Company Record Retention Periods: A Quick Lookup Table By Document Type 2027

Businesses in Vietnam must keep records for 5 years, 10 years, 20 years or permanently depending on the legal nature of each group of documents under the Enterprise Law, the Accounting Law, the Archives Law and sector-specific circulars. Knowing the exact retention period lets an organisation meet its duty to explain its figures during inspections, protect its rights in a dispute and avoid paying to store paperwork that no longer has any value.

1. Why Retention Periods Matter

Setting the retention period for company records is a legal requirement that keeps management continuous, provides evidence during audits and protects the company's rights in a commercial dispute. Knowing how long each group of documents must be kept helps a company avoid administrative fines for destroying records too early, while cutting storage costs for paperwork that has served its purpose.

Why records matter

Complete records are the management foundation that keeps a company legally capable and transparent in its operations:

• Meeting current legal obligations: Laws such as the Enterprise Law 2020 and the Archives Law 2024 set out clearly which groups of documents an organisation must keep at its head office or at a lawful storage location. The process of listing and arranging files is covered in how to store company documents professionally.
• Providing evidence for inspections: Stored documents are the only basis for working with tax inspectors, state auditors, social insurance agencies or investigators when figures have to be reconciled.
• Protecting your rights in a dispute: Commercial contracts, handover minutes and payment records are the decisive legal evidence that lets a company win a case against a partner, a customer or an employee.
• Passing on internal knowledge: Proper archiving lets the next generation of staff look up transaction history, internal rules and the company's development without any break in information.

Risks of getting it wrong

Not knowing the rules exposes a company to serious financial and reputational losses:

• Fines for destroying records early: Destroying accounting records or personnel files before the legal deadline can bring fines of tens to hundreds of millions of dong under the rules on administrative violations in accounting and archiving.
• A losing position in court: Destroying or losing contracts and acceptance documents leaves a company with no evidence of ownership or of obligations completed, which means losing the case.
• Tax assessment and arrears: Failing to produce lawful original accounting records during a tax settlement means the tax authority disallows the expense, assesses corporate income tax and charges late-payment penalties.
• Wasted storage budget: Keeping drafts and internal management records with no legal value for years shrinks the office and creates unnecessary rental costs. A better option is renting business storage by the month instead of expanding the office.

What decides the period

The retention period of a document is not a matter of choice; it is governed by 5 core factors:

• Sector-specific law: Each field is governed by its own statute, for example accounting records under the Accounting Law, labour records under the Labour Code and medical records under the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment.
• Long-term evidential value: Documents that establish legal personality and ownership of tangible and intangible assets always have longer retention periods than short-term transaction papers.
• Limitation periods for claims: Contract files generally need to be kept at least until the limitation period for a claim under the Civil Code has expired.
• The start date of the period: Retention time only starts from the end of the financial year, the end of the matter or the completion of every obligation under a contract.
• Any ongoing dispute: No document involved in an investigation, a complaint or an inspection may be destroyed, even if it has reached the required number of years.

2. Retention Period Lookup Table

Company records fall into 8 functional groups with common retention marks of 5 years, 10 years, 20 years and permanent. A standard lookup table lets the administration, legal, HR and accounting teams work out the exact lifespan of each type of paperwork and comply fully with the laws in force in 2027.

Lookup table by group

The table below summarises the retention periods for the groups of records and documents that arise in the course of a company's operations:

In particular, accounting records have detailed rules for each type of book and for each 5-year, 10-year or permanent mark, analysed in full in the rules on storing accounting records and medical files.

Records kept permanently

The permanent group covers documents that establish legal personality and ownership of assets, and these are never destroyed no matter how many years the company has been operating:

• Founding documents: The company charter, the business registration certificate, sub-licences and the decisions on each change to the business registration.
• Ownership and governance records: The register of shareholders, the register of members, and the minutes and resolutions of the General Meeting or the Members' Council.
• Core asset records: Land use right certificates, factory ownership certificates, and trademark and patent certificates still in force.
• Documents of historical value: Consolidated financial statements covering many years, files on major projects and the strategic decisions approved by the board.

Where the period starts

The retention period does not run from the date a document was drawn up but from the date the matter ended, and getting this wrong is the most common reason records are destroyed before they are old enough:

• Commercial contracts: The period starts on the date both parties sign the liquidation minutes and settle the final payment, not on the date the contract was signed.
• Personnel records: The period runs from the date the resignation decision or the decision to terminate the labour contract takes legal effect.
• Investment and construction files: The period runs from the date the works are accepted and put into use, or from the date the project settlement is approved.
• Company legal records: The permanent group has no end date; for files on changes to business registration, the period runs from the date the change takes effect.

3. HR, Tax and Contract Files

The three groups that arise most often and are destroyed by mistake most often are labour files, tax files and commercial contracts, because their periods run from a closing event rather than from the financial year. Understanding each group helps the administration and legal teams build a retention list that matches how the company actually works.

Labour and insurance files

Labour files must be kept for the whole period of employment and for at least 5 years after the contract ends, and the records tied to pension rights should be kept longer:

• Contracts and annexes: Keep every labour contract, salary adjustment annex, appointment decision and collective labour agreement, filed per employee.
• Payroll and insurance records: Salary books, payment sheets and social insurance records should be kept well beyond the minimum, because an employee may need them to claim a pension decades later.
• Occupational safety files: Accident minutes, occupational disease files and periodic health check results belong in the long-term group; files on fatal accidents are kept permanently.
• Recruitment files: Applications and assessment forms from unsuccessful candidates only need 1 to 3 years, after which they should be destroyed to limit the risk of leaking personal data. Files for each industry are listed in what businesses keep in a storage unit.

Tax and customs files

Tax files should be kept for at least 10 years so you can explain your figures if the tax authority inspects, while customs records need at least 5 years for post-clearance audits:

• Returns and settlement files: VAT returns and corporate and personal income tax settlement files should be kept together with every supporting appendix.
• Tax incentive files: Documents proving eligibility for exemption, reduction or refund must stay with the original file, as this is the group re-examined most often.
• Import and export documents: Customs declarations, bills of lading, certificates of origin and foreign trade contracts should be filed per shipment so they are easy to retrieve during a post-clearance audit.
• A note on digitising: A scan is only for quick reference; the original must still be kept for the full period, and how to protect originals is covered in how to store books, files and papers without mould.

Contracts, projects and assets

A contract only starts its retention period on the liquidation date, while project and asset files must be kept for the whole life of the structure or machine:

• Ordinary commercial contracts: Keep for at least 5 years after liquidation, together with handover minutes, acceptance minutes and payment records so the evidence is complete in a dispute.
• Project and construction contracts: Keep for the life of the structure plus at least 10 years after liquidation, together with design files and as-built drawings.
• Tender files: Keep tender invitations, bids and evaluation minutes for 5 to 10 years after the package is completed.
• Asset papers: Land certificates, vehicle registrations, trademark and patent certificates belong in the permanent group and should sit in a separate unit with controlled access.

4. Managing Your Archive

A professional records process gives a company tight control over the life of a document, from receipt and sorting through storage to safe destruction. Drawing a clear line between documents in daily use and long-term archives frees up a noticeable amount of office space.

Sorting by retention period

Organising documents into 4 lifecycle groups from the moment they are received makes retrieval and deadline management far more effective:

• Group 1 - Active files: Documents being processed and contracts running in the current financial year, kept within reach at the desk or in the department's cabinet.
• Group 2 - Semi-active files: Records from previous years and contracts liquidated less than 5 years ago, packed into barcoded cartons and moved into the company's internal archive.
• Group 3 - Permanent files: Legal papers, the shareholder register and patent certificates, kept in a fireproof safe or a dedicated storage unit with its own lock.
• Group 4 - Files awaiting destruction: Internal papers that have served their purpose and reached the required age, set aside in a separate area pending approval by the appraisal council.

Building a storage process

A standard 6-step process lets a company run its document archive properly without losing anything:

• Step 1 - Receive and check: Collect documents from each department and check that signatures, seals and annexes are complete.
• Step 2 - Sort by category: Divide documents into folders by subject, financial year and required retention period.
• Step 3 - Code and index: Give each folder a unique identifier and record its storage position in the management software or an administrative Excel file.
• Step 4 - Pack in standard boxes: Use dedicated 40x30x30 cm archive cartons and add desiccant packets to protect the paper.
• Step 5 - Store in a dedicated facility: Stack the boxes on steel shelving at least 15 cm off the floor, keeping clearance for ventilation and fire safety.
• Step 6 - Inventory and appraise for destruction: Review retention deadlines every year and draw up destruction minutes approved by the legal representative.

Managing electronic records

Digitising is inevitable, but a company needs to understand the legal line between the paper copy and the electronic copy:

• Don't destroy the paper copy too early: Under the Accounting Law and the Archives Law, an electronic document only replaces the paper original when it carries a valid digital signature and the integrity of the original data is assured.
• Apply the 3-2-1 backup rule: Keep 3 copies of the data on at least 2 types of storage device, with 1 copy at a physical location outside the office. Old storage devices should be kept properly, as set out in the guide to storing old laptops and tech equipment.
• Digitise for quick reference: Scan every contract and record into PDF so staff can look them up daily, which keeps the paper originals in the archive from being handled and torn.

5. Control Checklist and 2027 Prices

Reviewing the document archive against a standard checklist helps management prevent damage to paperwork and plan the operating budget. When expensive office space in a major city is taken up by hundreds of boxes of old files, moving to outside self-storage is the cost-efficient option in 2027.

Records control checklist

A practical 8-point review for the administration team and whoever manages company documents:

When to use outside storage

A company should consider renting outside document storage when it sees these 5 warning signs:

• The office is overloaded: Office rent in central Ho Chi Minh City runs from 20 to 40 USD per square metre a month; turning that space into a filing room is a significant waste of budget. If you plan to use an apartment as a stockroom or office, first read the rules on using an apartment as a warehouse or office.
• The number of boxes jumps: Trading, import-export and service chains generate 50 to several hundred boxes of records a year.
• Poor storage conditions at the office: An ordinary filing cabinet grows mould in the rainy season and is exposed to termites or rodents that damage the signatures on your records. How to protect paper against damp in the rainy season is covered in the guide to protecting belongings in the rainy season.
• You need better internal security: Keeping HR files, payroll and strategic contracts away from the shared workspace limits the risk of leaking sensitive data.
• No dedicated storage staff: The company cannot justify a full-time storekeeper but still needs tidy, safe storage that is easy to retrieve from during an audit. See also 5 criteria for choosing document storage for a business and the business storage service or the document storage service.

Self-storage price list 2027

Below are the 2027 reference prices for self-storage units in Ho Chi Minh City used for records and documents:

The prices above are for reference in the Vietnamese market in 2027. The actual cost may vary with the location of the unit, the length of a long-term contract and the promotions at each operating branch. You can compare them with mini storage prices by size or the storage unit size guide (1-23 m³).

MyStorage document storage

Storing records safely and to standard protects a company's legal assets for the long term. Hundreds of boxes of accounting records, HR files and project documents do not have to take up office space you pay rent on every month.

The MyStorage self-storage system in Ho Chi Minh City meets the conditions company records need:

• Your own unit, your own lock: Each company keeps the key to its own unit; MyStorage staff do not access the documents inside.
• 24/7 air conditioning and humidity control: A steady 20°C to 24°C limits mould and yellowing on paper kept for years.
• Security and fire safety to standard: Multi-layer camera surveillance, access control and a fire protection system that meets the building's requirements.
• Retrieve anything at any time: The company goes in and takes out the exact box it needs for an inspection or audit, with no need to book days ahead.
• Scale by the number of boxes: Rent from a 1 m³ unit for a few dozen boxes up to a large unit for several hundred, expanding as the years of records build up.
• Workspace at 375 Vo Nguyen Giap: This site also has a workspace for startups and online sellers, handy for a business that stores records and stock and needs somewhere to work and pack orders.

For personal files or the owner's own books, see also renting a mini storage unit for books and personal documents, or request a quote based on the actual number of boxes.

6. Frequently Asked Questions

Here are 15 short answers to the most common questions about retention periods and how to handle company records: