Vietnam

Tăng cường phân cấp, phân quyền trong thúc đẩy phát triển kinh tế tư nhân

Bao Dien Tu | Local Language | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | UndeterminedInitiative

At the 14th National Congress of the Party on January 21, Secretary of the Saigon Ward Party Committee Nguyen Tan Phat outlined a strategy for leading rapid and sustainable private economic development in Saigon Ward, a central urban area in Ho Chi Minh City with significant historical and economic importance. Saigon Ward is a hub for international finance, commerce, and high-end services, featuring a modern urban economy that includes digital, sharing, night-time, financial, and 24/7 service economies. The Ward operates under a two-tier local government system which enables closer engagement with organizations, enterprises, and residents.

The Ward Party Committee has developed a developmental program for high-end trade, services, finance, and international tourism for 2025-2030, aligned with the Politburo Resolution No. 68-NQ/TW and recent amendments supporting special mechanisms and policies for Ho Chi Minh City. Key economic measures include enhancing quality and service in supermarkets, shopping centers, and retail stores, building free trade commercial centers for diverse high-end products, and attracting financial experts and strategic investors to the International Financial Center. Administrative reforms are focused on simplifying procedures, streamlining the apparatus, and accelerating digital transformation to facilitate rapid access to public services.

Economic statistics indicate significant growth in Saigon Ward’s private economy, with 14,283 enterprises and business households as of early 2026, an increase of 966 units since mid-2025. Local budget revenue substantially exceeded the 2025 targets, with state budget revenue reaching 186.67% of the assigned estimate. The 2026 budget sets a target of 10,453 billion VND, with the private economy expected to contribute over 64% of this revenue, underscoring its importance as a dynamic driving force behind local development.

Private sector participation in socio-economic projects and facility development in Saigon Ward has increased, reflecting strong confidence from entrepreneurs and enterprises in the political and socio-economic environment. Nguyen Tan Phat emphasized promoting the Party’s adaptive leadership, encouraging Vietnamese entrepreneurs, and the State’s need to innovate alongside fast-changing market conditions. Harmonizing interests among the State, businesses, and people is essential for sustainable private economic development.

The effectiveness of the market economy relies on competition, innovation, creativity, and adaptability, with decentralization and delegation in economic management identified as critical to promoting private sector growth. Policies around corporate income tax and procedure fees must align with city and national development goals. Saigon Ward, newly established in July 2025 with a population of 47,022 and a strong Party organization, aims to become a dynamic economic and financial center, contributing to Ho Chi Minh City's vision as an international mega-city and Asian destination.

Cục Thuế: Không căn cứ doanh thu 2026 để truy thu thuế khoán các năm trước

VN Express | Local Language | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | Regulation

Starting in 2026, millions of households under the lump-sum tax regime will transition to declaring and paying taxes based on actual revenues. Despite concerns over potential retroactive tax assessments if declared 2026 revenues exceed previous lump-sum amounts, the Tax Department clarified in Official Dispatch 307 dated January 19 that it will not use 2026 declared revenues to retroactively assess or recover tax obligations from prior years. This applies to taxpayers assigned revenues and payment levels by the tax authority through 2025 and earlier, and to those whose taxable revenues changed by 50% or more due to shifts in operational scale.

Deputy Director General Mai Sơn emphasized that administrative sanctions regarding invoices for business households have been designed to be simpler and more appropriate to their scale, confirming that declared revenues in 2026 will not be used to recover lump-sum taxes for past years. The tax authority will also enhance support channels and provide step-by-step guidance to facilitate the declaration process for business households.

However, if fraud or revenue concealment causing tax shortfalls is detected, households or individual businesses will face sanctions under Decree 125/2020. Penalties can include warnings, fines up to 200 million VND for organizations and 100 million VND for individuals, fines on false declarations equaling 20% of the missing tax, and tax evasion fines from one to three times the evaded amount. Additional measures include suspension of invoice printing, full payment of taxes and penalties, and potential criminal prosecution for serious offenses.

By the end of 2024, Vietnam had approximately 3.6 million business households and individuals, with 2.2 million stably operating under lump-sum or declared regimes. These contributed around 26 trillion VND to the budget in 2024, with 17 trillion VND collected in the first half of that year.

Xây dựng mức thu phí sử dụng đường bộ với 18 tuyến cao tốc

Bao Dien Tu | Local Language | News | Jan. 23, 2026 | Regulation

The Vietnam Road Administration has tasked the Road Management Regions (RMR) I, II, III, and IV with managing the collection of road-use fees for 18 expressways owned and operated by the State. These RMRs are required to comply with State Budget Law and the Law on Fees and Charges, setting up accounts at the State Treasury to handle fee collection and expenditures. They must also work with contractors managing toll stations and vehicle load control to establish procedures for issuing fee receipts in line with legal regulations.

The administration instructed the RMRs to set road-use fee rates based on Decree No. 130/2024 and the actual lengths of the expressway sections. The Plan for exploitation of these infrastructure assets has been approved by the Ministry of Construction. Thirteen state-invested expressway projects will be tolled for seven years from their operation commencement date, with an estimated revenue of nearly VND 2,500 billion annually after costs.

Additionally, the Ministry of Construction has approved toll exploitation plans for five North-South expressway projects financed by the state budget. The Vietnam Road Administration previously proposed two fee rates: 1,300 dong/km for expressways fully meeting tolling standards (4 lanes with continuous emergency lanes) and 900 dong/km for expressways lacking continuous emergency lanes.