Foreign Investors may invest in Vietnam in the fields of the national economy.
The State of Vietnam encourages Foreign Investors to invest in the following fields and geographical areas:

1. Fields:

a.	Producing export goods;
b.	Raising, farming and processing agricultural, forestry and aquatic products;
c.	Using high technology [or] modern techniques11; protecting the ecological environment; [and] investing in research and development;
d.	Using many workers; processing raw materials; and using natural resources in Vietnam efficiently; [and]
e12.	Constructing infrastructure and important industrial production establishments.

2. Geographical Areas:

a.	Geographical areas with difficult socio-economic conditions; [and]
b.	Geographical areas with especially difficult socio-economic conditions.

The State of Vietnam will not issue licenses for foreign investment in fields and geographical areas that would cause harm to national defense and security, historical relics, culture, good tradition [and] customs, and the ecological environment.

Based on the development plan [and] direction from time to time, the Government shall stipulate geographical areas where investment is encouraged, [and] shall promulgate a list of projects in respect of which investment is encouraged or especially encouraged, a list of the fields for which investment is subject to conditions, [and] a list of the fields for which investment licenses will not be issued.

Vietnamese private economic organizations may co-operate with Foreign Investors to invest in the fields and under the conditions stipulated by the Government.

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3. Ownership rights: The Vietnamese expression used here is "quyeàn sôû höõu", which is literally "ownership rights" in English. As defined under Article 173 of the 1995 Civil Code of Vietnam, ownership rights include the owner’s right to possess, right to use and right to dispose of property in accordance with the provisions of law.

4. Rights and interests: The drafters adopt the words "quyeàn lôïi" here and elsewhere in the original Vietnamese text of this Law. They also adopt the Vietnamese term "quyeàn" in other provisions of this Law. For translation purposes, the Vietnamese word "quyeàn" is translated as "right" or "rights" and the Vietnamese expression "quyeàn lôïi" is translated as "rights and interests" or "rights, interests" to reflect accurately their usage in the original Vietnamese text of this Law.

5. Defined terms: The original Vietnamese version of this Law does not capitalize the terms defined in Article 2. In this English translation, we have taken the liberty of capitalizing all the defined terms where applicable to conform with English legal drafting conventions. The drafters however capitalize a number of terms that are not defined in this Law, such terms include the "State of Vietnam", "Government" and "Ministries". These terms are also capitalized in this English translation.

6. Enterprise: The Vietnamese term "doanh nghieäp" used here and else where in this Law literally means "enterprise" in English. It is defined in the 1999 Enterprise Law of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as an economic organization having a proper name, assets and permanent contact head office, and being registered for doing business in accordance with the provisions of law for the purpose of carrying out business activities

7. Industrial zone: The Vietnamese version does not capitalize this word. Most likely, the drafters refer to the term "Industrial Zone" defined in Article 2(16).

8 Capital loan: The English term "loan capital" is a literal translation of the Vietnamese term "voán vay" adopted in the Vietnamese version.

9. Legal capital: With respect to Vietnamese-owned enterprises established under the 1999 Enterprise Law of Vietnam, "legal capital" is the minimum amount of capital required under the provisions of law in order to form an enterprise.

10. Charter: (or "Ñieàu leä" in Vietnamese) is the equivalent of "articles of association" and "memorandum of association" of a corporation, and the equivalent of the "articles of partnership" of a partnership firm.

11. Techniques: The Vietnamese words used here are "kyõ thuaät hieän ñaïi". They may be expressed as "modern techniques" or "modern technical engineering" in English.

12. Alphabetical designation: In this Article and elsewhere throughout the translation, the Vietnamese alphabetical designation for Clause (e) has been changed to reflect the appropriate English alphabet designation. References in the original Vietnamese text to clauses succeeding Clause (e) are also changed in the translation accordingly.