Procedures for Establishing a Construction Company in Vietnam

Establishing a construction company requires several key steps, including selecting the appropriate business type, registering suitable business lines, and obtaining specialized licenses. VN Law Firm provides a comprehensive solution from legal consultation and dossier preparation to the completion of procedures, helping clients save time and comply with all legal regulations on construction.

1. What Is a Construction Company?

A construction company is a type of business that specializes in activities related to the construction, repair, and maintenance of works. The scope of these companies’ operations is broad, as detailed in the Law on Construction and other relevant legal documents.

The operational scope of a construction company can cover many fields, from design consultation to execution and supervision. The main activities include:

• Construction Consulting: This includes consulting on project formulation, surveys, design, construction supervision, and project management.
• Construction Execution: This is the core activity of a company, involving the construction of civil works (houses, apartments), industrial works (factories, workshops), technical infrastructure works (roads, bridges, culverts), and other structures.
• Production and Trading of Construction Materials: Some construction companies also participate in the production and sale of materials such as bricks, sand, stone, cement, and steel, giving them more control over the construction process.
• Real Estate Business: Many construction companies also act as investors in real estate projects, which they sell or lease after construction is completed.

2. Sequence and Procedures for Establishing a Construction Company

The basic sequence and procedures for registering the establishment of a construction company consist of three steps: (i) checking business registration conditions; (ii) submitting the application and receiving the results of company registration; and (iii) publicizing the enterprise registration content.

2.1. Checking Business Registration Conditions

Before registering the establishment of a construction company, the founder(s) must check the prerequisites before submitting the business registration application, such as:

• Subject of Establishment and Management: According to the Law on Enterprises 2020 (amended and supplemented in 2025), organizations and individuals have the right to establish and manage a construction company in Vietnam. However, the law also lists cases not permitted to establish and manage a company in Clauses 2 and 3 of Article 17 of this Law, such as: minors (under 18 years old); persons facing criminal prosecution; commercial legal entities prohibited from doing business or operating in certain fields; and cadres, civil servants, and public employees as regulated.
• Business Registration Type: According to Vietnamese law, there are currently five types of enterprises: Private Enterprises; Partnerships; Single-Member Limited Liability Companies; Multi-Member Limited Liability Companies; and Joint Stock Companies.
• Company/Enterprise Name: When naming a company, the enterprise must comply with the naming regulations in the Law on Enterprises 2020, avoiding names that are identical to or confusingly similar to those of other companies or enterprises.
• Head Office Address: The head office of the construction company must be located in Vietnamese territory, serve as the company’s contact address, and be identified by an administrative boundary.
• Charter Capital: This is the total value of assets contributed or committed to be contributed by company members or the company owner upon the establishment of a limited liability company or partnership; or the total par value of shares sold or registered for purchase upon the establishment of a joint stock company.
• Business Lines: The company or enterprise to be established must register its business lines according to the provisions of Decision 27/2018/QD-TTg on the Vietnam Standard Industrial Classification System.

If the enterprise chooses to register in the general civil and industrial construction sector, there are no specific requirements regarding capital, qualifications, or experience. However, if the enterprise decides to operate in the following fields, it must have a construction-related capacity certificate:

• Construction survey.
• Construction planning formulation.
• Design and design verification of construction projects.
• Formulation and verification of construction investment projects.
• Project management consulting.
• Construction execution.
• Construction supervision.
• Construction inspection.
• Construction investment cost management.

When registering business lines, the enterprise needs to consider and choose the most suitable industry or profession to ensure effective business operations.

Below are some of the industry codes and business lines that a company should consider for reference when performing the procedure to register a construction company:

2.2. Submission of Application and Receipt of Results

2.2.1. Application Dossier Components

According to the Law on Enterprises of Vietnam 2020 (amended and supplemented in 2025) and Decree 168/2025/ND-CP on Enterprise Registration, depending on the type of enterprise, the application dossier for establishing a construction company includes one of the following documents:

• Application for enterprise establishment registration;
• Charter of the construction company;
• List of beneficial owners of the enterprise;
• List of members/shareholders;
• Personal legal documents;
• Power of attorney for performing the procedure.

2.2.2. Place of Submission

The company founder(s), the enterprise, or an authorized person can perform the enterprise registration procedure in the following ways:

• Directly register the company/enterprise at the Business Registration Office;
• Register the company/enterprise via postal service;
• Register the company/enterprise online via the National Enterprise Registration Portal.

2.2.3. Processing Time

The processing time for the company/enterprise registration application is 03 working days from the date of receiving a valid application.

2.2.4. Receiving the Result

After the registration application is approved by the competent state authority, the company/enterprise will be granted an Enterprise Registration Certificate.

2.3. Publicizing Enterprise Registration Content

After being granted an Enterprise Registration Certificate, the company/enterprise must publicly announce the registration on the National Enterprise Registration Portal and pay the prescribed fee. The published content includes the details on the Enterprise Registration Certificate and the following information:

• Business lines;
• List of founding shareholders; list of foreign investor shareholders for a joint stock company (if any).

Note: The company must carry out other necessary procedures after establishing the company/enterprise.

3. VN Law Firm’s Construction Company Establishment Service

The service for establishing a company in the construction sector at VN Law Firm helps clients save significant time and effort. With VN Law Firm, you will receive a comprehensive service for establishing a construction company, including:

• Consulting on the process and procedures for establishing a construction company;
• Advising clients on preparing the necessary documents;
• Drafting and, on behalf of the client, submitting the application for establishing a construction company at the Business Registration Office;
• Monitoring the application, and supplementing or correcting the dossier (if any) as required by the specialist;
• Performing the procedure for publicizing enterprise registration information;
• Handing over the Business License;
• Guiding the client on the procedures to note after the company/enterprise is established.