The National Investment Portal is now the single channel through which Vietnamese investment procedures are conducted, and Decree 96/2026/ND-CP gives it a statutory definition. It is a component of the National Investment Information System, used to carry out procedures for issuing and adjusting both the investment registration certificate and the outward investment registration certificate.
What the National Investment Portal does
The decree specifies four functions. It handles the procedures for granting and adjusting inbound and outward investment certificates. It publishes and updates legal documents, policies and the market access conditions applying to foreign investors. It updates and provides information on investment promotion activity, foreign investment in Vietnam and outward investment. And it supports information on industrial park and economic zone development and state management of investment activity.
Consolidating those functions matters more than it sounds. Investors previously assembled the market access position from multiple sources of varying currency; a designated official channel for publication changes the evidentiary basis on which advice is given.
How the National Investment Portal changes filing
Two provisions in Decree 96/2026 work together with the portal. A valid dossier is defined as one containing all required documents with contents fully declared. A valid copy now expressly includes copies generated from national databases where the original information is stored in the population, business registration, investment or specialised databases.
Together these remove certification and legalisation steps that previously dominated preparation time, and they are what make the ten-working-day certificate deadline in our investment registration certificate guide realistic rather than aspirational.
Using the National Investment Portal in practice
Four habits produce smoother filings. Verify the published market access position on the portal at the time of filing rather than relying on prior transactions, since conditions change as treaties and domestic law evolve – see our market access guide. Confirm which documents can be drawn from national databases before assembling certified copies.
Keep the original dossier set complete even where electronic filing is used, because the authority may require it. And treat the portal record as the authoritative status of an application rather than relying on informal updates.
Outbound investors use the same channel for the outward certificate, as our outward investment certificate guide explains, which means a group investing in both directions manages one interface rather than two.
What the National Investment Portal does not change
The portal is a procedural channel, not a substantive relaxation. Planning conformity still governs, as our planning conformity guide sets out. Provincial appraisal practice still varies. Sub-licences for conditional business lines still sit outside the portal with their own sector regulators. Investors who read digitisation as deregulation are the ones surprised at the second stage.
National Investment Portal FAQs
Is electronic filing mandatory?
The portal is designated as the channel for these procedures. Applicants should nonetheless prepare the original dossier set, which the decree defines expressly.
Does it cover adjustments?
Yes – issuing and adjusting certificates are both within its stated function, as our IRC adjustment guide describes.
Where do I confirm the current position?
On the portal itself for market access and procedural matters, with legal texts published via the Ministry of Finance.
Records to keep alongside portal filings
Digital filing does not remove the need for a disciplined paper position. Three records deserve maintaining. A complete original dossier set as defined in the regulations, held centrally rather than across individual inboxes. A dated screenshot or export of the published market access position relied on at the time of filing, since conditions change and the version that governed an application matters if it is later questioned. And a filing log recording what was submitted, when, and the portal reference.
Groups operating several Vietnamese entities benefit most from this. Certificates, adjustments and outward filings accumulate across years and people, and the National Investment Portal record is the authoritative status – but the supporting evidence of why a position was taken sits with the applicant, not the system.
This article is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice for any specific case. Regulations may change – please consult a qualified professional before acting. Should further analysis be required, please contact one of our lawyers below.
