VietnamOne representative office per province
In plain termsDecree 07/2016 does not let a foreign parent sprinkle representative offices (ROs) across a province. The usual constraint is one RO per provincial-level locality. A second desk in the same province is not a “branch of the RO.” It is another establishment you do not have.
Start here — three checks
- List every address where RO staff sit weekly, including homes used as offices
- If two addresses are in the same province, pick one licensed premises
- If you need presence in another province, plan a separate RO licence — or a company
Decision map
| Signal | Lock now | If skipped |
|---|---|---|
| Hanoi licence, staff in a second Hanoi district full-time | Treat that as the same province. Either amend the registered address or stop the extra office. | You operate an unlicensed second RO. |
| Hanoi RO plus Ho Chi Minh City desk | That is a second provincial-level locality. Licence it as a second RO or do not station it. | The southern “desk” is an establishment without a licence. |
| Employees travel; no second lease | Travel is not an office. A lease, chop, and customer-facing address is. | You under-report a real second premises. |
| Company in one city, RO in another | That can be coherent if functions split. Do not let the RO sell in the company’s city as a workaround. | The extra RO becomes a shadow sales office. |
| Province boundaries changed or the address was reclassified | Re-read the locality on the licence against the current map. Do not rely on a 2016 nickname. | You think you have one RO; the map now says two localities — or the reverse. |
Common wrong movesWhere people lose time on this exact question.
- Calling a second leased office a “meeting room.”
- Putting the chop and the chief in city A and the whole team in city B.
- Opening “project rooms” at customer sites that function as your office.
If this fails, do this nextRecovery order — not a generic legal memo.
- Close or stop using the extra premises until a licence exists.
- If two provinces are truly needed, file the second RO or fold the work into a company.
- Update the registered address if the real office simply moved inside the same province.
Revocation triggersUnlicensed extra premises sit next to inactivity and scope breach.Permitted vs restrictedWhat any licensed RO is still allowed to do.RO and dissolution hubStructure and exit if the footprint was wrong.
Common questions
Can I have more than one representative office in the same Vietnam province?
Plan no. The establishment rule is one RO per provincial-level locality. A second desk in that locality is the constraint people miss.
Can I have one RO in Hanoi and one in Ho Chi Minh City?
Those are different provincial-level localities, so a second licence is the usual path — if you still want ROs and not a company.
Does a co-working membership count as another RO?
If it is your stable customer-facing premises, treat it as an establishment question. Do not hide a second office in a membership receipt.