Under the new decree, individuals who buy or sell gold bullion from credit institutions or enterprises without proper licenses, or who use gold as a means of payment, will be subject to a warning.

If these actions are repeated or committed multiple times, violators may be fined between VND 10–20 million (approximately USD 400–800). The same fine applies to transactions that do not use payment accounts as legally required.

Fines of VND 30–50 million (USD 1,200–2,000) will be imposed for the following violations:

Failure to publicly list buying and selling prices for gold bullion, jewelry, and decorative gold.

Producing gold jewelry or decorative items without publicly disclosing quality standards or without proper labeling.

Manufacturing gold bullion without disclosing applied standards, weight, gold content, or without labeling as required by law.

Violations involving transporting gold in and out of the country without proper declaration - as regulated outside customs-related violations - will face fines of VND 80–100 million (USD 3,200–4,000).

Using imported raw gold materials in ways not aligned with their import licenses, or repeating offenses of gold bullion trading via authorized agents, will result in fines of VND 200–250 million (USD 8,000–10,000).

Illegal gold bullion production will incur a fine ranging from VND 250–300 million (USD 10,000–12,000).

For the most serious violations - such as producing, trading, importing, or exporting gold bullion without the necessary licenses - the decree stipulates fines of VND 300–400 million (USD 12,000–16,000).

Unauthorized foreign exchange transactions can cost up to $4,000

Decree 340 also introduces penalties for unauthorized foreign currency trading.

Warnings will be issued for foreign currency purchases or sales between individuals, or at unlicensed institutions, if the value is under USD 1,000.

For higher transaction values, the fines are scaled as follows:

USD 1,000 to under 10,000: VND 10–20 million (USD 400–800)
USD 10,000 to under 100,000: VND 20–30 million (USD 800–1,200)
USD 100,000 or more: VND 80–100 million (USD 3,200–4,000)

Capital contribution and banking violations also face penalties

For violations in capital contribution and share acquisition, individuals using funds outside registered capital or reserve funds, contrary to the Law on Credit Institutions, will be fined between VND 100–150 million (USD 4,000–6,000).

Violations in deposit-taking activities are subject to fines between VND 20–150 million (USD 800–6,000), depending on the nature of the offense:

Deposits accepted or paid without proper legal procedures: VND 20–40 million (USD 800–1,600)

Accepting deposits from unauthorized entities: VND 100–150 million (USD 4,000–6,000)

Tran Thuong