A Periodic Legal Compliance Review Checklist for Companies in Vietnam

A periodic legal review, sometimes called a legal health-check, allows a company to identify and fix compliance gaps before they attract penalties or disrupt operations. Conducting the review at regular intervals keeps corporate records, employment documents, and licences aligned with actual practice and current law.

Corporate and registration

The first area to check is whether the company's registered particulars still match reality:

• Enterprise registration certificate details: name, address, charter capital, and business lines.
• Whether charter capital was contributed within the required period and recorded correctly.
• Corporate resolutions and minutes, including the annual general meeting of shareholders for a JSC.
• Investment registration certificate for foreign-invested entities, where applicable.

Labour and employment

Employment compliance is a frequent source of risk, especially as headcount grows:

• Written labour contracts for all employees and correct contract types.
• Registered internal labour rules where the company has 10 or more employees.
• Social, health, and unemployment insurance contributions and payroll records.
• Working-hours, overtime, and leave records consistent with the Labour Code.

Licensing, contracts and tax

The review should also confirm that operational permissions and commercial documents are in order:

• Sub-licences for conditional business lines that the company actually operates.
• Sector-specific certificates, such as a food-safety certificate where relevant.
• Key commercial contracts, including renewal dates and liability terms.
• Tax filings, invoicing practices, and compliance with promotion rules if the company runs promotions.

Frequently asked questions

How often should a legal review be done?

Many companies conduct a review annually, with additional checks after significant changes such as expansion, restructuring, or a change in business lines.

Who should carry out the review?

It can be led by in-house staff using a checklist, but external counsel adds an independent view of legal risks and recent regulatory changes.

What happens if gaps are found?

Gaps are prioritised and remedied, for example by updating registrations, registering internal labour rules, or renewing licences, before they lead to penalties.

How LTV Law helps

LTV Law conducts structured compliance reviews, reports findings by priority, and helps remediate gaps across corporate, labour, and licensing matters; to schedule a review, contact our team.

This article is for general information only and does not constitute legal advice.