Vietnam cryptocurrency tax guide

What this guide covers

This guide covers Vietnam's crypto tax framework for the 2025-2026 period: a pilot market structure established in September 2025, followed by a specific individual tax circular in March 2026. The General Department of Taxation's own site (gdt.gov.vn) and the circulars' own Vietnamese-language text weren't directly fetched in this research pass. This is educational information, not individualized tax advice.

Tax treatment of cryptocurrency

Vietnam now taxes crypto transfers at a flat rate on the full transaction amount — not on your actual profit. For years, crypto assets occupied an ambiguous legal position in Vietnam, not formally recognized as currency or a regulated asset. On 9 September 2025, the Government issued Resolution 05/2025/NQ-CP, establishing a pilot framework that formally recognizes and regulates crypto-asset trading for the first time. The Ministry of Finance followed with Circular 32/2026/TT-BTC (27 March 2026), which sets the actual individual tax mechanics: a 0.1% personal income tax on the gross transfer price of each transaction, for both resident and non-resident individuals, when trading through a licensed crypto-asset service provider. Critically, this is calculated on the full transaction value, not on your gain or loss — the tax applies even on a transaction that loses money.

Common taxable events

• Any sale or transfer of a crypto asset through a licensed provider, by a resident or non-resident individual — taxed at 0.1% of the gross transfer price, regardless of whether the transaction was profitable.

Potentially non-taxable events

• Crypto-asset transfers and trading activity are reported as not subject to VAT.
• Simply buying and holding crypto isn't a taxable event.

Tax rates and thresholds

Individuals (resident and non-resident): 0.1% personal income tax on the gross transfer price per transaction. Vietnamese corporate sellers: 20% corporate income tax on actual gains (proceeds minus purchase cost and valid transfer expenses), with preferential 15% or 17% rates available if annual revenue thresholds are met. Foreign corporate sellers using a licensed provider: 0.1% CIT on gross transfer value per transaction, mirroring the individual rate. No VAT applies to crypto transfers.

Cost basis and calculation

For individuals, cost basis is irrelevant to the tax calculation itself — the 0.1% rate applies to the gross transfer price regardless of your acquisition cost or whether the transaction was profitable. This differs sharply from a typical capital-gains model and is worth understanding before trading: high-frequency trading can generate a meaningful tax drag even without net profit, since every transaction is taxed on its full value.

Reporting and compliance

• A separate implementing circular, Circular 41/2026/TT-BTC (6 April 2026), reportedly covers declaration, withholding, payment, and finalization obligations — not independently confirmed in detail in this pass.
• Licensing and registration obligations for platforms operating under the 2025 pilot framework are a separate, business-facing regulatory question distinct from individual tax reporting, and outside this guide's scope.

Residency and cross-border issues

The 0.1% individual rate is reported as applying to both resident and non-resident individuals using a licensed Vietnamese provider — an unusually broad scope. This guide doesn't detail how a non-resident's home-country tax treatment might interact with this.

Example

This example is hypothetical, for illustration only. An Nguyen sells crypto worth 100,000,000 VND through a licensed Vietnamese provider, regardless of whether that sale produced a gain or a loss. The tax is 0.1% of 100,000,000 VND = 100,000 VND, calculated on the transaction's gross value, not on any profit An made on the trade.

Official resources

• General Department of Taxation (GDT): https://gdt.gov.vn/

Limitations and review information

Tax year covered: 2025-2026. Last verified: October 28, 2026. Known limitation: gdt.gov.vn and the circulars' own Vietnamese-language text weren't directly fetched — this guide relies on a Baker McKenzie client alert and a Vietnamese news summary, both read directly. The pilot framework is reported as time-limited (a multi-year pilot period), so this regime may change before a permanent policy is adopted. This is educational information only, not individualized tax advice — confirm current specifics directly with the General Department of Taxation or a qualified Vietnamese tax professional.