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.
Keep reading
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.