 24/2007/ND-CP provides detailed regulations on all CIT incentives.

Investment projects in certain industries and sectors listed in an appendix to the Investment Law shall be entitled to incentives as well as projects employing average numbers of employees, that are defined in Article 41.

According to the project type and the region of its location the tax rate can be 10, 15, 20 or 50 per cent.

IV. Conversion And Transfer Pricing Issues

In many cases, U.S. and European multinationals initially establish their local manufacturing operations in Asia as buy/sell entities because they have a local income tax holiday or exemption of some kind for a period of years. The local entity may even own intangibles and bear risk. When the local holiday or exemption ends (or the CFO decides the tax rate is too high), the parent may wish to convert the local entity into a contract manufacturer for a principal in a low-tax jurisdiction to reduce the income earned locally.

1. If There Are Locally Owned Product Intangibles, Is There A Capital Gains Tax On The Sale Of These Intangibles To A Foreign Owner And If So What Is The Rate? Assume The Local Contract Manufacturer Sells The Intangibles For Cash And Then Declares A Dividend Equal To The Amount Of The Sales Proceeds. Any Dividend Withholding Tax? If So, What Is The Rate? If There Is A Capital Gains Tax Or A Dividend Withholding Tax, in Addition To Discounted Cash Flow, What Other Valuation Approaches, If Any, Are Commonly Used? Are There Other Strategies For Reducing These Costs?

The taxation of the sale of intangibles is addressed in Article 32 of Decree No. 133/2008/ND-CP as amended by Decree No. 120/2014/ND-CP on technology transfer. This norm provides that the transferor has the obligation to pay tax on the amount of money generated from the technology transfer.

2. In Some Jurisdictions, The Local Authorities May Find That The Local Entity Owns Some Goodwill Or Going Concern Value As A Result Of Its Historic Operations. The Authorities May Assert Capital Gains Tax And Possibly Dividend Withholding Tax On Value Of The Goodwill Or Going Concern Value On The Theory That The New Principal Is Somehow Acquiring The Goodwill Or Going Concern Value In Connection With The Conversion. Is This An Issue In Your Jurisdiction? If So, What Planning Steps Can Be Taken To Minimize This Cost?

This issue is not relevant in Vietnam.

3. Assume The Local Entity That Historically Manufactured Goods On A Buy/Sell Basis Also Performs R&D And Marketing Activities. In Connection With The Conversion, Should These Activities Be Moved Into Separate Subsidiaries? If So, What Additional Issues Arise In Connection With This Conversion?

Please see point IV.2.

4. In Many Cases, The Local Contract Manufacturer Is A Wholly-Owned Subsidiary Of The Principal. In Such Cases, The Principal May Wish To Compensate The Contract Manufacturer On A Cost Plus Basis, With The Uplift Being A Percentage Of The Manufacturing Costs (And Not The Value Of The End Product). Is This Approach Viable In Your Jurisdiction and What Issues/Exposures Arise In Connection With The Use Of Cost Plus Transfer Pricing?

Transfer pricing rules in Vietnam require that the enterprise pays and Vietnam receives a reasonable rate of return on its activities as if the parties were unrelated [the arm’s length principle].

Vietnamese tax law does not provide special rules regarding cost plus transfer pricing. Please see point 2.7 for further information on the Circular on Transfer Pricing.

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Please do not hesitate to contact Oliver Massmann under omassmann@duanemorris.com if you have any questions or want to know more details on the above. Oliver Massmann is the General Director of Duane Morris Vietnam LLC.

INTERESTED IN DOING BUSINESS IN VIETNAM? VISIT: www.vietnamlaws.xyz

THANK YOU VERY MUCH

May 7, 2015May 7, 2015 by Dr. Oliver Massmann

Lawyer in Vietnam Oliver Massmann Biomass Power Plant Development – SMALL SCALE BIOMASS POWER PLANTS IN VIETNAM – HOW TO STRUCTURE IT RIGHT?

Vietnam’s economic dynamism over the past years has given rise to a swift increase inenergy demand. Electricity demand in the country has been growing in the double digits annually.Vietnam has experienced rapid economic growth since it made a shift from a highly centralised planned economy to a socialist-oriented market economy in the mid-80s. This also resulted in unprecedented growth in electricity demand, which has not been observed in any other regions or developing countries.Electricity demand in Vietnam is forecasted to increase by up to 14.2 pct. annually for the 2011-2015 period and 11.4 pct. for the 2016-2020 period, and the electricity demand is expected to increase 7 times to 800 billion Kwh in 2030.
In this context, the Vietnamese government identified the necessity that the available resources of renewable energies have to be exploited and expanded to meet such a big electricity demand. While hydroelectric energy, whose resource is abundant in Vietnam, shows certain potential risks, biomass energy could be a choice for development in Vietnam. This derives from Vietnam’s advantage of widespread agriculture. The capacity for sustainable power production from biomass amounts to just 150 million tons per annum, 700 – 780 MW for electricity generation alone can be reached.
Government’s policy with regards to renewable energies in general and biomass energy in particular
Vietnamese Government recognizes the importance of renewable energy in power development and reflects its objectives in the Master plan VII on energy development in Vietnam.The renewable energy is increasingly accounting for power sources (4.5% in 2020 and 6.0% in 2030 of the total power supply.The Master plan VII sets the renewable energy target rate at 5.6 pct. of total primary energy consumption by 2020 and 9.4 pct. by 2030. The Government’s target is to increasethe biomass power to 500 MW (0.6 pct. of electricity production) by 2020 and 2,000 MW (1.1 pct.) by 2030.
Further, on 24 March 2014, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 24/2014/QD-TTg to provide mechanism to support biomass power plants. In particular, this Decision offers the following incentives to off-grid biomass power plants:
• Investment capital:
o The investor can mobilize capital from organizations and individuals in and out of the country for investing in implementation of biomass power projects
o Biomass power projects are entitled to incentives in terms of investment credits in accordance with prevailing legal provisions on investment credit and export credit of the State.
• Import tax: Biomass power projects are exempt from import tax for goods imported to create fixed assets for the projects; imported goods are materials, supplies and semi-products which have not been locally produced and imported for serving production of projects in accordance with prevailing legal provisions on export tax and import tax.
• Corporate income tax: The exemption, reduction of corporate income tax for biomass power projects will be conducted inthe same way as for projects which are subject to investment incentives under laws on taxation.
• Land use: Biomass power projects and power line and substation works for connecting to the national power grid are entitled to exemption or reduction of land use or land rent fees.
For on-grid biomass power projects, Electricity of Vietnam (“EVN”) is to buy all of the plant’s biomass energy output at the current price of 1,220 VND/kWh (excluding VAT, about 5.8 UScent). This price will be adjusted according to the fluctuation of the VND/USD exchange rate.
Market access for foreign investor
Currently, there is no foreign ownership restriction in energy sector in Vietnam. The foreign investor may choose among permitted investment forms: 100% foreign invested company, joint venture or public private partnership (“PPP”) in the form of BOT contract.
Starting up a biomass power plant
In order to construct a biomass power plant, foreign investors first need to apply for an investment certificate. The application process is quite complicated and involves many state agencies, with certain unpredictable issues occurring. However, as the new Investment Law and Enterprise Law, which mainly regulate investment environment in Vietnam, takes effect from 01 July 2015, it is expected that it will be more time saving and less complicated for foreign investors in the licensing process.
Either before or after the investor is on board (but in each case before the construction), it is necessary to establish the project enterprise and to secure investment certificates issued by competent authorities. Then, the project enterprise has to conclude negotiations with regard to a wide range of important project contracts including the land lease contract and the power purchase agreement (PPA).
Under the PPA, EVN (in case of network-dependent network) – or in rare cases also other buyers – undertake to purchase energy from a project enterprise for a definite period and at a specified rate. The PPA is probably the most important agreement to be negotiated because it determines the future income from the project. It is crucial that, according to the PPA, the project enterprise cannot be burdened with a penalty if the power supply is affected by small amounts of biomass. In view of the fact that at the moment there is only one buyer (EVN) for network-dependent power projects, the negotiations may be sometimes unilateral. Moreover, the electricity producers have to consider that the consumers (according to the Electricity Law) have a statutorily regulated right to renegotiate the purchase price in the medium term. They have to take it into account in their project planning.
The land or real estate lease contract in Vietnam should be kept rather simple, though the aspects of land sale approval and compensatory payments may be fraught with difficulties. Usually, the duration of such contracts should correspond at least to the loan repayment plan and, in addition, a considerable period for profit generation after the repayment of the loan should be agreed (as a rule 25-30 years). Furthermore, it is important to make sure that the land use rights of the project enterprise can be provided for the lender as security and are transferable.
Small scale biomass power project in Vietnam – How to structure it right?
Considering the monopoly role of EVN as well as tough negotiation of the PPA, investors could still get out of this trouble. According to Article 1.2 of Circular No. 56/2014/TT-BCT promulgating methods to determine electricity generation price and examination steps of the PPA, the important requirement to negotiate with EVN is whether it is an on-grid or off-grid project. If it is an on-grid project with capacity of more than 30 MW or under 30 MW but voluntarily participating in the power market, the investor must negotiate with EVN. This indicates that if the project is off-grid, there will be no requirement to negotiate with EVN.
Moreover, in order to operate small scale biomass power project, the investor needs to obtain a power operation permit issued by the local People’s Committee or the local Department of Industry and Trade as authorized by the local People’s Committee.To get such permit, the operator has to negotiate (or sign in principle) a PPA with a buyer. In case the project is off-grid and renewable energy project (biomass), the operator can negotiate with a local distributor/buyer assigned by the local People’s Committee.

INTERESTED IN DOING BUSINESS IN VIETNAM? VISIT: www.vietnamlaws.xyz

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!