Permits for ticketed events and performances in Vietnam are not a mere formality: a sold-out concert can still be ordered to stop right before showtime if it lacks the written approval to organize the performance. One misstep, and a business can face fines of tens of millions of dong, be forced to hand back its revenue, and have its performance activities suspended.
Which authority does your event apply to now that district-level government has been abolished nationwide since mid-2025? If you sell tickets you need approval, but does a free show inside a restaurant or amusement venue require anything at all? How many days ahead must you file to be in time, and what can you do if you are flagged at the last minute? These are the questions that many event, entertainment, restaurant and hotel businesses only get to ask once the tickets are printed and the artists are booked. The article below analyzes the current legal framework, the new 2026 authority structure, the approval procedure and the common risks, so that you can stay ahead instead of playing catch-up.
The written approval to organize a performance: the core permit for a ticketed event
Artistic performance activities in Vietnam are governed by Decree 144/2020/NĐ-CP. A concert, a liveshow, a music festival or a gala with artistic acts all fall within its scope, even when embedded in a commercial event such as a product launch or a customer appreciation night. What determines the procedure you must follow is not the name of the program, but who the program is aimed at and whether tickets are sold.
Decree 144/2020/NĐ-CP divides the organization of performances into several forms. A program serving political tasks, serving the internal needs of an agency, or performed at a tourism, recreation, entertainment or restaurant business without selling tickets only needs to complete a notification procedure. By contrast, a performance that does not fall into those groups, including any program that sells tickets to the public, must obtain a written approval from the competent state authority before it is held. In other words, the moment you sell tickets, you enter the group that must seek approval, not merely notify.
One point that is easy to overlook: the organizer must be a public non-business unit with a performance function, a professional association for performing arts, or an organization or individual that has registered the business line of artistic performance. If your company does not yet have this business line in its enterprise registration, the approval application can stumble at the very first eligibility condition, even if the program is entirely wholesome.
Licensing authority in 2026 after the abolition of the district level
This is the most notable and also the most confusing change in 2026. For a ticketed performance held within a single locality, the approving authority is the provincial People's Committee where the program takes place. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism only grants approval for programs within the framework of international cooperation of central-level professional associations or central-level public non-business performance units.
Since 1 July 2025, the whole country has moved to a two-tier local government model and the district level no longer exists. Decree 137/2025/NĐ-CP has redistributed authority in the field of culture, sports and tourism. For performance activities, the change lies in the notification step: the receipt of notifications for programs that only require notification, previously filed at the district-level People's Committee, is now handled by the commune-level People's Committee.
The key thing to remember, to avoid confusion: the shift to the commune level applies only to the notification step for non-ticketed programs. The written approval for ticketed programs is still issued by the provincial People's Committee as before. Decree 137/2025/NĐ-CP took effect on 1 July 2025 and applies until 1 March 2027, so this is the authority framework you should rely on for events during this period.
Application dossier and procedure for the written approval
The approval dossier is leaner than many people imagine, but its core, the script and the list of works, is where applications are most often returned. One dossier comprises:
- A written request to organize the artistic performance, using the template issued together with Decree 144/2020/NĐ-CP.
- The script and the list of works tied to their authors and to the person primarily responsible for the program's content. For foreign works, a Vietnamese translation with a certified signature of the translator must be attached.
As for the procedure, you submit one dossier in person, by post or online to the competent authority, following these steps:
- File the dossier at least 07 working days before the intended performance date.
- If the dossier is not valid, within 03 working days the competent authority will issue a written notice requesting completion.
- If the dossier is complete, within 05 working days from the date of receipt the competent authority appraises it and issues the written approval, and also posts it on the electronic information system. If approval is refused, it must reply in writing and state the reasons clearly.
- If you change the content after approval, you must send a written statement of reasons to the approving authority and await a reply within 02 working days. If you change only the time or venue, you must notify at least 02 working days before the date of the event.
The written approval is only one piece of the picture of organizing a ticketed event. Under Decree 144/2020/NĐ-CP, the organizer must also meet conditions on security, social order and safety, the environment, health, and fire prevention and fighting; the venue owner is likewise responsible for complying with security, order and fire-safety conditions at the place where the program is held. In addition, the organizer must fulfill obligations on copyright and related rights, that is, obtain permission and pay royalties for the musical works used. If the program features foreign artists, they need work permits and visas appropriate to the purpose of performing. Finally, revenue from ticket sales must be invoiced and declared for tax as required.
Legal risks and common mistakes when organizing a ticketed event
The biggest, and most expensive, risk is holding a performance without a written approval. This is not a theoretical danger. Decree 87/2026/NĐ-CP, effective from 15 May 2026 and replacing Decree 38/2021/NĐ-CP, sets out the penalty for this conduct clearly.
Note that this is the level of fine applied to individuals. For the same conduct, the fine for an organization is 02 times that for an individual, so a company that organizes an event without a permit can be fined from 70 to 80 million dong. It does not stop there: the violating party is also forced to surrender the illicit profits earned, that is, the revenue from the program, and may have its performance activities suspended. An event that is a commercial success in revenue can still turn into a heavy loss if it lacks the permit.
The second group of mistakes is performing in a way that does not match the approved content: adding acts, changing artists, or introducing content that is offensive compared with the approved script. Organizing a performance that does not match the content stated in the written approval is fined from 15 to 20 million dong for an individual and may be accompanied by suspension of performance activities, under Decree 87/2026/NĐ-CP. Arbitrarily erasing or altering the written approval is also a separately punishable act.
Third, many organizers forget that the state authority has the power to order a program to stop. Under Decree 144/2020/NĐ-CP, a program can be forced to stop if it has not been approved or notified as required, if its content breaches the prohibitions, or for reasons of national defense, security, natural disaster or epidemic. In that case, the organizer must refund tickets, bear the losses from contracts with artists and the venue, and suffer reputational damage that is hard to measure.
Finally, a common misconception needs correcting: many people think that "if you do not sell tickets, you do not have to do anything." In fact, a performance at a restaurant, an amusement venue or a tourism establishment, even without ticket sales, must still be notified to the commune-level People's Committee before it is held; failing to notify is also a punishable act. The line between "must notify" and "must seek approval" is exactly where businesses tend to misjudge, and a misjudgment here usually means a penalty decision.
DEDICA's role for businesses that organize events regularly
For a business that organizes liveshows, music festivals or events with performances on a regular basis, the legal burden lies not in a single application, but in repeating the right procedure for every program, at a time when the rules and the authority structure are still changing, as in the 2025 to 2026 period. This is where a retainer legal service, or an outsourced legal department, proves its value: DEDICA stays close to each event to identify exactly which procedure is required, gives early warning of deadlines, reviews the script and list of works so they match the registered content, and checks contracts with artists, venues, sponsors and ticketing providers. Every advisory output is reviewed by an experienced lawyer before it is sent, rather than relying on a single junior legal staff member.
Compared with the cost of a fine of several tens of millions of dong plus the forced return of revenue and suspension of performances, the cost of a regular preventive mechanism is usually far smaller. When a dossier must be filed to seek a written approval for a specific program, DEDICA offers a dedicated licensing service that works alongside the retainer package, and provides bilingual support in English and Chinese for foreign businesses not yet familiar with administrative procedures in Vietnam.
Conclusion
To organize a ticketed event or performance in Vietnam lawfully, you should follow four steps. First, identify the correct type: if it sells tickets or is aimed at the public, you must seek a written approval, whereas a non-ticketed program at a business establishment only needs notification, now filed with the commune-level People's Committee. Second, prepare the dossier comprising the written request and the script and list of works with the person responsible for content, with foreign works requiring a certified translation. Third, file the dossier with the provincial People's Committee at least 07 working days before show day and wait up to 05 working days for appraisal. Fourth, ensure all accompanying conditions are in place: fire prevention and fighting, security and order, music copyright, documents for foreign artists, invoicing and tax on ticket sales, and performing exactly the approved content. The three mistakes that cost businesses the most are organizing without approval, filing at the last minute, and performing off the approved content.
If your business regularly organizes liveshows, music festivals or events with performances, do not let the permit stage become a bottleneck right before curtain. DEDICA Law Firm reviews your event plan, identifies the correct type of document to apply for, watches the deadlines and checks contracts with artists, venues and sponsors so that the program runs lawfully. Contact DEDICA for advice on your specific event plan, in Vietnamese, English or Chinese.
This article is for reference based on the law in force at the time of writing. Each event has a different type, scale and location, leading to different legal requirements; please consult a DEDICA lawyer for advice on your specific case.
