In this article
The foreign director wants to read the general ledger, while the tax authority requires Vietnamese. Bilingual accounting records let a single set of data serve both. This article explains the language requirements under Vietnamese accounting law, how to handle documents in foreign languages and how to organize everything in your software, based on the experience of ACCA Consulting Vietnam in providing accounting services to FDI companies.
1. What does the law require on the accounting language?
The Law on Accounting (Luật Kế toán) states that the script used in accounting is Vietnamese. When a company needs to use a foreign language on vouchers, accounting books and financial statements, it must use both Vietnamese and the foreign language at the same time. In other words, bilingual records are allowed, but Vietnamese cannot be dropped.
For documents originating in a foreign language (invoices from overseas suppliers, contracts with the parent company, English-language bank statements), current regulations require the main content to be translated into Vietnamese when used for bookkeeping. The exact scope of translation for each document type should be checked case by case; for long contracts, companies usually translate the clauses on value, payment and obligations.
| Document | Minimum language | Recommended practice at FDI companies |
|---|---|---|
| Issued e-invoices | Vietnamese | English can be added to the invoice template |
| Internal vouchers (receipts, payments, goods in, goods out) | Vietnamese | Design bilingual Vietnamese–English templates |
| Foreign documents used for bookkeeping | Original + translation of the main content | Keep the translation with the original document |
| Accounting books | Vietnamese | Bilingual account names and descriptions |
| Annual financial statements | Vietnamese | Bilingual version, issued bilingually by the auditor |
| Tax returns | Vietnamese, on the prescribed form | Reference translation sent to the group |
2. How to organize bilingual accounting records in your software
Bilingual records do not mean keeping two sets of books. The effective approach is one dataset, two display layers: every master list has two name fields, and every report can be printed in Vietnamese, English or side by side. When choosing software, check the following points.
- The chart of accounts has a separate English name field
- Customer, supplier, item and employee lists can store bilingual names
- Voucher descriptions have two lines or two fields
- Report templates (general ledger, sub-ledgers, financial statements) can print Vietnamese and English side by side
- Excel exports keep both languages for sending to the group
- View-only access for the foreign director, without the ability to change data
A standard description library
The most time-consuming part is writing the description for each voucher. Build a library of a few dozen standard descriptions for recurring transactions, for example: "Thanh toán tiền thuê văn phòng tháng 09/2026 / Office rental payment for 09/2026". The accountant only changes the month, invoice number and counterparty. The data stays consistent and is easy to filter during an audit.
Illustrative example for a hypothetical company with about 200 vouchers/month; hours are for comparison only, not actual measurements.
View as table
| Free-text | Using a template library | |
|---|---|---|
| Bank vouchers | 6 hours | 2 hours |
| Purchase invoices | 5 hours | 2 hours |
| Payroll and insurance | 3 hours | 1 hours |
| Period-end entries | 4 hours | 1.5 hours |
3. Bilingual sub-ledger layout
Below is a layout for an account sub-ledger with two-line headings. You can use the same structure for the general ledger, receivables/payables sub-ledgers and the cash book.
| Ngày / Date | Số CT / Voucher No. | Diễn giải / Description | TK đối ứng / Contra acc. | Nợ / Debit (VND) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05/09/2026 | PC-0901 | Thuê văn phòng T9 / Office rent Sep | 1121 | 45,000,000 |
| 12/09/2026 | PK-0915 | Phí dịch vụ kế toán T8 / Accounting fee Aug | 331 | 1,920,000 |
| 30/09/2026 | PK-0930 | Khấu hao TSCĐ T9 / Depreciation Sep | 214 | 12,500,000 |
4. A 4-week rollout plan
- Week 1
Translate the chart of accounts and agree terminology with the group.
- Week 2
Translate counterparty and item lists; build the description library.
- Week 3
Design bilingual internal voucher and report templates; run a one-month trial.
- Week 4
Review with the foreign director and issue an internal policy on language.
To standardize terminology, you can refer to the Vietnamese–English accounting and tax glossary. If the group uses its own chart of accounts, build a mapping table in parallel; see chart of accounts mapping.
5. Common mistakes with bilingual records
- Payment vouchers or goods received notes only in English: the documents lack the Vietnamese required by the Law on Accounting.
- Inconsistent translations of account names from month to month, complicating group reporting.
- Contracts with the parent only in English, with no translation of the payment clauses when the tax authority inspects.
- Using public machine translation tools for contracts and payroll data: a risk of data leakage. Use internal tools or tools with a confidentiality commitment.
FAQ
Can an FDI company keep its books entirely in English?
No. Vietnamese is mandatory; English may only be used alongside Vietnamese on vouchers, books and reports.
Do invoices from foreign suppliers need to be translated?
When used for bookkeeping, their main content must be translated into Vietnamese and the translation kept with the original. The scope of translation should be checked for each document type.
Do audited financial statements need to be bilingual?
The version filed with State authorities must be in Vietnamese. Many FDI companies ask their auditor to issue a bilingual version for the group.
Do bilingual records cost much more?
Mostly it is the initial setup effort. Once the master lists and description library are in place, the monthly workload increases only marginally.
Need bilingual accounting records for your FDI company?
ACCA Consulting Vietnam sets up bilingual master lists, voucher templates and reports. Accounting services based in Ho Chi Minh City, working remotely with directors overseas.
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