The report highlights challenges in business procedures, with companies facing strict requirements on tax compliance, inventory ratios, invoicing, and accounting. Mistakes can lead to heavy fines or criminal liability.

In addition, according to HUBA, businesses have difficulty meeting the conditions if they purchase goods from units with tax risks. They must ensure that inventory does not exceed the prescribed rate, meet regulations on invoices and documents (the time of issuing invoices immediately after receiving money), keep accounting books, and make tax settlement declarations. 

Any error can be punished with a high fine, possibly involving criminal liability.

For business registration, the business registration authority requires that enterprises must have a specific, clear business address with ownership rights.

In many cases, authorities do not accept the establishment of business headquarters in apartment buildings, even on the ground floor, separate from other apartments. Businesses in some fields are required a practice certificate, and the exam passing rate for a practice certificate in some fields is only 20 percent.

Regarding business resolution procedures, the biggest difficulty lies in the finalization of the tax code. The processing time is often quite long (especially for units with tax risks). It leads to the situation of "the enterprise dies but cannot be buried".

The association recommends that the State continue to reform administrative procedures to enhance the sense of responsibility, focus on service attitude and promote digital transformation. 

In particular, it should focus on training civil servants about public service ethics and codes of conduct to build an administrative system that is service-oriented and creative while still ensuring the requirements of state management.

Additionally, there must be regular monitoring and evaluation processes, along with strict reward and disciplinary policies for all agencies, units, and individuals to promote positive behavior, address shortcomings, and minimize the persistent issues of responsibility avoidance and work shirking among some public officials, HUBA’s report stated.

Statistics showed that, in the first five months of 2025, HCM City recorded 13,894 newly established businesses with a total registered capital of VND79,625 billion, down 31.4 percent in quantity and 54 percent in capital compared to the same period in 2024. Meanwhile, additional registered capital reached VND234,131 billion, up 89.7 percent.

As many as 1,534 businesses dissolved during the same time (up 8.4 percent), 20,382 businesses temporarily suspended operations (up 6.7 percent), and 7,583 businesses resumed operations, equivalent to the same period last year.

Nguyen Le