LAW NO. 24/2026/QH16 DATED 24 AUGUST 2026 AMENDING AND SUPPLEMENTING A NUMBER OF ARTICLES OF THE LAW ON INVESTMENT
| Document type | Law |
|---|---|
| Number | 24/2026/QH16 |
| Issuing authority | National Assembly |
| Date of issuance | 24 August 2026 |
| General effective date | 1 March 2027 |
| Earlier effective provisions | Clause 1 Article 1 and Clause 1 Article 3: 1 January 2027 |
| Signed by | Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man |
On 24 August 2026, the National Assembly promulgated Law No. 24/2026/QH16 amending and supplementing a number of articles of Law on Investment No. 143/2025/QH15. The Law primarily adds a prohibited business activity, replaces the list of conditional business lines and makes several related amendments.
Key updates under Law No. 24/2026/QH16 include:
1. N₂O business for inhalation added to prohibited business activities
The Law prohibits the business of N₂O gas for human inhalation, except for medical purposes, food technology, testing, scientific research and other purposes prescribed by the Government.
This provision takes effect on 1 January 2027. The Government is assigned to provide detailed regulations on its scope of application.
2. Replacement of Appendix IV – List of conditional business lines
The Law replaces Appendix IV to Law on Investment No. 143/2025/QH15 with a new list comprising 137 conditional business lines. According to official introductory materials, the revision aims to further reduce, consolidate and standardize business conditions and reduce compliance costs.
- Certain business lines are consolidated or reworded to align with sector-specific legislation.
- The new list includes or clarifies areas such as services related to crypto-assets, personal data processing services and visa support services provided by authorized businesses.
- Enterprises should review their existing business lines to identify applicable conditions from 1 March 2027.
3. Transitional rules for business lines removed from the conditional list
For business lines that were conditional under Appendix IV to Law No. 143/2025/QH15 but are removed by Law No. 24/2026/QH16, organizations and individuals may conduct such business without satisfying the former investment business conditions. The Law also provides transitional treatment for existing permits and pending applications.
4. Transitional rules for N₂O business contracts
Existing contracts for N₂O business activities falling within the prohibition will cease to be effective from 1 January 2027. The parties must liquidate such contracts within a maximum period of 45 days from 1 January 2027 in accordance with civil law and other relevant regulations.
5. Related amendments to construction and road legislation
- Amendments are made to Clauses 1 and 2 of Article 88 of Law on Construction No. 135/2025/QH15 regarding positions requiring construction practice certificates and competency/experience requirements for certain project and site management positions.
- Clause 6 of Article 29 of Law on Roads No. 35/2024/QH15 (as amended) concerning training for road safety auditors is repealed.
6. What should enterprises do?
- Review registered business lines and existing permits/certificates against the new Appendix IV.
- Monitor Government regulations on N₂O and replacement management measures for business lines removed from the conditional list.
- Review pending licensing applications for business lines removed from the list to determine the applicable transitional treatment.
- For enterprises involved in N₂O transactions subject to the prohibition, review contracts before 1 January 2027 and prepare for liquidation within the statutory period.
7. Effective date
The Law generally takes effect on 1 March 2027. Clause 1 of Article 1 concerning N₂O and Clause 1 of Article 3 concerning transitional treatment of N₂O contracts take effect earlier, on 1 January 2027.
