1. Banking and Finance

Credit institutions operating and existing in Vietnam include state owned banks, commercial, investment and development banks, joint-stock or share holding banks, branches or representative offices of overseas banks, and finance companies. All transactions in foreign currency (trading, lending and transferring) must be carried out through credit institutions licensed to operate in Vietnam.

2. Transport and shipping

A number of highway, bridge and tunnel infrastructure developments have been planned to start and be completed between 2007 and 2010. International ports and related infrastructure projects will allow the cost efficient and timely export of containerized cargo.

2.1. Waterway

Vietnam has 3,260km coastline has 126 ports; of which 24 handle ocean cargo.

Vietnam has no deep water port facilities in the country; currently we only offer smaller feeder ships of less than 25,000 deadweight tones (approximately 1,600TEU Twenty-Foot Equivalent Unit for container ships). Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Cai Lan, Qui Nhon and Da Nang ports have regular weekly container services by all leading shipping companies.

Ho Chi Minh City, through which more than 70 percent of Vietnam’s container throughput passes, is a critical gateway for both imports and exports.

Mekong Delta area has many potential to develop container transportation with good conditions of the river system. Inland Water transportation is constantly growing and expands from HCMC to other areas in Mekong Delta, Dong Nai and Cambodia in coming years.

2.2. Roads and Railway

Vietnam has 3,260 km railway and 177,300 km road. Vietnam shares borders with Laos, Cambodia and China, making it easier to establish a multimodal logistics chain.

2.3. Airway

Vietnam has 3 international airports & 18 domestic airports

The country’s 21 airports are operated by the Civil Aviation Administration of Vietnam (CAVV). To meet growing needs, the Government plans to develop a total of 18 domestic and six international airports by 2015, at an estimated cost of US$7.2 billion.

The earlier development of the new international airport at Long Thanh in the province of Dong Nai next to Ho Chi Minh City will bring about much needed additional capacity.

2.4. Freight services

Statistics from the Vietnam Freight Forwarders Association showed there were about 900 goods transport businesses in the country with an average registered capital of VND1.5 billion (US$90,500) each. About 80 percent of those businesses were private companies, some of which have limited capital of VND300 million to VND500 million ($18,100-30,166).

Most of the Vietnamese businesses in the logistics sector do not have yet representative offices in foreign countries and thus they cannot link into the worldwide logistics network. The services they are able to provide include completing customs paperwork or renting warehouses for international logistics providers

3. Trade support Services

There are many organizations to provide considerable general services to those doing business in the country, both Vietnamese and foreigners. To find a local partner, foreign enterprises can gain information about business network through local Chambers of Commerce and Industry associations.

The major Chamber of Commerce for Vietnamese enterprises is the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), which is headquartered in Hanoi and has branches throughout Vietnam. VCCI members include state-owned enterprises (SOE’s), joint stock companies, and private firms in a variety of sectors.

In Ho Chi Minh City, the Investment & Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) can also make introductions to prospective partners. Another channel for finding a local partner is through local industry associations, since most key industries in Vietnam have formed associations. A number of private consultant companies have also developed matching services.

3.1. Dealing with trade problems

For trade dispute cases, the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre at the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VIAC)  is the resource when foreign and Vietnamese partners seek arbitration in settling disputes.

3.2. Quality Testing

Certificates of Control, i.e. attesting to the fact that products meet necessary quality standards, are issued by the Vietnam Superintendence and Inspection Company or Vinacontrol.

Vietnam’s standards system consists of over 5,800 standards. Specific information about product specific standards may be provided by Vietnamese importers or customers. Otherwise this information can be sought from the relevant ministry or government management body responsible for the country’s standards, such as the Directorate for Standards and Quality (STAMEQ) of Ministry of Science and Technology. Vietnam’s weights and measure standards are based on the metric system. The electric current is AC 50 cycles, 220/380. The electric utility system of Vietnam is being standardized at three phases, 220/380 volts, four wires.

3.3. Intellectual Property

Patents and trademark can be protected in Vietnam since the country is a signatory of the Paris Convention and is a member of the World Intellectual Property Organisation It has acceded to the Patent Cooperation Treaty and the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks, and in 2004 joined the Berne Convention.