Da Nang Company Registration

Da Nang company registration services: LLC, JSC, RO and Branch setup

MSA Asia handles Da Nang company registration end to end for foreign investors. We pick the right entity (LLC, JSC, RO, or Branch), work out which authority your filing goes to (the city's Department of Finance, the Enterprise Registration Office, Da Nang Hi-Tech Park's management board, or the Da Nang Free Trade Zone authority), prepare the Investment Registration Certificate (IRC) and Enterprise Registration Certificate (ERC) dossiers, carve the company seal, register the tax code and digital signature, open the bank accounts, and set up first-year accounting and social insurance compliance.

A standard foreign-owned LLC registering in Da Nang typically goes from document legalisation to a working bank account in 3 to 7 weeks, which is generally the fastest of Vietnam's three major cities thanks to Da Nang's smaller, more centralised registration bureaucracy.

The short version. A foreign founder can own 100% of a Da Nang-registered entity in most sectors, and there is no statutory minimum charter capital under the Law on Enterprises 2020. What is specific to Da Nang in 2026 is the Da Nang Free Trade Zone, a newly established zone with some of the strongest incentives in the country, plus a 2025 provincial merger that folded the former Quang Nam province into an expanded Da Nang. We help clients work out whether the standard city process or the Free Trade Zone's simplified path fits their project.

The four entity types: choose the right structure first

Entity choice in Da Nang follows the same national rules as the rest of Vietnam. Most foreign founders default to a Limited Liability Company, and most of the time that is the right call.

Limited Liability Company (LLC): the default

An LLC can be single-member (one owner, wholly foreign-owned) or multi-member (2 to 50 members). It is the most common vehicle for the tourism, software, BPO, and light-manufacturing businesses that make up most of Da Nang's foreign-invested economy, and outside conditional sectors a foreign investor can own 100%.

Joint Stock Company (JSC)

A JSC requires a minimum of three shareholders and can be 100% foreign-owned. It suits larger projects, including those seeking to raise capital for Free Trade Zone or Hi-Tech Park developments.

Representative Office (RO)

An RO is a common first move for companies testing the Da Nang market, particularly in tourism and hospitality, before committing to a commercial entity. It cannot sell, invoice, or sign commercial contracts.

Branch Office

A branch requires the foreign parent to have operated for at least five years and is less common in Da Nang than in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City, reflecting the city's smaller financial-services sector.

Quick comparison

Aspect	LLC	JSC	RO	Branch
Foreign ownership	Up to 100% (outside conditional sectors)	Up to 100% (outside conditional sectors)	100% (parent)	100% (parent)
Separate Vietnamese legal person	Yes	Yes	No	No
Can sign commercial contracts	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Minimum shareholders/members	1	3	N/A	N/A
Statutory minimum charter capital	None (outside conditional sectors)	None (outside conditional sectors)	None	N/A
Typical Da Nang setup time	3 to 7 weeks	5 to 9 weeks	3 to 5 weeks	5 to 7 weeks
Recommended use	Default for most foreign-invested business	Capital-raising, Free Trade Zone or Hi-Tech Park projects	Pre-trading, tourism/hospitality market entry	Licensed sectors only

Step by step Da Nang company registration process

The national legal framework is the Law on Enterprises 2020 and the Law on Investment 2020, updated by the new Investment Law No. 143/2025/QH15, in force from 1 March 2026.^[1] Da Nang also runs a distinct, simplified path for the Da Nang Free Trade Zone, established under Resolution No. 136/2024/QH15, effective 1 January 2025.^[2]

1. Prepare and legalise shareholder documents abroad (1 to 4 weeks, in parallel). Certificate of incorporation, financial statements, and identification documents need notarisation and consular or apostille legalisation before filing.
2. Confirm which Da Nang authority handles your filing. Standard filings go to the Da Nang Enterprise Registration Office (under the Department of Finance, formerly the Department of Planning and Investment) for the ERC, with typical processing of 5 to 7 working days.^[3] Projects inside Da Nang Hi-Tech Park file with that park's management board; projects inside the Da Nang Free Trade Zone follow a simplified establishment process that does not require an Investment Registration Certificate before the entity is formed.^[2]
3. File for the Enterprise Registration Certificate, or ERC. This creates the Vietnamese legal entity and issues the tax code and company seal together.
4. Finalise the Investment Registration Certificate, or IRC, if required. Standard filings outside the Free Trade Zone typically take around 15 working days; Free Trade Zone entities complete investment procedures for their specific project only after the entity is already established.^[2]
5. Register the tax code and digital signature, then open the corporate bank account. A local bank account is required for any transaction above VND 20 million to qualify for tax deduction.
6. Contribute charter capital within 90 days of the ERC. The declared figure becomes a binding obligation under the Law on Enterprises 2020.
7. Register for social insurance once you hire staff in Da Nang. Mandatory from the first employee, with no grace period.

Realistic total for a standard foreign-owned LLC: 3 to 7 weeks from document legalisation to a usable bank account, generally the fastest of Vietnam's three major cities.

Where to register in Da Nang: wards and zones after the 2025 merger

On 1 July 2025, Da Nang absorbed the former Quang Nam province, and the combined city eliminated the district level in favour of a two-tier city and ward/commune structure covering roughly 92 commune-level units across the enlarged area.^[4] Da Nang's original urban core, centred on Hai Chau, kept a simplified set of wards. As with the other 2025 mergers nationally, this mainly changes registered addresses rather than the registration process itself.

Location	Best for	Notes
Hai Chau (city centre)	Consulting, trading, tourism-linked business, regional offices	Da Nang's commercial core; most accessible for standard city-authority filings
Da Nang IT Park / An Phu	Software, BPO, IT services	Established base for Da Nang's software and outsourcing sector
Da Nang Hi-Tech Park (DHTP)	R&D, hi-tech manufacturing	Preferential CIT incentives for qualifying projects, similar in structure to Vietnam's other national hi-tech parks; dedicated management board[5]
Da Nang Free Trade Zone	Trade, logistics, high-tech R&D, semiconductors, AI	Newly established under Resolution 136/2024/QH15; some of the strongest incentives nationally, including non-tariff-zone customs treatment and no IRC requirement before entity formation[2]

Required documents for Da Nang company registration

For the foreign corporate shareholder:

• Certificate of incorporation or business registration of the parent company, legalised for use in Vietnam
• Charter or articles of association of the foreign parent
• Audited financial statements or bank confirmation of financial capacity
• Board resolution approving the Da Nang investment

For the legal representative and any resident director:

• Passport copies, notarised if signing remotely
• CV, sometimes requested for conditional sectors or Hi-Tech Park applications

Local documents prepared during filing:

• Investment project proposal (for the IRC, where required)
• Lease agreement for the registered office, confirmed against the correct post-2025 ward
• Charter of the new Vietnamese company
• Power of attorney for any remote signing

Charter capital, the 90 day rule, and Free Trade Zone incentives

There is no general statutory minimum charter capital under the Law on Enterprises 2020, and this applies the same way in Da Nang as anywhere else in the country.^[6] Whatever capital you declare must be fully contributed within 90 days of the Enterprise Registration Certificate being issued.

The Da Nang Free Trade Zone offers the highest tier of corporate income tax incentive available under current law for qualifying projects, alongside land-rent exemptions and reductions similar to Vietnam's economic zones, non-tariff-zone-equivalent customs treatment, and project terms of up to 70 years.^[2] High-tech R&D, AI, and semiconductor projects specifically can access preferential rates within the zone. Da Nang Hi-Tech Park offers its own preferential CIT structure for qualifying projects outside the Free Trade Zone. Both are worth sizing your investment plan around before you decide where to register.

Costs and timeline at a glance

The cost stack for a typical foreign-invested LLC in Da Nang:

1. Government registration fees: nominal, around VND 50,000 for the ERC (often waived for online filings) plus a VND 100,000 public-announcement fee. The annual business licence fee was abolished nationwide from 1 January 2026.^[7]
2. Professional incorporation services: typically USD 1,000 to 5,000 depending on entity type and whether the filing is standard, Hi-Tech Park, or Free Trade Zone.
3. Document legalisation and translation: roughly USD 100 per document.
4. Company seal and digital signature: seal carving around USD 8 to 20; digital signature around USD 60 to 100 per year.
5. Office lease: Da Nang is the most affordable of Vietnam's three major cities for office space. Overall asking rents average around USD 13 per square metre per month (closer to USD 16 in the Hai Chau CBD), with Grade A space running roughly USD 20 to 35 or more per square metre per month.^[8]
6. First-year tax and accounting compliance: ongoing monthly or quarterly filings once the tax code is active.

End-to-end timeline: 3 to 7 weeks for a standard filing, generally the fastest and least expensive of Vietnam's three major cities on both registration and occupancy cost.

Common Da Nang company registration pitfalls (and how MSA Asia helps)

Filing with the wrong authority. Confusing the standard city process with the distinct paths for Da Nang Hi-Tech Park or the Free Trade Zone is a common source of delay, since each has its own office and its own rules.

Assuming Free Trade Zone rules apply outside it. The zone's simplified entity-formation process and top-tier incentives are specific to that zone; a standard Da Nang LLC outside the zone follows the ordinary national IRC/ERC process.

Address confusion after the 2025 merger. Older documents, leases, and counterparty records may still reference the former Quang Nam province or pre-2025 ward names in the Da Nang core. Confirming the current administrative address before filing avoids a rejected application.

Underestimating hiring compliance because costs look low. Da Nang's lower office and living costs sometimes lead founders to under-plan social insurance and payroll compliance, which apply at the same rates and rules as the rest of the country regardless of local cost of living.

How MSA Asia helps. We confirm the correct filing authority and zone for your project, assess Free Trade Zone and Hi-Tech Park eligibility where relevant, and keep your documents aligned to Da Nang's current post-2025 addressing.

Why foreign companies choose MSA Asia for Da Nang company registration

MSA Asia supports Da Nang company registration as part of our nationwide Vietnam practice, covering standard city filings, Da Nang Hi-Tech Park, and the new Free Trade Zone. What a typical end-to-end engagement covers:

• Pre-filing structuring: entity choice, zone selection (standard city authority vs Hi-Tech Park vs Free Trade Zone), capital sizing against available incentives
• Document preparation: legalisation coordination, certified translation, charter and investment-project drafting
• Filing and licensing: submission to the correct Da Nang authority, liaison throughout, seal carving
• Tax and digital signature registration: tax code activation, digital signature setup
• Banking: corporate bank account opening support
• Post-registration: first-year accounting, payroll setup, social insurance registration

Da Nang company registration vs Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi

Da Nang is Vietnam's third major city, smaller than Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi but with the lowest office and operating costs of the three, a fast and centralised registration process, and a growing profile in software, BPO, and now trade and high-tech investment through its new Free Trade Zone. Ho Chi Minh City remains the largest commercial and financial hub, and Hanoi the strongest choice for government-facing business. For founders prioritising speed and cost over market size, or specifically targeting the Free Trade Zone's incentives, Da Nang is increasingly competitive with the two larger cities.

Key takeaways

Five things to lock in before you file your Da Nang company registration:

1. Entity type. LLC for most foreign-invested business, JSC for capital-raising, RO for pre-trading tourism/market entry, Branch only in licensed sectors.
2. Filing authority. Confirm up front whether your project files with the standard city Enterprise Registration Office, Da Nang Hi-Tech Park's management board, or the Free Trade Zone authority.
3. Free Trade Zone eligibility. If your project fits trade, logistics, or high-tech R&D, the Free Trade Zone's simplified process and incentives are worth evaluating before defaulting to a standard filing.
4. Address accuracy. Confirm your registered address uses the correct post-2025 administrative area, especially if it falls within the former Quang Nam province.
5. Capital and timing. No statutory minimum charter capital outside conditional sectors, but size it to your business lines and plan the 90-day contribution deadline.

Da Nang company registration: terminology, agents, and what foreign investors actually need

Foreign investors search for this under many labels: Da Nang company registration, set up a company in Da Nang, Da Nang Free Trade Zone registration, Da Nang Hi-Tech Park investment, or simply how to register a business in Da Nang as a foreigner. The underlying national process is the same two-certificate filing described above; what is genuinely different about Da Nang in 2026 is the Free Trade Zone's simplified route.

Working with a company registration agent in Da Nang

Most foreign-invested companies do not file directly with Da Nang's Enterprise Registration Office, Hi-Tech Park board, or Free Trade Zone authority; they retain a registration agent who manages the dossiers, tax and digital-signature registration, and bank account opening. MSA Asia provides full Da Nang company registration services, including routing projects to the correct zone-specific authority.

2026 specifics: the Free Trade Zone, the new Investment Law, and the Quang Nam merger

What is worth knowing in 2026: the Da Nang Free Trade Zone, established under Resolution No. 136/2024/QH15 effective 1 January 2025, offers Vietnam's strongest available incentive tier for qualifying trade, logistics, and high-tech projects; the Investment Law No. 143/2025/QH15, effective 1 March 2026, lets investors obtain the ERC before finalising the IRC nationally; and the 2025 merger folded the former Quang Nam province into an expanded Da Nang under a direct two-tier city and ward structure.

Frequently asked questions about Da Nang company registration

Which authority handles company registration in Da Nang?

Standard filings go through the Da Nang Enterprise Registration Office under the Department of Finance (formerly the Department of Planning and Investment). Projects inside Da Nang Hi-Tech Park file with that park's management board, and projects inside the Da Nang Free Trade Zone follow a separate, simplified establishment process.

How long does Da Nang company registration take in 2026?

3 to 7 weeks for a standard foreign-owned LLC, generally the fastest of Vietnam's three major cities. The Enterprise Registration Certificate itself typically takes 5 to 7 working days once a complete dossier is submitted.

What is the Da Nang Free Trade Zone?

A zone established under Resolution No. 136/2024/QH15, effective 1 January 2025, offering some of Vietnam's strongest investment incentives: the top tier of corporate income tax incentives available under current law, land-rent exemptions similar to economic zones, non-tariff-zone-equivalent customs treatment, project terms of up to 70 years, and no requirement for an Investment Registration Certificate before the entity is formed.

What changed with Da Nang's 2025 administrative restructuring?

On 1 July 2025, Da Nang absorbed the former Quang Nam province and eliminated the district level in favour of a two-tier city and ward/commune structure, with roughly 92 commune-level units across the enlarged area. This mainly affects registered addresses rather than the registration process itself.

How much does office space cost in Da Nang?

Da Nang is the most affordable of Vietnam's three major cities for office space. Overall asking rents average around USD 13 per square metre per month, closer to USD 16 in the Hai Chau city centre, with Grade A space running roughly USD 20 to 35 or more per square metre per month, well below Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City equivalents.

Is Da Nang a good alternative to Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi for foreign company registration?

For businesses prioritising lower costs, faster standard processing, or the Free Trade Zone's incentives, yes. For businesses that need the largest possible domestic market or the deepest government access, Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi respectively still have the edge. Many software, BPO, tourism, and increasingly trade or high-tech investors find Da Nang's cost and speed advantages decisive.