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Governance · Vietnam

Legal Advisory
in Vietnam.

Vietnam's legal environment is detailed, frequently updated, and unforgiving of gaps. Forra's legal advisory practice provides practical, commercially-focused guidance to businesses and individuals across the full range of Vietnam legal needs.

Practice Areas
Corporate Law & Entity Governance
Corporate
Commercial Contracts
Corporate
Employment & Labour Law
HR
IP Protection & Registration
Legal
M&A & Investment Structuring
Financial
Regulatory Advice & Authority Liaison
Corporate
Fixed
Fee per matter — no open-ended hourly billing
2 days
Typical response time for standard contract review
FIE focus
Specialists in foreign-invested enterprise law in Vietnam
Our Approach

Practical legal advice, not theoretical analysis.

Forra's legal advisory practice is built for foreign-invested companies running day-to-day operations in Vietnam — not for once-a-decade transactions. That means pragmatic advice on commercial contracts, employment arrangements, corporate governance, and regulatory matters, delivered on timelines that work for a business rather than a law firm's billing cycle.

We work alongside our corporate, HR, tax, and global mobility teams, so legal questions are answered in the context of the full operational picture — not in isolation.

Who we work with: Foreign-invested companies (LLC, JSC, branch, RO) operating in Vietnam; overseas investors considering entry or expansion; and regional teams needing Vietnam-specific legal input on transactions, contracts, and employment matters.

Four principles of Forra legal advisory
Fixed fees, clear scope

Every matter is quoted at a fixed fee before work begins. No hourly billing surprises — you know the cost before you commit.

FIE-specialist team

Our advisors focus exclusively on foreign-invested enterprise law. We know what the Investment Law, Enterprise Law, and Labour Code mean in practice — not just in text.

Connected to operations

Legal advice is most useful when it accounts for tax, HR, and corporate structure simultaneously. Our integrated team catches downstream effects that a standalone law firm would miss.

Plain-language output

Advice is delivered in clear English — we translate the complexity of Vietnamese law into decisions you can make, not documents that require further interpretation.

Practice Areas

Six practice areas covering the FIE lifecycle.

From market entry through to transactions, ongoing operations, and dispute resolution — Forra's legal advisory covers the situations that matter most to foreign-invested businesses in Vietnam.

01
Corporate Law & Entity Governance

Legal advice on company structure, charter amendments, changes to legal representative, capital contribution and transfer arrangements, board resolutions, and member meeting documentation. Covers LLCs, JSCs, branches, and representative offices.

Corporate
02
Commercial Contracts

Drafting, review, and negotiation of commercial agreements under Vietnamese law: distribution agreements, agency contracts, service agreements, licensing arrangements, NDAs, and SaaS terms. Bilingual drafting available.

Corporate
03
Employment & Labour Law

Employment contract drafting and review under the 2019 Labour Code, internal labour regulations, disciplinary procedures, collective labour agreements, and termination documentation. Advice on foreign employee obligations, secondment structures, and managerial exemptions.

HR
04
IP Protection & Registration

Advice on intellectual property strategy for foreign brands entering Vietnam: trademark registration with the National Office of Intellectual Property (NOIP), copyright protection, and IP ownership structuring to ensure assets are held by the entity rather than individuals.

Legal
05
M&A & Investment Structuring

Legal support for share transfers, capital contribution changes, and asset acquisitions in Vietnam. Advice on transaction structure, preparation of share transfer agreements, post-acquisition corporate integration, and registration of the transfer with DOIT.

Financial
06
Regulatory Advice & Authority Liaison

Guidance on sector-specific regulatory requirements, business licence conditions, and interactions with DOIT, MOIT, and other Vietnamese authorities. Support for regulatory inquiries, correspondence management, and administrative proceedings.

Corporate
How a matter is handled
1
Matter Intake
Same day

You describe the matter and provide any relevant documents. We confirm scope, fixed fee, and turnaround time before any work begins.

2
Legal Review & Analysis
1–3 days

Our advisors review the matter against current Vietnamese law. For contracts, we identify risk clauses, non-compliant terms, and gaps. For advisory matters, we research the applicable legal position.

3
Draft or Written Advice
2–5 days

We deliver a draft document or written advisory note in plain English, with a summary of key points and recommended actions. Vietnamese translation included where required.

4
Review & Iteration
As needed

We incorporate your feedback and address any follow-up questions. One round of revisions is included in the fixed fee for contract matters.

5
Execution & Filing
Where applicable

For matters requiring authority submission — trademark registration, corporate amendments, transfer registrations — Forra manages the filing process and tracks the authority response.

How It Works

Fixed scope, fixed fee, clear delivery.

Every legal matter at Forra starts with a clear scope and a fixed fee. We don't begin work until you've confirmed both — so there are no billing surprises and no scope creep.

For recurring legal needs — ongoing contract review, monthly employment advice, or standing regulatory monitoring — Forra offers retained advisory arrangements at a fixed monthly fee.

Bilingual as standard. All advice is delivered in English. Where Vietnamese documents are required — for authority submissions or bilingual contracts — Vietnamese drafting is included at no additional charge.

Why Forra

Legal advice that connects to your operations.

Most Vietnam law firms operate in a silo: they advise on the legal question, but don't account for the tax, HR, or corporate structure implications. When those implications create downstream problems, you need another firm to fix them.

Forra's legal advisory is integrated with our corporate, payroll, HR, and global mobility teams. We identify legal issues early — before they become costly — and we can act on them across disciplines without any handoff.

Not a traditional law firm. Forra is a full-service corporate solutions provider. Our legal advisory is priced and structured for ongoing operational use — not billed by the hour for every question you ask.

Three reasons clients choose Forra
FIE-focused, not generalist

We advise on the laws that affect foreign investors in Vietnam every day — the Investment Law, Enterprise Law, Labour Code, and related regulations — with depth rather than breadth.

No engagement minimums

You can instruct us on a single contract review or an ongoing retained basis. There are no minimum engagement sizes or retainer requirements for one-off matters.

Integrated with corporate and HR

A legal question about employment often has a tax or HR compliance dimension. Our teams talk to each other, so you get a complete answer — not a partial one from a siloed practice.

Pricing

Fixed-fee per matter. Retained for ongoing needs.

Forra prices legal advisory by matter type — not by the hour. Retained advisory is available for companies with regular legal needs.

Per matter
Contract Review

For one-off contract review, drafting, or advisory note. Fixed fee quoted per matter at intake. No minimum volumes or retainer required.


  • Review of commercial contract under Vietnamese law
  • Risk analysis and key clause commentary
  • Recommended amendments or negotiation points
  • One revision round included
  • Delivered within 2–3 business days
Get a quote
Per matter
Transaction Advisory

Legal support for M&A, share transfers, capital contribution changes, and investment structuring. Scoped and quoted per transaction.


  • Transaction structure advice
  • Share transfer or capital contribution agreement
  • DOIT registration of the transfer
  • ERC amendment post-closing
  • Can be combined with DD review
  • Scoped quote provided at intake
Get a quote
Common Questions

Questions about legal advisory.

Is Forra a law firm?

Forra is a full-service corporate solutions provider, not a traditional law firm. Our legal advisory practice operates under Vietnamese law and is staffed by qualified legal professionals who specialise in foreign-invested enterprise law. For matters requiring formal legal opinions for court proceedings or regulatory submissions, we will advise on whether a formally licenced law firm opinion is required and can coordinate that engagement where needed.

What languages do you work in?

All client-facing work is in English. For matters requiring Vietnamese documents — bilingual employment contracts, Vietnamese-language authority submissions, or notarised translations — Vietnamese drafting is included at no additional charge. We do not work in other languages.

Can you draft employment contracts for our Vietnam staff?

Yes. Employment contract drafting is one of our most common instructions. We draft bilingual contracts under the 2019 Labour Code for fixed-term and indefinite-term employees, probationary contracts, and contracts for foreign national employees. We can also draft or update your Internal Labour Regulations (ILR) and provide template sets for companies building out their Vietnam team.

Can you review a contract drafted by the other party?

Yes. Contract review is available on a per-matter fixed-fee basis. We review the contract under Vietnamese law, identify risk clauses and non-compliant terms, and provide a redline and a plain-language summary of key issues and recommended negotiation points. Typical turnaround is 2–3 business days.

How does legal advisory connect to Forra's other services?

Legal questions in Vietnam rarely have purely legal answers. An employment contract question often has a tax implication. A corporate restructure has HR and global mobility consequences. At Forra, our legal advisors work directly with our tax, HR, payroll, and corporate teams — so the advice you receive accounts for the full picture, not just the legal dimension in isolation.

What if I need ongoing legal support rather than a one-off matter?

We offer retained advisory arrangements for companies with regular legal needs. A monthly fixed fee gives you a defined allocation of advisory time, priority turnaround, and access to Forra's full team — covering legal, tax, HR, and corporate matters. Most companies operating in Vietnam for more than 12 months find a retainer significantly more cost-effective than instructing on a per-matter basis.

Get the legal clarity your Vietnam business needs.

Talk to a Forra legal advisor. Fixed fee, plain English, and answers that account for your full operational picture.

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