What does the General Department of Taxation say?

Recently, the unexpected travel bans imposed on leaders of many large businesses in Vietnam due to tax arrears have sparked debate about the role of travel bans in tax debt recovery. In some exceptional cases, even business leaders with very small tax debts, ranging from a few hundred thousand to a few million dong, have been prohibited from leaving the country.

Some argue that strong measures are necessary for businesses that deliberately delay or refuse to pay taxes. However, many businesses are upset that their executives are being denied exit from the country despite owing only a small amount of taxes.

Mr. Dang Ngoc Minh, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Taxation, answers questions at the press conference. (Photo: DM/General Department of Taxation)

You may also like

The Tax Department advises citizens to check their tax identification numbers to avoid impersonation.The tax authorities urge citizens to proactively check their tax identification numbers as well as the business or household business registered under their name to promptly detect cases of impersonation and avoid unnecessary tax obligations.

Quang Ninh province collected over 38.1 trillion VND in taxes for the first six months of the year.In the first six months of 2026, Quang Ninh province's tax revenue collection is estimated at 38,184 billion VND, equivalent to 68% of the statutory budget estimate, 51% of the provincial People's Committee's revenue management plan, reaching 132% of the six-month revenue target and increasing by 180% compared to the same period in 2025.

Video: Car reverses recklessly, violently hitting motorcyclist and sending him flying several meters.TPO - An electric car reversed from the sidewalk, allegedly due to mistakenly pressing the accelerator instead of the brake, leading to a collision with a motorbike and a car equipped with a dashcam that was traveling on the road. The strong impact sent the motorbike driver flying and falling onto the road. The accident occurred in Hanoi.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Dang Ngoc Minh, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Taxation, affirmed that the law does not define what constitutes a small or large tax debt.

Regulations on temporarily suspending exit from the country for individuals with outstanding tax debts have been in place for many years. Most recently, the 2020 Tax Administration Law and the Law on Exit and Entry of Vietnamese Citizens (effective from July 2020) also include provisions on temporarily suspending exit from the country for individuals with tax debts.

Mr. Minh stated that, according to current law, taxpayers with outstanding tax debts exceeding 90 days will be subject to enforcement measures, regardless of the size of the debt.

Furthermore, according to regulations, the application of a temporary travel ban means that the taxpayer (including individuals and businesses) is subject to tax enforcement. For legal entities subject to tax enforcement, if the legal entity has not yet fulfilled its tax obligations, the legal representative will be subject to a temporary travel ban.

Commenting on opinions that the measure of temporarily suspending exit from the country seems too harsh on business leaders, given that many directors are merely employees, the head of the General Department of Taxation said that these opinions were taken into account during the drafting of the Law on Tax Administration.

United States - Vietnam: Don't miss

Senior Party and State leaders send letters and telegrams congratulating the United States on its National Day.In congratulatory letters and messages on the US Independence Day, senior leaders of the Vietnamese Party and State reaffirmed that Vietnam considers the United States one of its strategically important partners.

Senior leaders of the Vietnamese Party and State send letters and telegrams congratulating the United States on its National Day.In congratulatory letters and messages on the US Independence Day, senior leaders of the Vietnamese Party and State reaffirmed that Vietnam considers the United States one of its strategically important partners.

Strengthening the friendship between Vietnam and the United States.On July 3rd, as part of the Pacific Partnership - Friends of the Pacific 2026 program, the U.S. Army Pacific delegation, led by Lieutenant General Joel Vowell, Deputy Commander of the U.S. Army Pacific, paid a courtesy visit to the Quang Tri Provincial Military Command.

"The law already stipulates this. If an individual is responsible for representing and managing a legal entity, and that entity owes taxes, that individual must be temporarily suspended from leaving the country until the legal entity fulfills its tax obligations," Mr. Minh said.

Temporary travel bans are one of the measures used to collect tax debts, but it's only a minor measure and not the strongest one. The measure most frequently applied by tax authorities is suspending the use of invoices. This measure is much more powerful. Many large businesses and systems are immediately affected when their invoice usage is suspended. It's a tool the state provides to the tax sector to protect the interests of the national budget.

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/tong-cuc-thue-bat-ke-no-thue-lon-hay-nho-deu-bi-tam-hoan-xuat-canh-post314209.html