We assist foreign and local founders in securing VND payment accounts, Direct Investment Capital Accounts (DICA), and foreign currency facilities across Vietnam's leading commercial and international banks. Supporting founders from over 50+ countries.
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Opening a business bank account in Vietnam involves strict regulatory compliance supervised by the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV). Foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) and local companies face rigorous Know Your Customer (KYC) checks, mandatory consular legalizations, and technical distinctions between capital investment accounts and standard operational payment accounts.
We audit and format your Enterprise Registration Certificate (ERC), Investment Registration Certificate (IRC), Company Charter, and corporate seal documentation to align precisely with SBV Circulars and each bank's internal underwriting criteria.
We present your business model, source of funds, and director profiles directly to commercial relationship managers for formal pre-approval before initiating costly notarizations or international document legalizations.
For foreign-owned entities, we structure the mandatory Direct Investment Capital Account (DICA) alongside your operational VND current account and multi-currency accounts to safeguard lawful profit repatriation and capital injections.
We advise on signatory structuring, including the mandatory appointment and registration of the Legal Representative and Chief Accountant in compliance with the Vietnamese Law on Enterprises.
Traditional banking in Vietnam is divided into two primary tiers: large domestic commercial banks (state-owned and private joint-stock) and licensed international banking institutions operating branch networks in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang. Domestic institutions like Vietcombank, Techcombank, and BIDV offer extensive domestic branch networks and rapid clearance within the NAPAS payment system. International institutions such as HSBC Vietnam, Standard Chartered, and Shinhan Bank Vietnam excel in cross-border trade finance, parent-subsidiary intercompany lending, and multi-currency treasury solutions, but maintain stricter minimum average balance and cross-border invoicing compliance requirements.
Pure digital corporate business accounts domiciled inside Vietnam are subject to evolving fintech sandboxes and strict foreign exchange control under Decree 70/2014/ND-CP. While domestic digital banks like Timo primarily service individual and micro-business retail payments, international corporate groups operating in Vietnam frequently rely on cross-border merchant platforms (such as Wise Business or Airwallex) for international revenue settlement into an offshore parent company, pairing them with an onshore Vietnamese bank account for domestic payroll, statutory taxes, and local supplier payments in Vietnamese Dong (VND).
| Provider | Non Resident Accepted | Remote Onboarding | Local Address Company Requirements | Typical Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vietcombank (Joint Stock Commercial Bank for Foreign Trade of Vietnam) | Yes (subject to valid legal representative status) | No (in-person legal representative signature required in Vietnam) | Vietnamese ERC, registered head office lease, tax identification | 2 to 4 weeks upon receipt of legalized documents |
| Techcombank (Vietnam Technological and Commercial Joint Stock Bank) | Yes (with verified local resident or foreign legal representative) | Needs provider confirmation (pre-screening digital; final execution in-person) | Vietnamese incorporation (ERC/IRC), physical lease contract | 1 to 3 weeks |
| HSBC Bank (Vietnam) Ltd. | Yes (tailored for multi-jurisdictional founders and FIEs) | Partial (remote compliance initiation; counter verification often required) | Vietnamese legal entity, physical address, parent entity KYC documents | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Standard Chartered Bank (Vietnam) | Yes (specialized in international corporate groups) | Needs provider confirmation (inter-branch verification occasionally allowed) | Vietnamese corporate entity, audited parent accounts may be required | 4 to 8 weeks |
| Shinhan Bank Vietnam | Yes (established infrastructure for foreign investors) | No (physical branch appearance required for legal representative) | Vietnamese company ERC, IRC for FDI projects, company seal | 2 to 3 weeks |
| International Digital / Multi-Currency Platforms (Cross-Border Settlement) | Yes (for offshore parent entities trading with Vietnam) | Yes (100% remote digital onboarding outside Vietnam jurisdiction) | Offshore company registration; cannot replace onshore VND DICA account | 3 to 7 business days |
Foreign-Invested Enterprises (FIEs) incorporated in Vietnam requiring statutory DICA capital and VND operational accounts.
International founders and companies establishing a subsidiary, factory, software development hub, or sourcing office in Vietnam.
Companies with non-resident directors and foreign legal representatives who must clear State Bank of Vietnam compliance.
Local Vietnamese enterprises looking to diversify banking operations into international tier-one banks for global trade finance.
Unregistered entities without a formal Vietnamese Enterprise Registration Certificate (ERC).
Applicants seeking 100% guaranteed remote bank opening without being willing to execute legal signatures in-country when mandated by law.
High-risk sectors not permitted under Vietnamese commercial law, including unregulated cryptocurrency, unlicensed gambling, or opaque brokerage schemes.
Individuals looking solely for personal retail bank accounts or non-commercial private remittances.
You cannot open a corporate bank account in Vietnam without a fully registered company, an active Enterprise Registration Certificate (ERC), and, for foreign investors, an Investment Registration Certificate (IRC). If you have not yet established your local entity, our team manages end-to-end foreign-owned company incorporation across Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, and provincial industrial zones. We coordinate physical address solutions, charter capital compliance, tax code issuance, and corporate seal registration. Explore our full setup offerings via our corporate formation and governance services or discover our corporate representative structuring options through our corporate formation and governance services.
We evaluate your company's ownership structure, shareholding hierarchy, operational industry, and geographic origin of capital to determine which Vietnamese or international partner banks align with your compliance profile.
Our legal team oversees the preparation of corporate charters, board resolutions, and proof of address. For non-resident directors, we coordinate consular legalization and certified Vietnamese translation via authorized notary offices.
We submit your pre-cleared dossier directly to corporate relationship managers at selected banks, addressing internal compliance inquiries and structuring both your DICA and standard operational accounts.
The company's Legal Representative completes the mandated identification step. Following approval, bank details, corporate online banking tokens, and authorized digital certificates are released to your team.
Foreign founders do not need to hold Vietnamese citizenship to be shareholders or appointed directors of an enterprise in Vietnam. However, banking regulations dictate specific operational criteria for account operations:
Supporting founders from over 50+ countries. We regularly manage Vietnam corporate banking applications for international founders based across diverse economic centers:
Everything you need to know about opening a corporate business bank account in Vietnam.
