Starting a hostel Business

You will need a VN partner and lots of patience. Be prepared to be shafted by the local cops and government officials, also routine inspections(money). Youre right there is a need for more hostels like they have in Thailand.

TrungFromHolland wrote:

Hi friends,

My first post at this website and a kick off with my first question.

What are the biggest strumblings to start a business in Ho Chi Minh City. Tourism is growing each year in Vietnam, and that's why in my opinion new accommodations will be very welcome in Vietnam!

Beside having family in Ho Chi Minh City area and knowing the language is a major first step. What can I expect from the Vietnamese government?

Tips are welcome, but negative things as well!

Best regards
Trung Nguyen

Registering every guest requires building a relationship with the authorities... money changes hands.

Some guy I know running an airbnb business... he mentioned $5 with the passport to process it. Not sure if he meant per passport or per batch.

Visitor numbers maybe up, but that is mainly due to the visa free policy, however, for tourists from France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK will possibly expire on June 30 2017.

Apparently the Government are still debating weather or not to extend it.. unfortunately most visitors to Vietnam are non-return visitors, unlike Thailand and many other parts of SEA but good luck with the business venture...

Thanks for all your reply, once again all information are welcome to show on this page.

I know that with money you can make a lot of friends, and that's something which will never  change.
About the visa policy, I did not know. I keep an eye on the situation.

In my opinion, if in this case the free visa will expire for those countries. The amount of tourist will be descent from that moment.
But still think that, due the cheap society tourist keep on going.

What's do you think about that?

dunno bout tourist visa exemptions, but across the board, long term visa exemptions, VEC, TRC etc seem to be becoming more extortionate/ scammy. still maybe only a 10-20% margin of guesthouse guests at most?

Hi folks,

I am going to open a hostel in the near future in Saigon.
I have a vietnamese friend who is interested to open a hostel with me.
However, I am hoping to get some answers.
To start a company,
what sort of licenses do I need to obtain from the government?
How can obtain those licenses? through an agent, lawyer?
How much will it cost to get those licenses and lawyer fees to open a company?

Your help will be much appreciated.

Regards,
Aaron Tay