Vietnam plans to launch its first regulated crypto and digital asset market as early as the third quarter of 2026. Officials said the framework will bring trading activity under formal oversight after years of limited official rules in the sector.
Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen Duc Chi announced the timeline at the Digital Trust in Finance 2026 forum on May 12. He said the government is working with financial regulators and security agencies to prepare rules for digital asset trading.
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Vietnam Advances Digital Asset Market Framework
This plan comes as Vietnam moves ahead to regulate crypto platforms more clearly. As the country readies its official market activity, authorities have approved five companies to assist run trading platforms. The move backs reforms for the digital economy.
According to Chi, by the third quarter of this year Vietnam may have the first trials of its crypto asset market. He said that the framework would be built around transparency, investor protection, and stronger finance management by regulators. As per the framework, it also included tax, customs, and budget systems.
Vietnam’s national digital economy targets by 2030 align with the digital asset plan. Officials want the digital economy to contribute a minimum of 30% of GDP. Targeting to reduce 80% of transactions, and engage more than 40% of an enterprise in innovation activities
According to a Reuters report, five companies that applied to get a crypto exchange license successfully passed the first qualification stage in March.
It consists of companies affiliated with Techcombank, VPBank, LPBank, VIX Securities, and Sun Group. In August of this year, Vietnam had opened an application for licenses to crypto exchanges.
Licensed Digital Asset Platforms Face New Tax Rules
The licensing process provides a route for local businesses to enter the regulated digital asset market. This transition is about moving crypto trading into licensed platforms away from grey channels. The framework proposed suggested that only companies located in Vietnam could engage in exchange activities.
The trading of items is additionally entailed in the tax coverage. The initiative will impose a 0.1% tax on every transaction via licensed platforms. Crypto trades would be treated like stock market transactions by the tax regime by the authorities.
The draft framework would apply to corporate investors under a separate set of rules. Companies that profit from crypto transactions will continue to pay a 20% corporate tax after costs and expenses. The interest has also been expressed in exempting such transactions from value-added tax.
However, this does not mean that cryptocurrencies will be authorized as a form of payment inside Vietnam. Even if the two countries establish a monetary swap, all transactions and settlements still have to be carried out in the Vietnamese dong.
Last year, Vietnam introduced a five-year pilot, and the latest measures direct digital asset activity to official financial regulation.
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