APPLYING FOR A TRADE EXHIBITION LICENSE IN VIETNAM

Trade exhibition is one of the commercial promotion activities to promote and seek opportunities for the purchase or sale of goods and provision of services. This is an activity carried out in a concentrated manner for a long time and at a certain location for traders to display and introduce their goods/services.

Traders organise trade exhibitions including:

• trader organises exhibitions or organises for other traders, organisations, individuals participating in the trade exhibitions;
• trader, directly or hire other traders to organise trade exhibitions for their  products, services. 

The timeline for registering is from 30 to 365 days before the commencement date of the trade exhibition and it is registered at the provincial Department of Industry and Trade (“DOIT”) where the trade exhibition takes place. The registration result shall be issued around 47 working days after the date of submitting the dossier. 

To apply for the Exhibition According to Clause 6 Article 29 of Decree 81/2018/ND-CP, the content of the application requires the information, including but not limited to, of 

• organiser’s name;
• trade exhibition’s name and theme (if any);
• trade exhibitions time and location;
• trade exhibition expected scale;
• the display of counterfeit goods and intellectual property right-infringing goods; the conferment of awards and the grant of certificates of the quality and titles of goods or services.

In addition to the aforesaid conditions, a trade fair and exhibition organiser must meet the conditions of facilities in the trade fair and exhibition, such as 

• to display or introduce goods and exhibitions in standard booths (3mx3m);
• to fully provide the service for electricity, water, security and sanitary. 

Also, as requirements for compliance during the implementation of such business, the organiser is required to fulfil their obligations, including but not limited to:

• Exhibition Registration obligations with authority; 
• to handle complaints and feedback from the trade exhibition participants; 
• to provide detailed and precise information of the trade exhibition, including but not limited to, the information of displayed goods and activities in the trade fair
• to sell and to offer gifts; 
• to temporary export and re-import products and documentation and/ or services to display and introduce at trade exhibition; 
• to fulfil tax and financial obligations compliance with Vietnamese laws. 

On top of the above requirements, the trade fair and exhibition organiser is required to report the result of the trade exhibition to the Vietnam Trade Promotion Agency of DOIT within 30 days of the trade fair and exhibition's completion date. The organiser shall be fined from VND1,000,000 to VND5,000,000 if failing to comply with the report obligation to the authority.