Vietnam Moves To Tax Crypto Trades - Who Pays And How Much

Vietnam Moves To Tax Crypto Trades – Who Pays And How Much

In Brief

• Vietnam plans a 0.1% tax on crypto transactions.
• Individuals pay per trade, while companies face separate tax rules.
• The move signals tighter regulation of crypto markets.

Vietnam is moving one step closer to formally regulating cryptocurrency trading, as the country’s Ministry of Finance released a draft circular proposing a 0.1% tax on crypto asset transfers, a structure that mirrors how the government currently taxes stock trades.

According to reports by Hanoi Times and Vietnam Law & Legal Forum, the proposal is part of Vietnam’s five-year pilot program for crypto assets, launched in September 2025, and it answers a key question for traders wondering how crypto would be taxed if the market went mainstream.

How The Proposed Crypto Tax Works

Under the draft framework, crypto transfers and trading would not be subject to value-added tax (VAT). Instead, taxation would focus on transaction activity itself.

For individual investors, regardless of residency status, a 0.1% personal income tax would apply to the value of each transaction, not profits, and the authorities would collect tax per transfer, similar to stock trading turnover taxes.

Corporate investors based in Vietnam would pay a 20% corporate income tax to net profits, and the taxable income would equal the selling price minus purchase cost and related expenses.

Finally, foreign corporate investors would pay a 0.1% tax on transfer value, rather than on profits.

The draft defines crypto assets as digital assets that rely on cryptographic or digital technology for creation, storage, authentication, and transfer.

Why This Matters For Crypto’s Future In Vietnam

By aligning crypto taxation with securities trading, Vietnam is effectively treating crypto as a legitimate financial asset as opposed to a legal gray area. This also fits into the country’s tightly controlled pilot model.

Additionally, all crypto offerings, trading, and payments during the pilot phase must be conducted in Vietnamese đồng, and exchanges face steep entry requirements. To operate a digital asset exchange, companies would need a minimum charter capital of VND10 trillion (about $408 million), which is far higher than in many traditional industries.

The new regulations would also cap foreign ownership in exchanges at 49%, reinforcing domestic oversight.

What Comes Next

The draft is currently open for public consultation, meaning details could still change. But directionally, this points to Vietnam’s goal to make crypto activity onshore, taxable, and tightly regulated.

For traders, it suggests that crypto in Vietnam may become more expensive to trade, but also more stable and legally recognized.