Vietnam is preparing to implement a 0.1% tax on cryptocurrency transactions, treating digital assets similarly to stocks. This move comes as the National Assembly ratified an amendment to the Personal Income Tax Law, which will take effect on July 1, 2026. The new legislation marks the formal inclusion of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum into Vietnam's tax framework.
The 0.1% tax will be levied on the gross transaction value of all digital asset transfers, regardless of whether the trade results in a profit or loss. This mechanism mirrors the tax applied to stock and gold bullion transfers. The tax applies to all individual traders, whether they live in Vietnam or abroad. For Vietnamese companies profiting from crypto asset sales, a 20% corporate income tax will be applied to the selling price, minus the original purchase price and any direct costs associated with the sale. Foreign companies trading digital currencies via Vietnamese service providers will also face a 0.1% corporate income tax based on revenue from each sale.
This regulatory step aligns with the government's broader initiative, outlined in Resolution 05 issued on September 9, 2025, to pilot and tightly regulate the emerging crypto asset market. Academic studies suggest that the domestic crypto trading volume in Vietnam reaches tens of billions of US dollars annually. The 0.1% tax could generate hundreds of millions of US dollars in annual budget revenue, assuming the current market scale is maintained.
The new law follows the June 2025 codification of "digital assets" in the Digital Technology Industry Law, which classifies assets into three categories: Virtual Assets, Cryptographic Assets, and Other Digital Assets. A formal definition of crypto assets has been provided, describing them as digital assets relying on cryptographic or similar technologies for issuance, storage, and transfer verification.
In addition to the tax regulations, Vietnam plans to license five domestic crypto exchanges and has established a Crypto Asset Market Management Board under the State Securities Commission to ensure strict regulatory oversight and investor protection. The Ministry of Finance has also introduced stringent requirements for operators, including a minimum charter capital of 10 trillion Vietnamese dong (approximately $408 million) for firms seeking to run a digital asset exchange. Foreign ownership in these exchanges will be capped at 49%.
Vietnam intends to conduct a five-year pilot program for the cryptocurrency market, commencing in September 2025, where all digital currency transactions must be conducted using Vietnamese dong. However, as of October 6, 2025, no companies had applied to participate in the pilot, citing high capital requirements and strict eligibility conditions. Vietnam ranks fourth globally in crypto adoption. The proposed regulations are currently available for public review on the Ministry of Finance's online portal.