On September 29, 2025, the Prime Minister issued Decision 36/2025/QĐ-TTg on the system of economic sectors in Vietnam. This is the latest decision on business sectors, currently in effect (replacing Decision 27/2018/QĐ-TTg). VN Law Firm invites you to learn about business sector codes under this new regulation.
1. What is a business sector code?
A business sector code is a sequence of numbers encoded to represent a specific business sector. When preparing business registration documents, organizations and individuals must use this business sector code table for registration. Level 4 sector codes (4 digits) are used for business registration.
The Vietnam Standard Industrial Classification System (VSIC), issued under Decision 36/2025/QĐ-TTg, has a hierarchical structure consisting of 5 levels, from general to detailed:
| Level | Name | Code | Quantity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | First-level Economic Sector | 1 letter (from A to V) | 22 sectors |
| Level 2 | Second-level Economic Sector | 2 digits (based on level 1) | 87 sectors |
| Level 3 | Third-level Economic Sector | 3 digits (based on level 2) | 259 sectors |
| Level 4 | Fourth-level Economic Sector | 4 digits (based on level 3) | 495 sectors |
| Level 5 | Fifth-level Economic Sector | 5 digits (based on level 4) | 743 sectors |
Example of sector code structure: Taking food production as an example:
- Level 1: C (Manufacturing)
- Level 2: 10 (Manufacture of food products)
- Level 3: 107 (Manufacture of other food products)
- Level 4: 1075 (Manufacture of prepared meals and dishes)
- Level 5: 10751 (Manufacture of prepared meat meals and dishes)
Important notes:
- When registering a business, enterprises must register using the Level 4 sector code (4 digits), and then may add the Level 5 sector code (if available) or provide a detailed description of the business sector.
- For conditional business sectors, enterprises must clearly state the name of the sector as stipulated in specialized legal documents (in addition to stating the sector code).
2. Look up business sector codes
The annex of business sector codes is issued together with Decision No. 36/2025/QĐ-TTg dated September 29, 2025, by the Prime Minister. Accordingly, business sectors include the following main categories:
– Agriculture, forestry and fishing;
– Mining and quarrying;
– Manufacturing;
– Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply;
– Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities;
– Construction;
– Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles;
– Transportation and storage;
– Accommodation and food service activities;
– Information and communication;
– Financial and insurance activities;
– Real estate activities;
– Professional, scientific and technical activities;
– Administrative and support service activities;
– Public administration and defence; compulsory social security;
– Education;
– Human health and social work activities;
– Arts, entertainment and recreation;
– Other service activities;
– Activities of households as employers; undifferentiated goods- and services-producing activities of households for own use;
– Activities of extra-territorial organizations and bodies.
Enter sector code or keyword to search:
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3. Guidance on specifying business sectors for enterprises
– When registering for enterprise establishment, when notifying changes to business sectors, or when requesting a new Business Registration Certificate, the enterprise founder or enterprise shall select a fourth-level economic sector from the Vietnam Standard Industrial Classification System to specify the business sectors in the enterprise registration application. The business registration authority shall guide, verify, and record the enterprise’s business sectors into the National Business Registration Database.
– For conditional business and investment sectors stipulated in other legal documents, the business sectors shall be recorded according to the sectors specified in those legal documents.
– For business sectors not included in the Vietnam Standard Industrial Classification System but stipulated in other legal documents, the business sectors shall be recorded according to the sectors specified in those legal documents.
– For business sectors not included in the Vietnam Standard Industrial Classification System and not yet stipulated in other legal documents, the business registration authority shall approve the addition of these business sectors for the enterprise if they do not fall under prohibited business sectors, and simultaneously notify the Ministry of Finance for the addition of new business sectors.
– In cases where an enterprise wishes to specify its business sectors in more detail than the fourth-level economic sector, the enterprise shall select a fourth-level economic sector from the Vietnam Standard Industrial Classification System, then describe its detailed business sectors under that fourth-level economic sector, ensuring that the detailed business sectors are consistent with the chosen fourth-level economic sector. In this case, the enterprise’s business sectors are the detailed business sectors specified by the enterprise.
