Vietnam

Intelligence for Better Decision Making

Vietnam Moves to Revise Land Conversion Fees Amid Rising Housing Costs
Dec. 9, 2025 | Governance & Law

Vietnam plans to revise its fee structure for converting agricultural land to residential use to address rising costs and streamline legalization.

**The draft decree would require households and individuals to pay 30 percent of the price difference between residential and agricultural land within a predetermined limit, 50 percent for any excess up to twice that limit, and 100 percent for conversions beyond twice the limit.**
This reduced rate would apply only to a household’s first conversion; subsequent requests would incur the full price difference.

**Under previous regulations, conversion fees already stood at 30 percent within the limit and 50 percent for amounts above it, aiming to facilitate affordable formalization of rural and suburban residential plots.**
The 2024 Land Law, however, eliminated these proportional reductions, obliging land users to pay the full price differential even when a dwelling had long existed on the site.

**Since the Land Law took effect, local authorities have recorded sharp increases in land prices, pushing land use fees to levels that many families find prohibitive.**
As a result, households face mounting barriers to legalizing residential land amid sustained housing demand. To address this social welfare challenge, the Ministry of Finance intends to submit the draft resolution for government approval in September 2025, with the preferential fee policy set to expire on February 28, 2027.

**Deputy Prime Minister Trần Hồng Hà has called for amendments that ensure fair and transparent fee regulations.**
He urged clear justifications for levies and reductions, a precise delineation of responsibilities between the State and enterprises in collecting fees, and measures to prevent wasteful land use during the regulatory transition.
Storms and Floods Trigger Emergency Water Release and Recovery Efforts in Vietnam
Dec. 9, 2025 | Food & Water

Severe storms and subsequent flooding in Vietnam have prompted large-scale water releases, widespread damage, and coordinated relief and recovery efforts.

**Tri An Hydropower Company announced on December 8 that it will release floodwater over its spillway for the third time this year in response to increased upstream inflow.**
With the reservoir’s inflow averaging 1,040 m³/s and projected to rise further over the next one to two days, the company will begin discharging water at 14:00 on December 8. This release will send 160 m³/s through the spillway and an additional 340–600 m³/s through power-generating turbines, producing a total downstream flow of 500–760 m³/s. Civil Defense Committees and local authorities have been notified, and downstream residents have been advised to take preventive measures. Tri An Reservoir, which covers 323 km² on the Đồng Nai River, is the largest hydropower reservoir in Southern Vietnam and also supports domestic water supply, agricultural irrigation, saltwater intrusion prevention, and flood control downstream.

**Residents of Nha Trang in Khánh Hòa Province endured four consecutive flood events over a 15-day period beginning November 18, with water levels exceeding historical records.**
Homes, businesses, and farms faced repeated inundation, placing significant physical and financial strain on families. One household reported major losses of property and merchandise after each surge, depleting its resources, while another resident suffered nearly 300 million VND in damage to equipment and crops. Stagnant floodwaters mixed with accumulated waste created unsanitary conditions, foul odors, and heightened public health concerns. The mid-November floods claimed 22 lives, damaged over 1,000 houses, and inflicted total economic losses estimated at more than 5,000 billion VND in Khánh Hòa Province.

**In response to these damages, the Khánh Hòa provincial government introduced targeted support measures: 60 million VND for fully collapsed homes, 30 million VND for partially damaged homes, 1 million VND per person for living expenses, and 500,000 VND per student for educational supplies.**
State aid has been complemented by social organizations and charities distributing food, clothing, and essential items to affected families.

**Financial relief efforts by the Vietnam Bank for Social Policies (VBSP) in Khánh Hòa and Gia Lai have followed Prime Minister’s Decision No 2553 (November 21, 2025) and Resolution No 380/NQ-CP.**
From October 1 to December 31, 2025, VBSP reduced interest rates by 2% for policy credit borrowers, benefiting over 195,000 customers with more than 252,000 loan accounts in Khánh Hòa. Officials identified 10,760 households with outstanding debts exceeding 368.4 billion VND as affected and processed new loan requests from over 14,400 households totaling around 720 billion VND for agricultural recovery. VBSP allocated 120 billion VND in priority funds and disbursed more than 100 billion VND to 1,650 customers. In Gia Lai, damage to acacia plantations led to interest rate reductions, coordinated damage assessments, and plans for further debt classification and new lending. VBSP transaction offices are prioritizing severely impacted areas, guiding borrowers on production restoration, and enforcing debt rescheduling and classification policies to alleviate financial pressure and facilitate recovery.

Monitored Intelligence for Vietnam - Dec. 10, 2025


News
Media
120

Government
Releases
12

City/State
Releases
0

Embassy
Releases
4
Foreign
Service
Advisories
0
Academic/
Think
Tank
0


Podcasts
0


Videos
0

Social
Media
0

Business
Releases
9

Erudite Risk takes an all risks approach to intelligence reporting. We categorize key intelligence into one of 40 different risk intelligence categories.

The goal is to provide intelligence that allows decision makers to avoid being blindsided by what they may have missed, while informing them to make better decisions as well.

Risk Categories Reported on Today

Risk Category
Items Reported On
Regulation
7
Crime
2
Critical Infrastructure Failure
1
Geopolitical Conflict and Disputes
5
Accidents
2
Political Scandal or Corruption
1
Extreme Weather Events
3
IP Protection
1
Corporate Corruption or Fraud
2
Pollution
1
Cyber Attacks and Data Loss
1
Natural Disasters
1
Supply Chain Issues
1
Terrorism
1

Erudite Risk also includes operations categories so you can monitor the environment for better decision making. Everything is tied together--what happens in risk affects operations and what happens in the market impacts risk profiles.

We categorize key intelligence into one of 30 different operations intelligence categories.

Different roles and functions within the organization can monitor different key issue areas. HR may monitor employment, wages, regulations, labor and management relations, etc., while P&L leaders may monitor overall developing trends.

Operations Categories Reported on Today

Operations Category
Items Reported On
Asset Price Change
5
Economic Growth
4
Trade Issues and Numbers
1
Real Estate
2
Employment
2
Taxes
2
Wages and Compensation
1
Politics and Elections
3
Budgets-Budgeting
1
Tech Development/Adoption
2
Demographics
1
Political Policy Resistance
2
Legal Exposure
1

Đề xuất công chức thuế được hỗ trợ thêm 100% lương

Proposal for tax officials to receive an additional 100% salary support

VN Express | Local Language | News | Dec. 10, 2025 | UndeterminedWages and Compensation

The draft Law on Tax Administration (amended) proposes two options for salary support for tax officials, pending Politburo agreement. If approved, tax administration civil servants would receive monthly support equal to 100% of their salary coefficient, excluding allowances. This support would be paid alongside their salary but would not count toward social insurance contributions or tax obligations. Without Politburo agreement, the Government would regulate supplementary income following approval by the competent authority.

The draft law aims to build a professional and ethical tax administration workforce with clear structures for positions, standards, salaries, and incentives. The goal is to ensure effective tax administration aligned with discipline, public service ethics, and taxpayer service spirit. The State commits to financing tax administration activities, emphasizing IT systems, digital transformation, electronic invoicing, and appropriate facilities and equipment to improve tax management efficiency.

The law outlines strict prohibitions against collusion, covering up tax evasion, leaking taxpayer information, distorting inspection results, harassment, and misuse of tax funds by tax officials. These rules aim to uphold integrity and transparency within tax administration. The National Assembly is expected to vote on the law on December 10, with implementation slated for July 1, 2026.

Chính phủ đề xuất gỡ vướng thuế VAT cho hàng nông, thủy sản

Government proposes removing VAT obstacles for agricultural and aquatic products

VN Express | Local Language | News | Dec. 10, 2025 | UndeterminedTaxes

On December 8, Minister of Finance Nguyễn Văn Thắng submitted a draft law to the National Assembly proposing amendments to the Law on Value Added Tax (VAT). The draft seeks to exempt agricultural products and primary-processed aquatic products from output VAT and VAT at the import stage. It also proposes that enterprises and cooperatives purchasing these products as inputs may be exempt from VAT. This proposal addresses concerns from industry associations about current VAT policies that create cash flow issues and increase costs.

Currently, businesses pay 5% input VAT on agricultural products at the commercial stage, which is then refunded for major exports such as pangasius, pepper, and coffee. However, this process ties up capital and wastes time, as credit institutions do not include VAT in working capital loans. For example, animal feed is non-taxable but these companies cannot deduct or be refunded input VAT, pushing up costs and reducing competitiveness compared to imports, which are not subject to VAT. The government submission highlighted that this policy results in discrimination against domestic producers.

The Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association estimated that companies paid about VND 5 trillion in 5% VAT in just the last six months. The Vietnam Food Association and the pepper and spice sectors also face substantial tax payments. Minister Nguyễn Văn Thắng emphasized that exempting VAT on these products would not reduce budget revenue, simplify tax procedures, and relieve enterprises from advancing tax payments, thus supporting exports.

The draft law also proposes removing VAT on crops, plantation forest products, livestock, and unprocessed aquatic products used for animal feed and medicinal herbs to alleviate production challenges exacerbated by natural disasters. The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Committee, Phan Văn Mãi, suggested allowing enterprises trading agricultural goods not to pay VAT while still retaining the ability to deduct it, pointing out issues of VAT refund fraud since 2013 and urging timely VAT refunds to ease cash flow pressures on exporters.

The National Assembly is scheduled to discuss the draft law on December 9 and vote on it by December 11, 2025.

Sau vụ cựu lãnh đạo bị khởi tố, Bamboo Capital dự định thua lỗ đến năm 2027

After Former Executive Indicted, Bamboo Capital Plans Losses Until 2027

Dantri | Local Language | News | Dec. 10, 2025 | Corporate Corruption or Fraud

Bamboo Capital Group (BCG) is undergoing significant restructuring after a challenging period marked by the indictment of its former leader, Mr. Nguyễn Hồ Nam, in March 2025. The company reported severe disruptions in transactions with financial institutions, investors, and customers throughout 2024 and early 2025, leading to substantial financial pressure and delays in project progress, capital mobilization, and debt recovery.

Management estimates a loss exceeding VND 7,530 billion on separate audited financial statements for 2024, and around VND 8,400 billion on consolidated audited statements, a stark contrast to the VND 845 billion after-tax profit previously reported on self-prepared statements. Bamboo Capital has not yet published its official audited financial results for 2024.

The company aims to recover in two phases through 2030, expecting to return to profitability by 2028. Established in 2011, Bamboo Capital operates in diverse sectors including renewable energy, real estate, infrastructure, manufacturing, financial services, and pharmaceuticals.

Following Mr. Nguyễn Hồ Nam’s indictment and his resignation in mid-2024, Bamboo Capital underwent leadership changes, replacing four chief executives and the board chairman in 2025. These personnel changes have disrupted operations, governance, and strategic continuity, causing project delays and blocking new initiatives and resource allocation.

Try the Daily Briefing for your country of choice for two weeks--free of charge and with no obligation.

Have a service or subscription question? We'd be happy to hear from you.

How can we help?
Full Name:
Email Address:
Type of Inquiry:
Country of Interest:

Contact us for a free trial of the Daily Briefing for your country of choice.


We currently cover:
South Korea
Japan
China
Taiwan
Vietnam
India

info@eruditerisk.com

The Daily Briefing is delivered Monday through Thursday via email.

Each day's reports include a combination of:

Takes
Takes are our deep dives into a topic of enduring interest or concern. Takes include copious references to all the media resources we gathered to build them.

Developments
Developments are key issues and incidents being heavily reported on in country. These are the centers of local thought gravity around which everything else revolves.

Risk Media
Summaries and analysis of the most important risk issues reported on in media, arranged by risk category. Learn about risk trends and issues while they are developing--before they blow up.

Ops Media
Summaries and analysis of the most important operational issues reported on in media, arranged by operations category. See what's changing in your market, and what's not.

Government Releases
Government press and data releases on key economic data, regulation, law, intiatives, incidents. Straight from the government's press to your eyes in less than a day.

Embassy and Business Association Releases
Statements and news releases from foreign embassies and business/industry associations, including chambers of commerce.

The Daily Briefing is comprehensive!

The Daily Briefing can run 50-100 pages each day!

Luckily, Erudite Risk tailors every report specifically to you.

Content Filtering
We try hard to ensure that every piece of information included in each day's reports will be of interest to our readers.

To fulfill our goal of comprehensively monitoring the intelligence landscape and also keeping reports readable, we build big reports--then deliver only the information that applies to you.

Each Daily Briefing is a bespoke report matched to your concerns. Tell us what you want in it, or we can match it to your professional needs. It's that easy.