March 31, 2020
Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam Closed until Further Notice: Online and Postal Filing Still Available

All offices of the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam, including the head office in Hanoi and the representative offices in Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City (the “IP Office”), are currently closed until further notice due to the COVID-19 situation. The IP Office issued a notice on March 31, 2020, to address issues related to the closure, with the following main contents:

  • Deadline extensions: All IP-related deadlines falling between March 30, 2020, and April 30, 2020, will automatically be extended until May 30, 2020.
  • Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) between Japan and Vietnam: The IP Office will start receiving PPH requests on May 4, 2020, instead of April 1, 2020, as planned before.
  • Receipt of documents and fees: As from April 1, 2020, the IP Office will only accept IP documents from applicants by post or through the online filing system; the payment of fees can be made by post or by bank transfer.

In light of this announcement, rights holders can be assured that their filing needs can still be met.