Introduction

The year 2026 marks a significant turning point in Vietnam's tax management history as Decree 123/2020/ND-CP and its related guiding circulars officially take full effect, requiring all business households with an annual revenue of 1 billion VND or more to use electronic invoices. This is a major change that directly impacts hundreds of thousands of sellers operating on e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop.

With a monthly revenue of only around 80 million VND, almost all sellers with stable business operations will be mandated to comply with this regulation. However, according to a recent survey, over 80% of Vietnamese e-commerce sellers are not yet prepared or do not fully understand the electronic invoice requirements, leading to concerns about potential legal violations and heavy penalties once the regulation is officially enforced.

So, what exactly are electronic invoices? Who must use them? How can one comply effectively without disrupting business operations? This article will answer all these important questions.

Who Must Use Electronic Invoices? — Detailed Analysis of Each Group

To clearly understand whether you are required to use electronic invoices, you must first grasp the current legal regulations.

Businesses Have Been Mandated for a Long Time

All Limited Liability Companies, Joint-stock Companies, and other forms of enterprises have been required to use electronic invoices since 2022. To date, the majority of Vietnamese businesses have complied with this regulation and are using electronic invoice solutions through providers approved by the General Department of Taxation.

Business Households with Annual Revenue Over 1 Billion VND

This is the group most affected by the new regulation. If you operate as an individual business household and have a total annual revenue of 1 billion VND or more, you are required to register and use electronic invoices from 2026. With this revenue level, you only need to sell approximately 80 million VND per month on average to fall under the mandatory category.

Sellers on E-commerce Platforms

This is the most confusing point. Many sellers believe that since they sell through Shopee, Lazada, or TikTok Shop, they do not need to issue separate invoices. However, this is a dangerous misconception. E-commerce platforms only issue invoices for the service fees they collect from sellers, not on behalf of sellers for sales transactions with end customers. Therefore, sellers must still issue electronic invoices themselves for each sales transaction if they meet the revenue conditions.

Business Households with Annual Revenue Under 1 Billion VND

If your total annual revenue does not exceed 1 billion VND, you are not yet required to use electronic invoices under current regulations. However, proactively using electronic invoices from the beginning can bring many benefits: building customer trust, preparing for scaling up operations, and avoiding rushed implementation when revenue suddenly increases beyond the threshold.

What Should Online Sellers Do?

Step 1: Register for Electronic Invoices with the Tax Authority

  • Register to use electronic invoices at the managing Tax Department.
  • Choose an electronic invoice service provider (or use integrated software like GTG CRM).
  • Receive invoice templates and start issuing invoices.

Step 2: Choose Suitable Software

This is the most crucial decision. There are two directions:

Option 1: Separate Invoice Software (MISA, SInvoice)

  • ✅ Specializes in invoices
  • ❌ Does not connect with e-commerce platform orders
  • ❌ Requires manual entry of each invoice's information
  • ❌ Requires additional separate inventory management and CRM software

Option 2: Integrated Software (GTG CRM)

  • ✅ Invoices integrated with orders — completed orders → automatic invoice issuance
  • ✅ Connects with Shopee/Lazada/TikTok — order data flows directly into invoices
  • ✅ Inventory management + CRM + marketing within the same system
  • ✅ Saves data entry time

Step 3: Set Up Automated Processes

With GTG CRM, you can set up automation:

```

Shopee order completed

→ Automatically create electronic invoice

→ Send invoice via email to customer

→ Record revenue in reports

```

No manual entry, no fear of errors, no wasted time.

Compliance Costs

Item Separate MISA GTG CRM
Invoice software 1-3 million VND/year Included in package
Order management software 0-500K VND/month (other tool) Included
Inventory management software 0-500K VND/month (Excel/tool) Included
Total Cost 2-8 million VND/year From 199K VND/month (all-in-one)

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I sell on Shopee. Has Shopee issued an invoice for me yet?

A: No. Shopee only issues invoices for Shopee's service fees. You (the seller) must issue invoices for the purchased items to the customer yourself.

Conclusion — Comply Early to Avoid Risks and Seize Opportunities

Electronic invoices are no longer an option but a mandatory requirement for most Vietnamese e-commerce sellers. Proactively preparing and implementing early will not only help you comply with the law, avoid heavy penalties, but also bring many practical benefits to your business operations.

Firstly, electronic invoices create professionalism and credibility with customers. In a highly competitive environment, customers tend to trust and prioritize purchasing from sellers who can provide complete VAT invoices, especially business customers who need invoices for tax declaration.

Secondly, integrating electronic invoices into the sales process helps automate many stages, minimizing manual data entry time and errors. When using integrated solutions like GTG CRM, each completed order will automatically generate an electronic invoice and send it to the customer without any manual intervention.

Thirdly, data from electronic invoices helps you gain a more accurate view of your company's financial situation. Monthly and quarterly tax declarations become much simpler when all invoices are managed and stored electronically in a systematic manner.

GTG CRM offers a fully integrated electronic invoice solution, helping you fully comply with legal regulations without the need to invest in separate invoice software. With 36,888 free credits upon registration, you can issue over 3,000 electronic invoices to experience and evaluate its effectiveness before committing long-term.

Don't let the lack of preparation for electronic invoices become a legal risk for your business. Start today to be ready before the regulation officially takes full effect in 2026.

Register for GTG CRM and start using electronic invoices now at gtgcrm.com