On 29 September 2025, the Prime Minister of Vietnam issued Decision No. 36/2025/QD-TTg ("Decision 36") to replace Decision No. 27/2018/QD-TTg dated 6 July 2018 on the promulgation of the Vietnam Standard Industrial Classification ("VSIC"). Decision 36 was introduced to update the VSIC in line with the actual socio-economic development, global trends, and modern management requirements, especially in emerging sectors such as digital technology, renewable energy, creative services, and digital finance. This Decision 36 shall take effect from 15 November 2025.
1. Summary of Adjusted and Newly Added Industry Groups under VSIC
1.1. Industry Groups with Adjusted Codes
Decision 36 introduces revisions to industry codes across multiple classification levels, particularly from level 3 to level 5. The following industry groups have undergone changes in terms of code structure, descriptions, or have been reorganized to better reflect the nature and scope of economic activities:
Food Processing and Manufacturing: Certain codes have been consolidated or subdivided in greater detail based on production processes and types of raw materials, aiming to more accurately represent the food value chain.
Construction and Real Estate: Industry codes have been revised to clearly distinguish between civil construction, industrial works, infrastructure development, and real estate investment and operations.
Transportation and Warehousing: Updates have been made to reflect the practice of logistics services, multimodal transportation, and supply chain management.
Education and Training: Adjustments have been introduced to differentiate between formal education, vocational training, skill development programs, and educational support services.
Finance – Banking – Insurance: Several codes have been restructured to reflect the emergence and expansion of digital financial services, microinsurance products, and financial technology (Fintech) solutions.
1.2. Newly Added Industry Groups
Decision 36 also introduces several entirely new industry groups, reflecting the evolving landscape of Vietnam’s economy and aligning with global development trends. These additions aim to capture emerging sectors and provide a more comprehensive classification framework:
Digital Technology and Online Platforms: Includes activities such as software development, digital platform services, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain technology, and cloud computing.
Renewable Energy: Adds industry codes related to the production and distribution of solar power, wind energy, biomass energy, and energy storage solutions.
Circular Economy and Environmental Services: Covers activities involving recycling, waste treatment, and the manufacturing of environmentally friendly products.
Creative Services and Digital Content: Encompasses digital content creation, graphic design, digital media, gaming, and online entertainment services.
Financial Technology (Fintech): Includes electronic payment services, e-wallets, peer-to-peer lending platforms, and digital asset management.
2. Impacts of the New VSIC on Enterprises
The issuance of Decision 36/2025/QD-TTg brings several practical benefits to enterprises in terms of operations, management, and business expansion. Key impacts include:
- Enhancing transparency and professionalism in business registration: The new VSIC system enables enterprises to accurately identify business lines that match their actual operations. This is particularly beneficial when expanding into new sectors or entering international markets, thereby improving the transparency of legal documents and facilitating transactions with partners and authorities.
- Supporting more efficient internal management: A unified classification system allows enterprises to easily categorize, monitor, and report business activities by specific sectors. This contributes to better planning, accounting, and statistical reporting.
- Facilitating access to government support policies: With clearly defined industry groups, enterprises can more easily identify sectors eligible for government incentives such as tax preferences, funding access, or trade promotion programs.
- Meeting international integration requirements: The VSIC system is designed to align with international standards, helping enterprises report, cooperate, and transact with foreign partners more effectively, especially in technology, digital finance, renewable energy, and creative services.
3. Implementation Timeline and Guidance for Enterprises Using the Previous VSIC
Decision 36 will officially take effect on 15 November 2025. From this date, all enterprises must apply the new VSIC when conducting business registration, statistical reporting, and administrative procedures.
For enterprises currently using the previous VSIC, immediate changes are not mandatory. However, when registering for changing or adding new business lines, enterprises must update the corresponding codes under the new VSIC.
To support the transition, the Business Registration Office under the Department of Finance in each province and city will provide guidance on code conversion upon request. Enterprises are also encouraged to proactively review their current business lines and update internal management systems, accounting software, and related reports to ensure consistency and compliance with legal regulations.
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