How to register for a trademark in Vietnam

Step 1: Prepare your trademark 

Your trademark will be rejected if it infringes upon one of the following conditions:
- Trademark cannot distinguish itself from other trademarks
- Trademark has already been registered by others or there is more than one application for its registration

It is advisable to conduct a research on whether or not your trademark is identical to or similar to another trademark registered in Vietnam for the same types of goods or services to avoid violation of others‘ industrial property rights. If the mark is in a language other than Vietnamese, translation of the wordmark into Vietnamese is needed.

Step 2: Prepare required documents

1 - A trademark application on the form of National Office of Intellectual Property of Vietnam (NOIP)
2 - List of goods/services bearing trademark and classifications of those goods/services according to the international classification tables (if any).
3 - Samples of trademarks
4 - Power of attorneys (if the declaration is filled by representatives instead of applicant)
5 - Documents proving the priority right if there are conflicts among different applicants over a trademark
6 - Documents proving the registration right if the applicant bought trademarks from others.

Step 3: Waiting period

The assessment of each trademark application consists of three stages:
1. Formality scrutiny of the trademark application (01 month)
2. Publication of the trademark application (02 months after the formality approval of the trademark)
3. Intensive examination (08-09 months after the publication of the trademark application)

If the intensive examination comes to the conclusion that the trademark is eligible for registration, NOIP shall issue Certificate of Trademark Registration within 01 month. A registered trademark is valid for a period of 10 years and able to be renewed every 10 years.