The issuance of Resolution 66.18/2026/NQ-CP (“Resolution 66.18”) on May 18, 2026, marks a significant step in Vietnam’s ongoing efforts to streamline administrative procedures and simplify business conditions across 11 ministries. For foreign and domestic investors, this translates into significantly lower market entry barriers and reduced compliance costs across several key sectors. This article highlights several notable regulatory changes introduced under Resolution 66.18 that investors and businesses should take note of when entering or operating in the Vietnamese market.
Fire Prevention, Fighting, and Rescue: Eliminating Redundancy
One of the most impactful changes for infrastructure and industrial enterprises is the abolition of various inspection procedures within the fire prevention, fighting, and rescue sector.
Under the Law on Fire Prevention, Fighting and Rescue 2024, construction works subject to fire prevention and fighting design appraisal must undergo a commissioning inspection by the police authorities before being put into operation. Given that such projects have already undergone a rigorous fire prevention and fighting design appraisal process, Resolution 66.18 abolishes the acceptance inspection procedure, thereby helping avoid repetitive inspections and repeated technical reviews of matters that have already been assessed.
In addition, the Resolution also ceases the requirement for “technical inspections of fire prevention and fighting works” for projects that have already obtained design appraisal approval but are still awaiting final acceptance. This reform is expected to remove a major bottleneck for thousands of delayed projects by eliminating lengthy inspection and approval procedures. By shifting toward a more self-responsible and post-inspection approach, the new framework grants enterprises greater flexibility and helps accelerate project operation and commercialization.
Data Synthesis and Analysis Services: Boosting the Digital Economy
To advance Vietnam’s digital transformation agenda, Resolution 66.18 significantly eases market entry requirements for companies operating in the data-driven services sector. Under Resolution 66.17/2026/NQ-CP, the trading of data analysis and synthesis products and services was removed from the list of conditional business lines previously regulated under the Law on Investment 2025.
Building on this reform, Resolution 66.18 further abolishes the requirement to obtain a “Certificate of Eligibility for Trading in Data Analysis and Synthesis Products and Services” under Decree 169/2025/ND-CP. By removing the licensing barriers, the Government is creating a more innovation-friendly regulatory environment for fintech, AI, and Big Data enterprises, reducing compliance burdens and facilitating faster market access.
Tobacco and Alcohol: Removal of Licensing and Operational Restrictions
Traditionally among the most heavily regulated sectors in Vietnam, the alcohol and tobacco industries are now subject to significantly reduced licensing and compliance requirements.
Under the Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms, organizations and individuals trading tobacco shall obtain licenses issued by competent authorities. Under the new framework, requirements on license for tobacco trading, tobacco retail and investment in tobacco cultivation are no longer applied.
Resolution 66.18 also adopts a more liberalized approach to the alcohol industry by removing several licensing requirements as well as operational conditions for alcohol wholesaling and small-scale alcohol production, including:
• License for industrial alcohol production and its conditions for issuance
• License for manual alcohol production for commercial purposes and its conditions for issuance
• Conditions applicable to alcohol distribution, alcohol wholesale, alcohol retail, and on-premises alcohol sale
• Conditions applicable to importing, producing and trading of alcohol with an alcohol content below 5.5%
• Conditions applicable to manual alcohol production for sale to enterprises holding alcohol production licenses for further processing
As a consequence of these reforms, certain penalties relating to unlicensed or unregistered alcohol trading activities have also been removed. Collectively, these changes are expected to reduce regulatory and compliance burdens, facilitate market entry, and simplify operational procedures for businesses operating in the alcohol industry.
These reforms reflect the Government’s broader effort to reduce licensing burdens and streamline regulatory procedures in highly regulated consumer industries. By relaxing market entry conditions and simplifying operational requirements, Resolution 66.18 is expected to enhance business flexibility, encourage investment, and promote greater dynamism in Vietnam’s food and beverage, and consumer goods sectors.
Competition Regulations: Doubling the Merger Notification Thresholds
Under the previous framework set out in Decree No. 35/2020/ND-CP (“Decree 35”), merger notification obligations were triggered based on thresholds relating to total assets, turnover, transaction value, or combined market share. Resolution 66.18 doubles the key financial thresholds while retaining the existing market share threshold of 20% or more in the relevant market. Specifically:
• The threshold for total assets or total turnover in Vietnam has increased from VND 3,000 billion to VND 6,000 billion
• The transaction value threshold has increased from VND 1,000 billion to VND 2,000 billion; and
By substantially increasing the filing thresholds, the Government is adopting a more facilitative approach toward investment and M&A activity, enabling a greater number of transactions, particularly mid-sized deals that previously triggered notification requirements, to proceed without mandatory pre-merger filings.
For more information on Vietnam’s updates on competition law framework, please refer to our article at: https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=8df48365-be01-4d69-aa71-850cf729b973
Key Takeaways for Enterprises
Resolution 66.18/2026/NQ-CP marks a significant shift in Vietnam’s regulatory landscape by promoting decentralization and transitioning from a “pre-check” to a more business-friendly “post-check” approach, aligning with Resolution 68-NQ/TW of the Politburo regarding private economy development. By streamlining licensing, business conditions and construction appraisal procedures, the Resolution is expected to reduce regulatory bottlenecks, shorten project timelines, and provide enterprises with greater operational flexibility.
While the Resolution takes effect on 1 July 2026, certain reforms, notably those relating to alcohol, tobacco came into effect earlier on 20 May 2026. The Resolution remains in effect until 28 February 2027 and prevails over conflicting regulations during this period, unless superseded by newly enacted laws or regulations. This transitional phase may therefore present a valuable opportunity for businesses to accelerate investments and capitalize on a more streamlined regulatory framework. Staying ahead of these changes and promptly adapting compliance strategies will be key to unlocking the full benefits these reforms have to offer, and to positioning businesses for a competitive edge in Vietnam’s evolving market landscape.
For further information, please contact:
Thanh Minh VU, Partner, LNT & Partners
Minh.Vu@LNTpartners.com
