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Should you choose an LLC or a joint stock company?

The answer depends on how you intend to raise capital and on how many people are putting money in. It does not depend on your line of business.

If you are opening a restaurant, a language centre or a small workshop with relatives or a few close friends, a công ty TNHH (a limited liability company), with one member or with two or more, is the better fit.

If you have a project that needs capital from several outside investors and you want to scale up substantially, a công ty cổ phần (a joint stock company) is the only form permitted to issue shares.

Why choose an LLC for a family or small to mid-sized business

A công ty TNHH lets the owner keep full control of the management structure, with no risk of outsiders taking the company over.

Transfers of capital are tightly controlled: a member wishing to transfer their stake must first offer it to the other members before selling outside.

Tax, accounting and members' council procedures are simpler and more flexible than in a joint stock company.

Why choose a joint stock company when you need capital and scale

A công ty cổ phần is the only form allowed to issue shares in order to raise capital from new investors.

A joint stock company needs at least three shareholders, with no upper limit.

In exchange, its governance is stricter: it must have a general meeting of shareholders, a board of management and, depending on the model chosen, a supervisory board, together with stricter financial transparency requirements than an LLC.

What the company formation file contains

Whether you choose an LLC or a joint stock company, the enterprise registration file now follows Nghị định 168/2025/NĐ-CP (Decree 168/2025) on enterprise registration, and consists of:

- The Giấy đề nghị đăng ký doanh nghiệp (the enterprise registration application), on the form issued with Thông tư 121/2026/TT-BTC. - The Điều lệ công ty (the company charter), drafted under Luật Doanh nghiệp 2020 (the Law on Enterprises) and Luật 76/2025/QH15, which amends it. - The Danh sách thành viên (the list of members) for an LLC with two or more members, or the list of founding shareholders for a joint stock company. - The list of chủ sở hữu hưởng lợi (the beneficial owners) of the enterprise, on Mẫu số 10 (form 10) issued with Thông tư 121/2026/TT-BTC. A beneficial owner is an individual who directly or indirectly holds 25% or more of the charter capital or of the voting shares, or who controls the enterprise (article 17 of Decree 168/2025 as amended by Nghị định 296/2026/NĐ-CP, Decree 296/2026). - A valid copy of the CCCD (the Vietnamese citizen identity card) or of a passport still in date, for the legal representative and for each contributing member or shareholder, only where their personal identification number has not been declared (clauses 3 and 4 of article 24 of Decree 168/2025).

Which authority receives the file in Gia Lai

An enterprise with its registered office in Gia Lai files with the Phòng Doanh nghiệp và Kinh tế tập thể (the Enterprise and Collective Economy Division) at Sở Tài chính tỉnh Gia Lai (the Gia Lai provincial Department of Finance), 181-183 Lê Hồng Phong, Phường Quy Nhơn. Telephone 0256.3903666.

After the administrative reform, Sở Kế hoạch và Đầu tư (the former Department of Planning and Investment) no longer receives enterprise registration files; that function has passed to Sở Tài chính.

Six common mistakes that get a do-it-yourself file rejected

1. Business line codes: registering a level-four code that does not match the Hệ thống ngành kinh tế Việt Nam (the Vietnamese standard industrial classification) currently in force.

2. Registered office address: using an apartment that is for residential use only, or an address that does not exist on the ground.

3. An out-of-date charter: still using clauses from the Luật Doanh nghiệp 2014, which is no longer in force.

4. Faulty legal documents: an expired CCCD or passport, or details that do not match the national population database.

5. Charter capital declared out of proportion to the real scale of the business, which causes tax problems later.

6. Data entry errors online: the whole file now has to be keyed into the electronic system across many complex fields, which is why do-it-yourself filings are often sent back more than once.

How long processing actually takes

By law, an enterprise registration file is processed in three working days. At Tư Vấn Sao Việt the processing time is three working days for the business licence; there is also an express package that issues it in one day, for a surcharge agreed with you.

Service fees at Tư Vấn Sao Việt

Company formation, all inclusive: 2.000.000 đồng.

Household business registration: 1.000.000 đồng.

Conversion of company form: 1.500.000 đồng.

Amendment of the business licence: 500.000 đồng per amendment.

Company dissolution (the filing itself): 2.000.000 đồng.

Accounting service: 500.000 đồng per month.

Express package, licence in one day: surcharge as agreed.

Where we work

Tư Vấn Sao Việt handles enterprise registration throughout Gia Lai province as it now stands after the merger, covering the former Bình Định and Gia Lai areas, with the administrative centre in Quy Nhơn. Call before travelling so that we can confirm the area and arrange a time.

The process

1. Advice on the company form We advise on LLC or joint stock company based on your line of business, the number of people contributing capital, and your plans for raising more.
2. Drafting the legal file We draft the Giấy đề nghị đăng ký doanh nghiệp, the Điều lệ, the list of members or shareholders and the list of beneficial owners on Mẫu số 10, issued with Thông tư 121/2026/TT-BTC.
3. Filing and collecting the licence We file on your behalf with the Phòng Doanh nghiệp và Kinh tế tập thể at Sở Tài chính tỉnh Gia Lai and collect the Giấy chứng nhận đăng ký doanh nghiệp.
4. Support after formation Company seal, tax registration, bank account opening, e-invoices, digital signature.