READING

https://doc.edu.vn/tai-lieu/bai-tap-nhom-thuong-mai-38651/

Phan Huy Hồng, Nguyễn thị khánh huyền, Các vấn đề pháp lý về hợp đồng mua bán

hàng hóa

Part 1: Multiple Choice

Part 2: Case

Part 3: Topic discussion

OVERVIEW ON BUSINESS LAW OF VIETNAM

May include:

● Business persons (natural + legal person)

● Business promotion: các biện pháp xúc tiến thương mại
● Sanction: Chế tài

● Provision of service: Cung ứng dịch vụ

● …

The development of Com. Law

International
1. Development of production & importance of commerce (khi có của cải dư thừa)
2. Merchants become a profession

3. Customs, usages, practices formed & applied in trade

Customs (tập quán đc ad rộng rãi vs mọi chủ thể trong 1 quan hệ) < Practice (thực

tiễn thương mại, cụ thể hơn tập quán nên pvi ad hẹp hơn) < Usage (thói quen tmai

chỉ tồn tại giữa 2 bên).

 4. Law of commerce from (parts of) customs, usages, practices (promulgated by

the gov.).

At first, was applied principally in trade of goods (mua bán hàng hóa)
1st Industrial Revolution → production improved → commerce dev.ed → law of commerce was
chính thức hóa in countries with developed industry 
5. Free trade trends (thương mại tự do): 
Xu hướng cũ protectionism: bảo vệ thị trường nội địa, ko cho hàng hóa nước ngoài

xâm nhập

20th cent: có 1 hệ thống thương mại đc pt globally (begined with GATT 1947 & then

WTO 1994)
sx hàng ngày càng nhiều → merchants có nhu cầu bán hàng ra nước ngoài
Kể cả underdeveloped countries cx có nhu cầu xuất khẩu agricultural products

Về bản chất là pvu lợi ích các nước lớn (maximise profits). Underdeveloped

countries bán perishable products nên định giá khó khăn.

Thuế tối thiểu toàn cầu (global minimum tax): underdev. countries’ measures to

attract foreign capital through tax incentives will no longer be effective.

Vietnam

1. Mainly regulated criminal matters

2. French colony → initial commercial regulations (Bắc - Nam - Trung kỳ giản yếu)

Before 1975, was in Southern Vietnam

3.  Since Doi Moi 1986, Com. Law dần đc qtam & pt

Gradually separated from civil law

4. Accession into WTO

Trade/Commerce Definition (slide)

UNCITRAL model law

Model/ Uniform law: luật mẫu (not binding, but only model to adapted into national

law to ensure uniform) 

Sources 
● International law:
● UNCITRAL (Hiệp định Liên hợp quốc)
● WTO
● Regional Agreements (thỏa thuận thương mại mang tính khu vực)
● FTAs (thỏa thuận tmai tự do)
● National Law
● Customs: INCOTERMS
● Case Law
● Public policies (chính sách công)

COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES
Definition

Purpose: generate profits (not for personal use)

Include:

- Sales & purchases of goods

- Provisions of service: cung ứng dịch vụ
- Investment
- Commercial promotion: xúc tiến thương mại
- Other activities for profit purpose: các hđ nhằm mđ sinh lợi # (e.g, mua
nguyên vật liệu, xd nhà xưởng, thuê xe đưa đón công nhân, etc.)

⇨ Do non-profit/charity org conduct commercial activities?

 Yes. They need to make profits (resource) from business activities to do charity (not

distribute them among company members)

Characteristics
● Conducted on the market by traders
o Traders shall respect market rules (demand/supply rule, competition
rule, etc.)
● For the purpose of profit
o Usually combination of Buy – Sell activities taken together in row
o Not necessarily generate profits in reality
● Professional/occupational nature
o Conducted on regular basis
o Generate principal income for traders

⇨ Do actions between traders & non-traders a commercial activity?

Yes.
⇨ The level of gov. intervention to the market rules under socialist-oriented market
economy model in Vietnam?

** Criteria to assess whether an economic system is market economy?

- Gov. intervention does not distort market rules

- NLD co quyen dam phan binh dang voi cong ty
- Kha nang chuyen doi tien
- …
Law applicable to comm. activities
- Comm. Law
- Relevant law: Civil Code (general law), Securities Law, Real Estate Law, etc.
(specific law)
Basic Principles
- Traders’ equality before law in CA
- Freedom & free will to agreement in CA (art. 11)
- Application of customs in CA preestablished bw parties
 - Application of practices in CA
- Protection of legitimate interests of consumers
- Recognition of legal validity of data messages in CA

TRADERS

(6.1) Traders include

- lawfully established economic organizations & individuals

- conduct commercial activities
o in an independent & regular manner
- have business registrations

Legal Characteristics
- conduct commercial activities
o persons who do not conduct CA are not traders
- independently, on his/her own behalf, for his/her own benefit
- occupational nature
- have capacity for CA
- be registered

Types of Liability

Unlimited Limited

______ from his/her property

Debtor/Trader should pay all
Definition contributed to business
debts from all of his/her property
doing
- LLC & mems
- owner of private business
- JSC & shareholders
- GP of partnership
Types of - Co-operative & mems
- Members of household/
- State-owned
traders cooperative groups (hộ
enterprise &
kinh doanh)
representatives
Comparing some notions

Economic Organization Enterprise

Commercial Law, Investment Law Law on Enterprises

“Business entity/ organization” means an “Enterprise” means an organization that

entity established and operating in has its own name, assets, premises, is

accordance with Vietnam’s laws. Business established or registered in accordance

entities include enterprises, cooperatives, with law for business purposes.

cooperative groups/unions and other

entities that carry out business investment

activities

Private Business Individual conducting

commercial/business activities

Commercial Law Decree 39/2007/NĐ-CP

Individual investing money to doing Street vendors (small investment, small

business at fixed location business activities, without fixed place)

Is not a legal person Is not a legal person

Business registration is required Business registration is not required

Foreign Traders
● Foreign traders mean traders established and making their business

registrations according to the provisions of foreign laws or recognized by

foreign laws.

● In Vietnam, foreign trader is allowed to establish:

o Representative Office (vp đại diện: k đc phép kinh doanh, chỉ tiến hành

hđ xúc tiến thương mại)

o Branch (chi nhánh: đc phép tiến hành hđ kinh doanh) => chi nhánh/cty

con này đc coi là DNVN

o Foreign-owned enterprise

o Joint-venture (hợp tác kinh doanh)

SALE OF GOODS
Definition
● Purchase and sale of goods mean commercial activities whereby the seller is

obliged to deliver goods, transfer ownership of goods to the purchaser and

receive payment; the purchaser is obliged to pay to the seller and receive

goods and the ownership thereof as agreed.

● Sale of Goods is the most popular commercial activities

o It relates to the Contract

● Both national laws and international law contain provisions on Sale of Goods

o Vietnam: Commercial Law

o France: Civil Code (Articles 1582-1701)

o USA: Article 2 of Uniform Commercial Code (chuong 2 Bo luat thuong

mai mau Hoa ky)

 o UN: Vienna Convention on International Sale of Goods (1980 Vienna

Convention or CISG)

● International Sale of Goods is crucial in international commerce/trade

** Q: How national law differs from international law?

National law: enacted by the legislature of a state and is applied only in that state.

International law: applied in at least 2 different states.

Extra issues of International Sale

❖ Choice of language of contract

❖ Choice of law applicable to contract

▪ International law

▪ Common Law

▪ Customs

▪ Other sources of law not popular in Vietnam

❖ Issues relating to the dispute settlement

▪ International law impact – international mechanism for dispute

settlement in FTAs

▪ Popularity of ADR

Comparing some notions

Sale of Goods Trade in Goods

Only sale/purchase activity All transactions relating to goods, including sale,

provision or exchange of goods

 Goods Property/Assets

All types of movables Tangible things

Things attached to land Money and Valuable papers

Property rights (usually IP)

Commercial contract Other contract

For profit Not for profit

Contract
❖ Definition

▪ Civil contract means an agreement between parties in relation to the

establishment, modification or termination of civil rights and

obligations.

• Agreement = Offer + Acceptance

▪ Form of contract: Oral, in writing, or by specific act

❖ Parties to contract

▪ Have freedom to choose partners, to decide the character of contracts,

to agree on the contents of the contract

• Third party: person who is not subject to obligation/contract

❖ Offer (Articles 386-391)

 ▪ A clear and definite expression by one person (offeror) of its intention

to enter into a contract and to be bound by such offer made to

another person or the public (offeree)

▪ Termination of offer

• When offeree replies that the offer is accepted.

• When offeree replies that the offer is not accepted;

• When time-limit for acceptance has expired;

• When notice of modification or withdrawal of the offer becomes

effective;

• When notice of rescission of the offer becomes effective;

• As agreed by the offeror and the offeree within the time-limit

within which right of the offeree to accept the offer remains

effective.

▪ Right of offeree (in all situations, original offer terminates)

• To accept the offer

• To refuse acceptance

• To modify offer

❖ Acceptance (Articles 392-394)

▪ Reply by the offeree to the offeror un-conditionally accepting the

entire contents of the offer (mirror image rule)

• A reply to accept offer but contains conditions or amendments

to the offer shall be deemed to be a new offer (or counter-offer)

• Acceptance must be communicated to offeror (counter-offeror)

• Silence is not acceptance

❖ Except in case of agreement or there was such practice in

previous transactions between parties (Article 393.2)

 ❖ Content of a contract

▪ Basic articles (Articles 398)

▪ Regular articles

▪ Optional articles

❖ Standard form contract (405)

▪ A contract containing terms and conditions which are prepared by a

party based on a standard form requiring the other party to reply

within a reasonable period of time. If the offeree accepts, it shall be

deemed to have accepted the entire contract provided by the offeror

▪ If both parties all have standard form contract

• Battle of Forms

Case Study: Tarbert Trading, Ltd. v Cometals, Inc.

Trading company: cty thương mại (k sx, chỉ mua đi bán lại)

Complaint: đơn khởi kiện

counterclaim: buộc tội lại

certificate of Origin: giấy chứng nhận xuất xứ (issued by Chamber of Commerce), lq

đến việc chất lượng và đánh thuế

**Hợp đồng mẫu

Những từ đc viết hoa hết => đc giải thích đâu đó trong HĐ (thường là trong những

điều khoản đầu)

Nên thỏa thuận trước về rủi ro và đưa vào trong HĐ cách giải quyết, e.g: Đến hạn

mà bên mua chưa thanh toán hết số tiền, Hàng đến mà bên mua k nhận, Hàng k
đảm bảo chất lượng thì phải lập biên bản vs 1 cơ quan ktra trung gian để đòi

BTTH…

Khi hđ có các điều khoản mâu thuẫn nhau thì ad điều khoản nào?

SERVICE
Definition

Not all services are commercial services (e.g, public services)

Characteristics
- Simultaneity + Inseparability: Provision & consumption are conducted at the
same time + cannot be separated (khi có yêu cầu ms cung cấp dịch vụ)
- Variability: Same service but different service providers offer different quality
- Intangibility
- Perishability: cannot be stored like goods

Right to provide service

Logistic service
Definition

Logistics services are commercial activities whereby traders organize the

performance of one or more of the following: reception, transportation,

warehousing, cargo storage, completion of customs procedures and other

formalities and paperwork, customer consultancy, packaging services, delivery of

goods, or other services related to goods that are compensated by service fees.

Condition to provide logistic services

- Governed by Decree 140/2007/ND-CP: classified into 3 types

+ Principal logistic services

 + Logistic service related to transportation

+ Other related logistic services

→ Different types require different conditions, stipulated in specific legislation or
regulations.
e.g, sea carriage services is stipulated in Maritime Code

- Must be conducted by enterprises (co-operative & cooperative groups are

excluded)

INTERMEDIARY ACTIVITIES

an economy doesn't need production but can relies solely on service (e.g,

singapore)

comparative advantage

Characteristics of commercial intermediary

- provide services to the original traders (ng sản xuất)

- independent to both the original traders

- can provide for different service buyers, but there must be no conflict of

interest:

+ bw service buyers

+ bw provider - buyer

Representation

Incidental costs (chi phí phát sinh) whether it is included in remuneration or not is

agreed in the representative contracts.

If the contract says nothing, remuneration means only remuneration for the works

done, not the full remuneration package.

Advantage of representative regime: allow the enter and withdraw from a market

easily (because the local representative already has the necessary facilities)

Sale promotion

Sell at lower price (sale promotion) vs. Predatory pricing (bán phá giá: sell at price

lower than the production cost => monopoly)

Art. 100 C. 7 exception

COMMERCIAL PROMOTION
Trade fairs

Significance

- Build brand awareness with a cheap price (the company did not necessarily

have to sell products)

- Market & competitors research:

+ conduct customer surveys (e.g, hand out questionnaires)

+ get to know industry competitors

- Gain knowledge from leading experts in the industry to apply to one’s own

brand (e.g, Hermes introduced how they manufactured leather products)

BIDDING

Public procurement is regulated by Bidding law:

- forestall unfair bidding & corruption (because the money for the gov. to buy

the goods/services comes from the state’s budget, not their own)

e.g: release insider info (criteria) to certain bidders so that they build their

dossiers fit the criteria best.

- public procuremnet is related to international commerce (lq đến thương mại

quốc tế  có những DN nước ngoài tgia, trong khi luật đấu thầu quốc tế thì

chặt chẽ hơn  tránh bị DN nước ngoài kiện)

2 common criteria to select traders tgia dự thầu: chuyên môn + năng lực tài chính

của nhà thầu

Ng lựa chọn nhà thầu:

- Đại diện của nhiều cơ quan khác nhau (đv đấu thầu công)

- Bid solicitor (đv đấu thầu tư)

Open bidding: what if there are too many bidders?  bid solicitors can:

- set out the quote (the maximum number of bidders participating  only

accept who applied first)

- organise pre-qualification round (vòng sơ loại)  loại bớt nhx nhà thầu ko

phù hợp (k đc mở hồ sơ ra mà phải trả lại unopened, vì once open thì phải

đánh giá, chấm điểm)

Bid notice:

- open bidding: communicate over mass media.

 - restricted bidding: send notices of invitation directly to potential bidders.

Bid bonds:

- deposit (đặt cọc)

- collateral (ký quỹ)

- guarantee (thường đc bảo lãnh bởi ngân hàng nơi nhà thầu có tài khoản)

Bid opening:

- prefixed time in the tendering <> immediately after the bid closure (dl for

bidders to submit their dossier)

- opened publicly:

- upon the bid opening, no change could be made to the bid dossier

Bid consideration:

- Validaity:

+ có đủ tất cả các giấy tờ mà bid solicitor y/c ko (e.g, giấy phép kinh doanh có

công chứng, chữ ký của tất cả các thương nhân tgia kinh doanh, etc.)

+ các hạng mục cần khai đã đc filled in hết chưa

- Request to clarify unclear contents

Minutes: nếu phiên mở thầu kéo dài nhiều ngày, sau mỗi phiên thầu sẽ có phiên

bản của ngày đấy, và đại diện đc nhà thầu cử tham gia sẽ ký theo từng ngày.

Bid evaluation:

- Financial & technical dossier may be evaluated altogether (1 bag dossier) or

independently (2 bag dossier).

 - In the case there are 2 traders with an equal overall score, but 1 with higher

financial score, the other with higher technical score  who wins the bidding

will be mentioned in the additional criteria set out in the tendering.

- Thường sẽ lấy điểm TB về financial và technical của các nhà thầu và chọn nhà

thầu có số điểm gần với điểm TB nhất (nếu 1 nhà thầu có điểm kỹ thuật cao

hơn hẳn điểm TB  điểm tài chính sẽ thấp hơn hẳn)

Contractual performance security: based on agreement (not mandatory like bid

bonds).

- While concluding the contract after the bidding, there cans still be

negotiations on additional terms (other than those stipulated in the

tendering) or when there are changes in circumstances (often the financial

dossier stipulated the provided pricelist sẽ có hiệu lực trong bao lâu).

- After paying security, the bid bonds will be returned to the bid winner.

Situation:

1. Assume that the bid notice stipulates that traders can

- only participate independently

- allow venture (liên doanh)

- (does not mention): nếu đồng ý cho cty A liên doanh, bid solicitor phải gửi tbao

đến các nhà thầu về việc đồng ý cho liên doanh

2. No, the contract needs to be signed collectively because it is the venture that won

the bidding, not the independent companies.

Judge: thẩm phán tòa bth

Justice: thẩm phán tòa tối cao

Urban district court: tòa án quận

Rural district court: tòa án huyện

Judicial review (Giám đốc thẩm): ko trên y/c kháng cáo của các bên, tòa tối cao thấy

1 bản án đã có hiệu lực xét xử chưa công bằng (oft. bc of dư luận)  xem xét lại

Award: quyết định của trọng tài # decision: qđ của tòa

Reasons for courts to reject arbitration award:

- Not adhere to due process (ensure equal opportunity for both parties to

protect themselves)

- Contradict public policy