Due to the developing COVID-19 situation, the main Hanoi office of the Intellectual Property Office of Vietnam will stop receiving documents filed directly at the office and the IP Help Desk from May 27 until further notice, according to Notification No. 4670/TB-SHTT dated May 25, 2021.

During this suspension, documents filed with the Hanoi office must be filed online or via postal filing. Since online filing is currently available only for certain services such as new filing, maintenance, and appeals, direct filing still accounts for most filing at the head office. Thus, most documents should be filed via post at this time.

As it is not clear if the filing date will be recorded as the date the document is received or the date it is sent (postmarked), IP applicants using postal filing are advised to file their documents early, well before any deadlines, for safety.

Rights holders can still choose to file their documents in person via the IP Office’s representative offices in Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang, which are still operating fully.