Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam has for the first time released a list ofsectors which foreign investors are restricted or banned from accessing.

The list was issued along with Government Decree No 31/2021/ND-CP datedMarch 26, 2021.

The list specifies 25 business lines prohibited for foreign investors, includingtrading in goods and services subject to State monopoly; press activities andinformation gathering in any form; fishing; judicial administration services;temporary import for re-export activities; and tourism services, except forinbound tourism services for international visitors.

Meanwhile, there are 59 business lines where market access for foreign investorsis conditional, for example the production and distribution of culturalproducts, including visual recordings; the production, distribution, andbroadcasting of TV programmes and music, stage performances, and motion pictureworks; postal and telecoms services; educational services; the exploration,extraction, and processing of natural resources, minerals, and oil and gas;hydropower, offshore wind power, and nuclear energy; and gambling and the casinobusiness, among others.

The release of the list of restricted sector was a daunting effort, as it was quite complexand time-consuming to identify business lines restricted to foreign investors inaccordance with Vietnam’s international commitments, according to Tran ThiThanh Huyen, a lawyer from NHQuang and Associates.

Investors can make a decision only if they know what they are allowed todo and under what conditions, she said.

Foreign investors are treated as domestic investors in terms of marketentry conditions when investing in business lines that do not fall within eitherof the two lists.

The decree took effect on the date of issuance./.