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Power of Attorney: what it is, why it matters, how to obtain it
What is a power of attorney for a Vietnam property purchase?
Power of attorney at a glance
Document- Vietnamese name
- Giấy ủy quyền (authorization letter) or Hợp đồng ủy quyền (power-of-attorney contract)
- The bilateral contract form is generally what notaries and land offices expect for a property purchase — see the comparison below
- Certified by
- A Vietnamese notary public office, or a Vietnamese embassy/consulate if you sign abroad
- A document notarized only by a foreign (non-Vietnamese) notary must then be legalised at a Vietnamese diplomatic mission
- Who arranges it
- You (the principal), together with the person you appoint (attorney-in-fact) — usually your Hanoi lawyer or a trusted representative
- Your lawyer can draft the bilingual text; only you can sign it
- Typical cost
- ≈ €65–180 (≈ 1,790,000–4,950,000 VND) for notarization, translation and courier of the original
- See the cost table below — varies by route and country
- Validity
- Whatever term you state in the document itself
- If no term is stated, general Civil Code default rules apply — always specify a duration and the exact acts covered
- Governing law
- Civil Code 2015 (representation and authorization provisions); Law on Notarization 2024 (in force since 1 July 2025)
- Required for
- Signing the Sale & Purchase Agreement, registering the Pink Book, or completing bank formalities when you cannot attend in person
- It does not itself transfer ownership of the property
How to obtain a power of attorney for your Hanoi purchase
⏱ Same day (in Vietnam) to about 3 weeks (from abroad, via a local notary)
You need this document whenever you cannot be physically present in Hanoi for a step of the purchase — signing the Sale & Purchase Agreement, registering the Pink Book, or opening a bank account. The route depends on where you are when you sign: at a Vietnamese diplomatic mission abroad, before a local notary followed by consular legalisation, or directly at a Vietnamese notary public office if you are already in the country.
- 1
Define the exact scope and choose your attorney-in-fact
⏱ 1–2 days
List precisely which acts you are authorizing — for example, signing a named Sale & Purchase Agreement, registering ownership, or receiving handover keys — rather than granting broad, open-ended authority. Then choose who will act for you: commonly your Hanoi lawyer, or a trusted person with a stamped, valid entry visa of their own.
DocumentsPassport · Draft Sale & Purchase Agreement or reservation form
⚠Wording the scope too broadly ("to act in all matters relating to my property affairs in Vietnam") lets your representative act well beyond what you intended — list the specific acts and a fixed end date.
→ law firms - 2
Option A — sign at a Vietnamese embassy or consulate abroad
⏱ 1–2 weeks, appointment-dependent◈ €20–60 (≈ 550,000–1,650,000 VND)
Book an appointment at the nearest Vietnamese diplomatic mission and sign the power of attorney in front of a consular officer, who certifies it directly. This is the most common route for European buyers who have not yet travelled to Vietnam, since the document is already recognised in Vietnam without any further legalisation step.
DocumentsPassport · Draft bilingual power of attorney
⚠Not every Vietnamese mission offers notarization appointments on short notice — check availability before you fix a signing date with your lawyer.
→ law firms - 3
Option B — sign before a local notary, then legalise it for Vietnam
⏱ 2–4 weeks combined◈ €50–190 (≈ 1,375,000–5,225,000 VND)
If no Vietnamese mission is reasonably reachable, sign the document before a notary in your home country, have it authenticated (apostille where available), then send it for legalisation at the nearest Vietnamese embassy or consulate — by post if the mission accepts it. Choose this route or Option A, not both.
⚠This route adds an extra authentication step and typically doubles the timeline versus signing directly at a Vietnamese mission — start it early if your closing date is fixed.
- 4
Option C — sign in Vietnam, at a Vietnamese notary public office
⏱ Same day to 2 days◈ €10–30 (≈ 275,000–825,000 VND)
If you are already in Hanoi with a valid, stamped entry visa, this is the simplest route: sign the power of attorney in person before a Vietnamese notary, who certifies it on the spot. No consular legalisation is needed.
DocumentsPassport with stamped entry · Draft power of attorney
- 5
Translate it into Vietnamese, if it is not already bilingual and notarized as such
⏱ 2–4 working days◈ €20–60 (≈ 550,000–1,650,000 VND)
Vietnamese notaries, land registration offices and banks work from the Vietnamese text. If your document was drafted only in your home language, have it translated by a licensed translator and notarized in Vietnam before your attorney-in-fact uses it — your lawyer can bundle this with other document translations into one visit.
⚠A translation that has not itself been notarized in Vietnam is routinely refused by land registration offices — always notarize the Vietnamese version.
- 6
Send the signed original to your representative in Hanoi
⏱ 3–7 days by courier◈ €25–60 (≈ 690,000–1,650,000 VND)
Notaries and the land registration office generally require the wet-ink original, not a scan or PDF. Courier the certified original — plus its Vietnamese translation, if separate — to your attorney-in-fact or law firm in Hanoi, and build the courier time into your closing schedule.
⚠Sending only a scanned copy is the single most common delay we see — banks and notaries will ask for the original before they proceed.
- 7
Your attorney-in-fact presents it at each step where they act for you
⏱ Same day, each time it is used
Your representative shows the notarized power of attorney, together with their own ID, every time they act on your behalf — signing the Sale & Purchase Agreement, attending the Pink Book registration, or dealing with the bank. Keep a certified copy with your own purchase file as well.
What a power of attorney costs
Indicative costs for notarizing, translating and delivering one power of attorney; VND figures use €1 ≈ VND 27,500. Totals below assume the embassy-notarization route (Option A), the most common for buyers signing from abroad — choose either the embassy route or the local-notary route, not both.
| — | Min | Max | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notarization at a Vietnamese embassy/consulate abroadFee set by the individual mission; some require a separate appointment fee | €20 (≈ 550,000 VND) | €60 (≈ 1,650,000 VND) | one-off, per documentBuyer, before travel or closing |
| Local notary + apostille + Vietnamese consular legalisation (alternative route)Alternative to the embassy route above — not additive with it | €50 (≈ 1,375,000 VND) | €190 (≈ 5,225,000 VND) | one-off, combinedBuyer, home country, if no Vietnamese mission is reachable |
| Notarization in Vietnam (if you sign locally instead)Also an alternative to the embassy route, if you are already in Hanoi | €10 (≈ 275,000 VND) | €30 (≈ 825,000 VND) | one-offBuyer, at a Vietnamese notary public office |
| Certified Vietnamese translationOften bundled with passport and other document translations into one service order | €20 (≈ 550,000 VND) | €60 (≈ 1,650,000 VND) | per documentBuyer, if not already issued bilingual and notarized as such |
| Courier of the signed original to HanoiMost notaries and the land registration office require the wet-ink original, not a scan | €25 (≈ 690,000 VND) | €60 (≈ 1,650,000 VND) | one-offBuyer, international courier service |
| Total | ≈ €65 (≈ 1,790,000 VND) | ≈ €180 (≈ 4,950,000 VND) |
Example — a buyer signing at the Vietnamese consulate before travelling to Hanoi
- Consular notarization
- €40 (≈ 1,100,000 VND)
- Certified Vietnamese translation
- €35 (≈ 960,000 VND)
- Courier to the Hanoi law firm
- €40 (≈ 1,100,000 VND)
- Σ
- ≈ €115 (≈ 3,160,000 VND)
Civil Code 2015 (representation and authorization provisions) · Law on Notarization 2024 (in force since 1 July 2025)
Lawyers and notaries who prepare powers of attorney for foreign buyers
Frasers Law Company
★Premier cabinet à avoir obtenu une licence de cabinet étranger au Vietnam (32 ans, 17 practices). Corporate & M&A, Real Estate & Construction, banking & finance, foreign investment, data protection, compliance. Conseil international pour entreprises étrangères investissant au Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh City + Hanoi · EN, VN
Vision & Associates
★Investissement étranger, immobilier, corporate/M&A, propriété intellectuelle, conseil - ~90 avocats/conseils
Hanoi · Vietnamien, Anglais
GV Lawyers (Global Vietnam Lawyers)
★Conveyancing immobilier, due diligence, acquisition foncière, conseil aux acheteurs étrangers, transactions résidentielles/commerciales
Ho Chi Minh City · Vietnamien, Anglais
Russin & Vecchi
★Cabinet international parmi les premiers cabinets étrangers licenciés au Vietnam (1993, ~4 associés/20 avocats). 17 domaines dont Real Estate & Construction, FDI & corporate, M&A, IP, banking/capital markets, employment, fiscalité. Sert investisseurs étrangers (référencé pour l'assistance juridique par l'ambassade US).
Ho Chi Minh City + Hanoi · EN, VN
Frequently asked questions
What is a power of attorney in Vietnamese?
The general term is giấy ủy quyền (authorization letter). For a property purchase, notaries and land offices generally expect the bilateral contract form, hợp đồng ủy quyền, which both you and your attorney-in-fact sign and which a notary can certify — see the comparison table above for the practical difference.
What is POA in Vietnam used for when buying property?
It lets a representative act on your behalf for specific steps you cannot attend in person — typically signing the Sale & Purchase Agreement, registering the Pink Book, or handling a bank formality. It must name the exact acts authorized; it is not a general substitute for your presence in every dealing.
What are the 4 types of power of attorney?
Vietnamese law does not use the general/special/durable/springing categories common in some Western jurisdictions. What matters here is scope: a narrowly worded power of attorney for one named transaction (recommended for a purchase) versus a broad, open-ended one — and whether it is notarized in Vietnam or legalised from abroad.
How do I legalize documents for use in Vietnam?
Documents signed abroad typically need authentication in your home country (an apostille where available), then legalisation at a Vietnamese embassy or consulate, and finally a certified Vietnamese translation notarized locally. Signing directly at a Vietnamese diplomatic mission — Option A in the timeline above — skips the separate authentication step.
Does a power of attorney let my representative sell my property later?
Can I revoke a power of attorney after signing it?
Yes. Revocation must be made in writing and notified to your attorney-in-fact and to any notary, bank or land office that may rely on the document. Acts already validly completed by your representative before the revocation reaches them typically remain valid.
How long is a power of attorney valid for a Hanoi purchase?
Whatever term you state in the document — most buyers set it to cover the purchase timeline plus a margin, then let it lapse. If no term is stated, general Civil Code default rules apply; to avoid ambiguity, always specify a fixed validity period rather than leaving it open-ended.
Sources
- Civil Code 2015 (Bộ luật Dân sự), No. 91/2015/QH13 — governs representation, agency and authorization, the legal basis for a power of attorney.
- Law on Notarization 2024 (Luật Công chứng), in force since 1 July 2025 — governs notarization requirements for documents such as a power of attorney.
- Full legal texts (Vietnamese): Cơ sở dữ liệu văn bản pháp luật, Government of Vietnam.
Have your power of attorney drafted or checked before you sign
Buying from abroad and won't be in Hanoi for every step? Tell us which acts you need to authorize and we will arrange — or review — a power of attorney with our partner notaries and lawyers, and confirm exactly what to sign and where. Our Hanoi advisory desk replies within 24 hours, no obligation.