Vietnam Intensifies Risk-Based Compliance Oversight: What Businesses Should Do Now

Vietnam’s regulatory authorities are sharpening their approach to corporate compliance, with tax and sector-specific regulators increasingly relying on risk-based management to identify businesses for inspection rather than conducting broad, routine audits.

Recent enforcement results from the tax authorities, together with new inspection plans announced by provincial regulators, indicate that businesses should expect more targeted scrutiny in areas ranging from taxation and related-party transactions to import-export activities, chemicals, energy efficiency, and industrial compliance.

Tax authorities shift towards risk-based supervision

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The Department of Taxation has confirmed that tax administration is increasingly centred on risk management, using digital data analytics to identify taxpayers that warrant further review.

During the first six months of 2026, tax inspections and examinations resulted in authorities recommending tax collections, adjustments and penalties exceeding VND 34 trillion, while reducing declared losses and deductible VAT claims by significant amounts. According to the tax authority, inspection resources are increasingly allocated based on taxpayer risk profiles instead of random selection.

This reflects Vietnam’s broader tax administration reform, which aims to improve voluntary compliance while allowing authorities to focus enforcement efforts on businesses exhibiting higher compliance risks.

For foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs), multinational groups, and companies with complex cross-border operations, this means that documentation quality, transaction consistency, and digital tax data are likely to receive greater scrutiny.

See also: Vietnam Consolidates Transfer Pricing Rules under Decree 255/2026

Industry regulators are also adopting targeted inspections

The move towards risk-based oversight extends beyond taxation. Thanh Hoa province has approved a specialised inspection programme covering 87 enterprises and organisations during 2026 across multiple sectors under the authority of the Department of Industry and Trade. Rather than broad administrative reviews, inspections will focus on compliance with regulations governing:

• Electricity;
• Energy efficiency;
• Chemicals;
• Industrial explosives;
• Import-export activities; and
• Other specialised industry requirements.

Inspection periods will generally cover compliance from 1 January 2025 onwards, with each on-site inspection typically limited to no more than two working days unless otherwise required by law. Authorities also emphasised that inspections should avoid unnecessary overlap with other government inspection activities. 

Although the programme applies specifically to Thanh Hoa, it illustrates a broader regulatory trend across Vietnam: inspections are becoming more targeted, data-driven, and sector-specific.

Compliance is becoming increasingly interconnected

An important implication for businesses is that compliance obligations can no longer be managed in isolation.

Tax authorities are gaining greater access to digital information from e-invoices, customs declarations, financial statements, and other government databases. At the same time, sector regulators are coordinating more closely across agencies, allowing inconsistencies between operational records and tax filings to become more visible.

For businesses operating in regulated industries, including manufacturing, chemicals, energy-intensive operations, and international trade, this increases the importance of maintaining consistent documentation across different regulatory functions.

Companies should also expect regulators to place greater emphasis on whether operational practices align with information reported through tax filings, customs declarations, licensing records, and other mandatory reporting systems.

See also: Vietnam Regulatory Update in July 2026

Business considerations

As Vietnam strengthens its compliance framework, businesses should consider taking a more proactive approach to regulatory readiness by:

• Reviewing tax compliance processes and supporting documentation before inspection notices are issued.
• Conducting periodic internal compliance reviews covering both tax and industry-specific regulations.
• Ensuring consistency between accounting records, customs documentation, operational reports, and tax filings.
• Reassessing related-party transactions, transfer pricing documentation, and high-risk tax positions.
• Maintaining organised documentation that can be readily produced during increasingly targeted inspections.

For foreign investors, the latest developments reinforce that compliance should be viewed not simply as an annual reporting exercise but as an ongoing governance function. As regulatory authorities continue to adopt digital tools and risk-based oversight, companies with stronger internal controls and documentation practices will be better positioned to respond efficiently when selected for inspection. 

Managing accounting and bookkeeping in Vietnam requires close attention to local standards, reporting formats, and filing deadlines. When records are kept accurately and processes are well structured, businesses can avoid common compliance issues.

Mia Pham

Deputy Director, Corporate Accounting Services

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