How should a foreign-owned company in Vietnam be named?

How should a foreign-owned company in Vietnam be named?

According to the Law on Enterprises (2005), each company’s name must be written in Vietnamese, including the foreign enterprise’s name. Foreign-owned enterprises should carefully adopt an operating to avoid unnecessary problems.

Each newly formed company may have up to three names, one in Vietnamese, another in a foreign language, and an abbreviated form from its Vietnamese or foreign language name.However, according to regulations of the Law on Enterprises, the enterprise’s name in a foreign language has to be directly translated from the Vietnamese name. Therefore, enterprises from other countries are advised to exercise due care in selecting a correct Vietnamese title for their business.

It is essential to be aware that the name of an enterprise must have two components: type of business entity and specific name. There are four types of business entity in Vietnam: limited liability company, joint-stock company, partnership and private enterprise. Additionally, an enterprise’s specific name may contain its business sector and investment form, provided that it has already registered that business sector or carried out an investment in that form.

According to the guidance documents of the Law on Enterprises (2005), enterprises are allowed to name their business using letters from the Vietnamese alphabet and may include letters such as F, J, Z and W; numerals and symbols; plus, the name must be pronounceable. In other words, aside from the letters in the English alphabet, enterprises can also use distinct letters from the Vietnamese alphabet such as Ă, Â, Đ, Ê, Ô, Ơ, Ư.

Foreign enterprises should also keep in mind that although they are entitled to propose their preferred names, the final decision-making authority rests with the business registration offices. However, in the event that a proposed name is rejected, the business registration offices must clearly state the reasons why, and their decision will be the final one.

PLF – LAW FIRM

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