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Set up in Ho Chi Minh City when the market is the point

For trading, services, technology and consumer businesses that need Vietnam’s deepest pool of customers, suppliers, distributors and talent.

Choose a mainland company for selling and hiring in the city, a zone-based entity for manufacturing, export or technology in a park, or a holding structure when the operating company sits elsewhere.

Find my best route Talk to a specialist
MPIPlanning & Investment
Business registrationForeign-owned entities
ImmigrationWork permits & TRCs
Tax & filingsLocal compliance

Why founders pick Ho Chi Minh City

A founder working at a café window above a busy street in Vietnam

The commercial centre

Vietnam’s largest concentration of customers, suppliers, distributors and service providers sits here — the natural base when revenue starts in the domestic market.

Founders talking on a tree-lined city street in Vietnam

Talent and services on the doorstep

The deepest pool of English-speaking staff, accountants, lawyers and agencies, which shortens hiring and keeps outsourced functions close.

A business owner walking through an industrial street in Vietnam

Parks for manufacturing and technology

Export-processing, industrial and hi-tech parks in and around the city give a manufacturing or technology company a zone route without leaving the region.

Where Ho Chi Minh City wins

Pick Ho Chi Minh City for
  • Domestic salesA trading, distribution or services company selling to Vietnamese customers.
  • Consumer and e-commerceRetail, F&B, e-commerce and marketplace businesses that need the largest urban market.
  • Technology teamsSoftware and technology companies hiring engineers and product staff at scale.
  • Regional baseA southern base with the widest choice of offices, agencies and service providers.
  • Zone options nearbyManufacturing or export operations that want a park within reach of the city.
Look elsewhere for
  • Ministry accessLicensing paths and buyers that sit with ministries and state bodies in Hanoi.
  • Northern supply chainsManufacturing tied to the northern industrial corridors and the China border.
  • Lighter footprintA smaller, quieter operating base on the central coast.
  • Holding onlyA passive holding entity with no plans to hire or invoice locally.

Zones founders look at around Ho Chi Minh City

Thu Duc City · Ho Chi Minh City

High-technology manufacturing, R&D and supporting technology businesses with a Ho Chi Minh City focus.

Priced on request.

Banking is prepared alongside the licence; approval is the bank’s decision.

District 12 · Ho Chi Minh City

Software, IT services, BPO and digital businesses that want a campus environment inside the city.

Priced on request.

Banking is prepared alongside the licence; approval is the bank’s decision.

District 7 · Ho Chi Minh City

Export-oriented manufacturing and processing close to the port and the city centre.

Priced on request.

Banking is prepared alongside the licence; approval is the bank’s decision.

Nha Be · Ho Chi Minh City

Heavier industry, logistics and port-linked operations south of the city.

Priced on request.

Banking is prepared alongside the licence; approval is the bank’s decision.

Binh Duong · adjacent to Ho Chi Minh City

Manufacturing companies that want a mature park within commuting distance of the city.

Priced on request.

Banking is prepared alongside the licence; approval is the bank’s decision.

A Ho Chi Minh City setup is priced by route, capital and footprint

Route, charter capital, premises, staff and any conditional-sector approval move the number. The Vietnam planner builds your estimate from what you tell it.

Lean endService company, no premises yet
High endConditional sector, staffed premises
Paperwork stacked on a desk by a window

Lean

Lean professional

Lowest band· y1

  • Investment and enterprise registration for the chosen route
  • Charter capital planned against the activity
  • Capital account and bank onboarding support
  • Tax registration and first filings set up
A bound stack of documents on a desk in warm light

Operating

Operating company

Middle band· y1

  • Investment and enterprise registration for the chosen route
  • Office lease registered as the company address
  • Work permits and residence cards for foreign staff
  • Capital account and bank onboarding support
Documents and a folder on a marble desk in morning light

Conditional

Conditional or zone-based

Upper band· y1

  • Sector approval or zone admission handled before licensing
  • Investment and enterprise registration for the chosen route
  • Capital account and bank onboarding support
  • Sub-licences for the activity are a separate process, not included
Run the Vietnam planner for your estimate

What a Ho Chi Minh City setup actually looks like, step by step

Indicative sequence shown. Conditional sectors and zone-based entities can add approvals before licensing.

  1. 01StartRoute lockedActivity, ownership, city and premises agreed. Charter capital planned. Scope and estimate confirmed.
  2. 02FilingInvestment registrationThe investment registration file is prepared and lodged with the licensing authority for the chosen city or zone.
  3. 03LicensingEnterprise registrationEnterprise registration follows the investment registration; the company seal and tax code are set up.
  4. 04After licensingCapital account & bankingThe capital account is opened, charter capital is contributed and the operating account follows.
  5. 05OperatingPermits & first filingsWork permits, residence cards and the first tax registrations and filings, as the plan needs.

When founders choose elsewhere

Ho Chi Minh City is the market-access play. Some plans are better served by Hanoi’s proximity to ministries or Da Nang’s lighter footprint.

You sell to ministries, state buyers or regulated sectors, or your supply chain runs through the north.

See Hanoi →

You want a smaller, quieter base on the central coast with port access and a lighter footprint.

See Da Nang →

Answer a few questions. We weigh the three cities and the routes against your plan and show the likely fit.

Find my best route →

Banking and capital accounts.

A foreign-owned entity needs a Direct Investment Capital Account before charter capital can be paid in, and the window is 90 days from licensing. We prepare the pack, coordinate with your chosen bank, and track the deadline.

Talk to a specialist

Two guides for this city

Cover of the Sonsoto Vietnam Zone Selection guide

Vietnam Zone Selection

Industrial, export-processing, hi-tech and economic zones, and what is forming in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City.

69 pages · 14 September 2026

Get the guide
Cover of the Sonsoto Vietnam Corporate Income Tax guide

Vietnam Corporate Income Tax

Scope, the 20% rate and the small-enterprise bands, incentives, VAT, and filing.

61 pages · 14 September 2026

Get the guide

Check if this city is the right base.

Tell us the activity, who you sell to, and how you plan to operate. We confirm whether Ho Chi Minh City is the right base, which route fits, and what needs to happen first.

  • A dedicated specialist reviews your case.
  • Fixed scope in writing before any work begins.
  • Avg reply 3 minutes on WhatsApp, 24 × 7.

Request a consultation

No obligation. We tell you if it is not the right route.

Talk to a Vietnam specialist

Frequently asked

Is Ho Chi Minh City the right base for my company?
It usually is when the plan starts with Vietnamese customers, a consumer or trading business, or a technology team that needs to hire quickly. It is not automatically the answer for every company: who you sell to, the licensing path for your sector and where your supply chain runs still decide the city.
Can a foreigner own a company in Ho Chi Minh City?
Foreign ownership is available for many activities, subject to the sector conditions the licensing authority applies. We confirm the available ownership route for your activity before anything is filed.
Mainland company or a zone-based entity?
A mainland company sells and hires in the city; a zone-based entity suits manufacturing, export or technology operations that want a park. The choice follows the activity, the premises and the customers, and we compare the viable routes against the actual plan.
Can a Ho Chi Minh City company sponsor work permits and residence cards?
It can support work permits and temporary residence cards for foreign staff in many cases, subject to the role, the applicant and the current immigration rules. Approval stays with the authority.
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