FOREIGN-OWNED BUSINESS ESTABLISHMENT SERVICES (2026): SETTING UP A FOREIGN-INVESTED PACKAGING MANUFACTURING COMPANY IN VIETNAM
Vietnam has become an attractive manufacturing destination for foreign investors, especially in supporting industries such as packaging, printing, paper packaging, plastic packaging, carton boxes, flexible packaging, food packaging, export packaging and industrial packaging.
The growth of manufacturing, e-commerce, food processing, cosmetics, electronics, pharmaceuticals, logistics and export activities has increased demand for high-quality packaging products in Vietnam. For foreign investors, establishing a packaging manufacturing company can be a practical way to participate in Vietnam’s supply chain and serve both domestic and export-oriented customers.
However, packaging manufacturing is not only a normal company registration procedure. Depending on the materials, production technology, location, machinery, waste discharge, fire safety risk and end-use of the packaging products, investors may need to comply with investment registration, enterprise registration, factory leasing or construction rules, environmental procedures, fire prevention and fighting requirements, product safety requirements, EPR obligations, labor compliance and post-establishment reporting.
Therefore, before setting up a foreign-invested packaging manufacturing company in Vietnam, investors should prepare a clear legal roadmap based on the actual production model.
Prospective clients seeking assistance with procedures for setting up a packaging manufacturing company in Vietnam are kindly invited to contact Dai Quang Minh Law Firm via Hotline: 0932 191 299; Zalo: 0932 191 299; Email: info@quangminhlawfirm.com; Viber: (+84) 337 926 405; WhatsApp: (+84) 337 926 405; WeChat: (+84) 337 926 405 (ID: pouniverse) for complimentary consultation and comprehensive, efficient, and accurate legal services.
In addition, Dai Quang Minh Law Firm provides a wide range of services, including sub-licenses, business registration, investment, foreign labor, and ongoing legal advisory services for both domestic and foreign enterprises.
Contact:
- Zalo: 0932.191.299
- Gmail: info@quangminhlawfirm.com
- Viber: (+84) 337926405/ (+84) 869672216
- WhatsApp: (+84) 337926405/ (+84) 869672216
- Wechat: (+84) 337926405 (ID: _pouniverse)/ (+84) 869672216 (ID: DQM_Verna)
- Telegram: (+84) 337926405/ (+84) 869672216
- UNDERSTANDING THE LEGAL MODEL OF A PACKAGING MANUFACTURING COMPANY IN VIETNAM
The first step in setting up a packaging manufacturing company in Vietnam is to identify the exact business model.
A packaging manufacturing company may produce different products, including:
- Paper packaging;
- Carton boxes;
- Plastic packaging;
- Flexible packaging;
- Composite packaging;
- Labels and packaging accessories;
- Food packaging;
- Cosmetic packaging;
- Pharmaceutical packaging;
- Industrial packaging;
- Export packaging;
- Customized packaging for manufacturers, retailers or logistics companies.
This distinction is important because not all packaging manufacturing activities have the same compliance requirements.
For example, a company producing ordinary carton boxes for industrial use may have a different legal pathway from a company producing plastic packaging, food-contact packaging, pharmaceutical packaging or packaging involving printing, coating, lamination, ink, solvents, chemicals or high-temperature production processes.
Investors should therefore not describe the project too generally as “packaging production.” The investment scope should clearly identify the type of packaging, main materials, production capacity, machinery, factory location, technology, waste sources, customers and whether the products will be sold in Vietnam or exported.
A clear business model helps determine the correct investment scope, factory conditions, environmental procedures, fire safety requirements, product compliance obligations and long-term expansion plan.
I. CAN FOREIGN INVESTORS SET UP A PACKAGING MANUFACTURING COMPANY IN VIETNAM?
Foreign investors may generally establish a packaging manufacturing company in Vietnam, subject to Vietnam’s market access conditions and sector-specific requirements.
Under Vietnam’s Law on Investment 2020, foreign investors are generally entitled to market access conditions like domestic investors, except for sectors and trades where market access is not permitted or is conditional. Market access conditions may relate to foreign ownership ratio, investment form, scope of activities, investor capacity, partners or other requirements depending on the business sector.
In practice, ordinary packaging manufacturing is generally feasible for foreign investors. However, the investor must still review whether the project involves any regulated activities, such as printing, chemical use, plastic production, food-contact packaging, packaging for medical or pharmaceutical products, waste treatment, recycling, import of machinery or products subject to specialized management.
The investor should also determine whether the company will only manufacture packaging or will also import raw materials, export finished products, distribute packaging products in Vietnam, provide printing services, design packaging, or recycle packaging materials. Each activity may lead to different business lines and compliance requirements.
II. WHY CHOOSE DAI QUANG MINH LAWFIRM
With years of practical experience in legal consulting, Dai Quang Minh Law Firm is a pioneer in corporate support services, specializing in fast and affordable company formation. Below are the reasons to choose business registration services at Dai Quang Minh Law Office:
Human Resources: Established in September 2009, with over 15 years of practical experience, Dai Quang Minh Law Firm brings together a team of lawyers and legal experts with long-standing expertise in private economic groups nationwide.
Consulting Policy: Clients are gifted a completely free legal consulting package when using services at Dai Quang Minh Law Firm.
Professionalism and Experience: Dai Quang Minh Law Firm has a workforce with in-depth knowledge of business formation, ensuring a swift and accurate consulting process.
Time-Saving: Using Dai Quang Minh Law Firm's services helps you save precious time as we handle the entire process and related procedures.
Legal Insight: Dai Quang Minh Law Firm ensures that all relevant legal regulations are strictly followed in accordance with the law.
Customization: Our consulting services are highly adaptable to your specific needs, allowing you to choose options suitable for your business.
Trusted Partner: Dai Quang Minh Law Firm has built a reputation for providing affordable business setup consulting to many enterprises and individuals nationwide.
Confidentiality Assurance: Dai Quang Minh Law Firm is committed to the absolute protection of your personal and business information.
Detailed Support: Dai Quang Minh Law Firm provides detailed advice and support regarding the process and requirements to help you better understand business formation.
Process Optimization: Our consulting helps optimize the business setup process, minimizing potential risks and difficulties.
Excellent Customer Experience: Dai Quang Minh Law Firm is dedicated to providing the best customer experience through professional advice and enthusiastic support.
Focus on Business Plans: By utilizing our registration services, you can focus on developing your business plans and core activities instead of worrying about legal procedures.
III. PROCEDURE FOR SETTING UP A FOREIGN-INVESTED PACKAGING MANUFACTURING COMPANY
For foreign investors, the establishment process usually involves investment registration, enterprise registration and post-establishment procedures.
Investment registration
In many cases, a foreign investor must first apply for an Investment Registration Certificate before establishing the company.
For a manufacturing project, the investment registration dossier should clearly describe the investor, investment capital, project objectives, production scale, products, location, land or factory lease, machinery, technology, raw materials, labor demand, environmental impacts and implementation schedule.
According to Vietnam’s investment guidance for foreign-invested company establishment, where an investment policy approval is not required, the investor normally submits the application dossier to the provincial Department of Planning and Investment or the relevant Industrial Park Authority to apply for the Investment Registration Certificate.
For packaging manufacturing projects, the factory location is especially important. If the factory is located in an industrial zone, the Industrial Park Management Board may be the competent authority for certain investment and project procedures. If the project is outside an industrial zone, the investor must review land-use compatibility, planning, construction, environmental conditions and local approval requirements.
Enterprise registration
After obtaining the Investment Registration Certificate, the investor proceeds to establish the Vietnamese company and obtain the Enterprise Registration Certificate.
The Enterprise Registration Certificate gives the company legal entity status in Vietnam and records key corporate information such as company name, registered address, charter capital, legal representative and enterprise code.
However, company establishment alone does not mean the factory can immediately start production. The company must complete post-establishment procedures and satisfy applicable conditions before operating the manufacturing facility.
Post-establishment procedures
After incorporation, the company should complete tax registration, bank account opening, capital contribution, digital signature registration, e-invoice registration, accounting setup, company signboard and internal corporate documentation.
Depending on the project, the company may also need to review:
- Factory lease or land-use documents;
- Construction permits or renovation approvals;
- Environmental impact assessment, environmental license or environmental registration;
- Fire prevention and fighting design appraisal and acceptance;
- Workplace safety requirements;
- Import procedures for machinery and production lines;
- Labor registration and internal labor rules;
- Product safety requirements for food-contact or specialized packaging;
- EPR obligations for packaging placed on the Vietnamese market.
IV. KEY LEGAL ISSUES FOR PACKAGING MANUFACTURING PROJECTS
Factory location and industrial zone planning
Packaging manufacturing is normally better located in an industrial zone, industrial cluster or approved manufacturing area because factories may involve machinery, noise, wastewater, solid waste, printing materials, plastic materials, paper dust, storage areas and transportation activities.
Before signing a factory lease, the investor should confirm whether the premises are legally permitted for manufacturing, whether the landlord has proper land-use and construction documents, whether the factory has fire safety approval, and whether the intended packaging production is consistent with the zoning and environmental capacity of the location.
A common mistake is signing a long-term factory lease before checking whether the site is suitable for the intended manufacturing activity. This may lead to licensing delays, additional renovation costs or inability to obtain required environmental or fire safety approvals.
Environmental procedures
Environmental compliance is a core issue for packaging manufacturing projects.
The Law on Environmental Protection 2020 and Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP regulate environmental impact assessment, environmental licenses, environmental registration, waste management, environmental monitoring and environmental protection responsibilities for production and business activities. Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP also provides detailed guidance on project information, scale, technology, raw materials, fuel, water use, wastewater, waste treatment and environmental protection facilities in environmental dossiers.
The exact environmental procedure depends on the project scale, production technology, raw materials, chemicals, waste discharge, location and environmental risk. A packaging factory using paper cutting and carton assembly may be different from a factory using plastic extrusion, film blowing, printing, lamination, ink, solvents, coating or chemical adhesives.
Investors should identify environmental obligations early because certain environmental approvals may be required before construction, installation or official operation.
Fire prevention and fighting requirements
Packaging factories may have significant fire safety risks, especially where paper, carton, plastic film, ink, solvents, adhesive materials, combustible materials or large storage areas are involved.
Decree No. 136/2020/ND-CP requires fire prevention and fighting requirements to be considered in the preparation of construction or renovation projects and provides that certain projects and works must have fire prevention and fighting designs examined and approved. The result of fire prevention and fighting design appraisal may serve as a basis for construction design approval and construction permits.
Therefore, before leasing, renovating or constructing a packaging factory, investors should review whether the facility is subject to fire prevention and fighting design appraisal, acceptance, inspection or internal fire safety management requirements.
4Food-contact packaging and specialized packaging
If the company manufactures packaging materials that come into direct contact with food, additional food safety compliance may apply.
Decree No. 15/2018/ND-CP guides the Law on Food Safety and includes food containers and packaging materials in direct contact with food among product groups subject to self-declaration in certain cases. Food-contact packaging materials may also need testing and compliance with applicable technical regulations before being placed on the market.
If the company manufactures packaging for cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, chemicals or other specialized products, the investor should also review sector-specific requirements imposed by the customer’s industry. In practice, product safety, material specification, traceability, quality control and contractual warranties are important for specialized packaging.
Printing, labeling and design services
Many packaging manufacturers also provide printing, labeling or packaging design services. If the company prints labels, product information, commercial images, brand names or advertising content on packaging, it should review whether printing-related business lines, customer approvals, intellectual property rights and content compliance are properly handled.
The company should also ensure that it does not print infringing trademarks, misleading product claims or labels that violate product-specific regulations. Supplier and customer contracts should clearly allocate responsibility for label content, artwork, trademark use, regulatory claims and product information.
EPR and packaging recycling responsibilities
Vietnam’s environmental regulations include Extended Producer Responsibility, known as EPR, for certain products and packaging.
Under the Law on Environmental Protection 2020, organizations and individuals that produce or import recyclable products and packaging must recycle such products and packaging according to compulsory ratios and specifications, except for certain cases such as products and packaging produced or imported for export, temporary import for re-export, research, study or testing.
Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP provides further details on EPR, including the scope of consumer packaging, certain exemptions based on turnover or import value, recycling plans and reporting requirements. Newer EPR implementing regulations should also be reviewed, including Decree No. 110/2026/ND-CP, which further details responsibilities of producers and importers for recycling of products and packaging and treatment of waste.
For a packaging manufacturer, EPR analysis is important because obligations may depend on whether the company produces packaging for sale on the Vietnamese market, produces packaging only for export, produces packaging for other brand owners, or imports packaging or packaged products. Investors should not assume that all packaging manufacturing automatically leads to the same EPR responsibility. The business model and contractual allocation of responsibility should be reviewed carefully.
Prospective clients seeking assistance with procedures for setting up a packaging manufuturing company in Vietnam are kindly invited to contact Dai Quang Minh Law Firm via Hotline: 0932 191 299; Zalo: 0932 191 299; Email: info@quangminhlawfirm.com; Viber: (+84) 337 926 405; WhatsApp: (+84) 337 926 405; WeChat: (+84) 337 926 405 (ID: pouniverse) for complimentary consultation and comprehensive, efficient, and accurate legal services.
In addition, Dai Quang Minh Law Firm provides a wide range of services, including sub-licenses, business registration, investment, foreign labor, and ongoing legal advisory services for both domestic and foreign enterprises.
Contact:
- Zalo: 0932.191.299
- Gmail: info@quangminhlawfirm.com
- Viber: (+84) 337926405/ (+84) 869672216
- WhatsApp: (+84) 337926405/ (+84) 869672216
- Wechat: (+84) 337926405 (ID: _pouniverse)/ (+84) 869672216 (ID: DQM_Verna)
- Telegram: (+84) 337926405/ (+84) 869672216
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