VietnamFDI plant manager: first 30 days
In plain termsYou arrived to run a factory or site for a foreign-invested employer. Week one is not production theatre. It is labour status, stay, and the company’s own licences. A plant can be legal while you are not.
Start here — three checks
- Confirm your work-permit category and start-date window. Manager title on the org chart is not the filing.
- Match visa / TRC (Temporary Residence Card) sponsor to this employer. A leftover stamp from a previous host is a trap.
- Ask which environmental, fire, and labour filings the site already has — you inherit them the day you sign
Decision map
| Signal | Lock now | If skipped |
|---|---|---|
| Permit not yet issued; plant wants you on the floor | Do not start managed work. NĐ 219 filing windows exist so start dates can wait. | You become an unlawful worker inside an otherwise licensed factory. |
| Transferred from group HQ | Run the ICT 12-month proof or a full permit — pick one. Do not “start as visitor.” | A plant tour becomes two months of unpermitted management. |
| TRC still names a previous Vietnam entity | Open the sponsor-change playbook before payroll starts here. | Work permit and residence card point at two companies. |
| You will hire or discipline staff in month one | Confirm your authority exists in the labour file, not only in an email from HQ. | Local labour disputes land on a manager who was never properly appointed. |
| Site has outstanding tax or environmental notices | Inventory them in week one. Arrival does not reset company liabilities. | Your signature appears on the next reply letter with no briefing. |
Common wrong movesWhere people lose time on this exact question.
- Walking the line “as a visitor” while already giving production orders.
- Letting HQ delay the permit because “the plant already has other foreigners.”
- Ignoring TRC sponsor mismatch because the new employer “will sort it later.”
If this fails, do this nextRecovery order — not a generic legal memo.
- Step back from managed duties until permit and stay name this employer.
- If a previous sponsor is still on the TRC, run sponsor-change before more payroll.
- If the category was wrong (expert vs manager), rebuild the file; do not wait for expiry.
Evidence to prepareChecklist before you file or walk in.
- Work-permit application status or issued permit, plus category used.
- Passport, visa symbol, TRC if any, and sponsor name on each.
- Assignment letter or labour contract matching the plant role.
- Employer ERC and site address vs your workplace address.
- ICT pack if used: 12-month group employment and corporate link.
- Internal appointment: who you report to, who reports to you.
- Site licence index: environment, fire, labour internal rules.
- Personal tax start: resident vs non-resident assumption for this year.
- Emergency contacts for HR and the labour-filing owner.
Keep reading
Common questions
What should an FDI manager do in the first month in Vietnam?
Lock work authorisation, stay/sponsor, and a briefing on the site’s own licences. Production KPIs do not legalise your presence.
Can I start at the plant while the work permit is processing?
Do not manage work on a tourist or unmatched visa. File inside the statutory window and start when the route is real.
Does the company’s IRC cover my labour status?
No. IRC/ERC describe the investment. Your permit and TRC describe you. Keep those files separate and consistent.