Vietnam · Music licensing guide
Background Music Licensing in Vietnam: The Essential Guide for Businesses
To play music in a Vietnamese business, six rights must be cleared: public performance of the composition, public performance of the sound recording, reproduction of the sound recording, recording and master rights, publishing rights for commercial use, and the performers’ right to be paid. Consumer apps like Spotify cover none of them. Using music without permission or payment is taking someone else’s work without paying for it.
Using music without permission or payment is theft. Simple. Every song has owners and performers who are entitled to permission, payment, or both. This guide explains the six rights a Vietnamese business must clear, how Vietnam enforces them today, and the simplest way to hold all of them to the international standard.
Who needs a music licence in Vietnam?
Any business where music can be heard by customers, guests or staff. That includes:
Background music for hotels
Lobbies, restaurants, spas and guest areas.
Background music for restaurants
Fine dining to casual dining and chains.
Background music for cafés
Independent cafés and coffee chains.
Background music for banks
Branches, lounges and queuing areas.
Background music for conference venues
Ballrooms, meeting rooms and pre-function areas.
Background music in Ho Chi Minh City
Venues across Saigon’s districts.
Background music in Hanoi
Hotels, cafés and offices in the capital.
Background music in Da Nang
Resorts, beach venues and city F&B.
Is music licensing enforced in Vietnam?
Yes, and 2026 is the year collection reached every café and restaurant.
Decree 134/2026, which amends the decree implementing Vietnam’s Intellectual Property Law, took effect on 9 April 2026. From 1 July 2026, cafés, restaurants and other businesses that play music for customers pay copyright fees calculated from the statutory base salary and a coefficient for the size and type of premises. A kiosk under 15 m² pays around VND885,500 a year; a restaurant of up to 50 m² around VND5.06 million.
Criminal enforcement is active too. On 1 August 2026, Hanoi’s economic crime police charged the director of karaoke company Viet KTV with copyright infringement for allegedly copying musical works into karaoke products, earning around VND852 million. VCPMC estimated damages of around VND600 million across some 1,500 works it manages.
What the law allows, as reported by Tuoi Tre
Criminal liability applies to commercial-scale infringement, from illegal profits of VND50 million or losses of VND100 million. Below that, businesses face administrative fines, surrender of unlawful profits and civil claims for damages and legal costs. Read the full Decree 134/2026 explainer, and city guidance for Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi and Da Nang.
What’s inside a song?
A song feels like one thing, but it is made of three parts, and each part can belong to someone different.
Think of a song like a birthday cake.
Many people can bake a cake from the same recipe, just as one song can be recorded by many artists. Each recording has its own owner, but the recipe still belongs to whoever wrote it.
To share the cake with your customers, you need a yes from everyone who owns a part of it. If you also make a copy of the cake to keep, by downloading the song or storing it on a device, that copy needs its own yes. One yes is never enough. And in Vietnam, the singers and musicians who performed on the recording are also entitled to be paid each time it is played in public.
What licences does a business need to play music in Vietnam?
Commercial background music engages six rights, and all six must be cleared. Rights 1 to 5 belong to songwriters, publishers and record labels. Right 6 belongs to the singers and musicians on the recording, who are entitled to be paid.
- 1
Public performance of the composition
Playing the song itself, the melody and lyrics, where customers or staff can hear it.
Owned by songwriters, composers and publishers - 2
Public performance of the sound recording
Playing that specific recorded track: the version your customers actually hear.
Owned by record labels and recording owners - 3
Reproduction of the sound recording
Copying the recording: downloading it, caching it in an app, ripping it from a CD or storing it on a USB or media player. Nearly every music system copies files to play them reliably, and a copy made without the owner’s permission is an infringement in its own right.
Owned by record labels and recording owners - 4
Recording and master rights
Your music supplier must own or hold rights in the master recordings it supplies for commercial use. Without them, the music is pirated.
Held by your music supplier - 5
Publishing rights for commercial use
Your music supplier must also hold the rights in the compositions it supplies. These explain why permission is needed at all, wherever the music file comes from.
Held by your music supplier - 6
Performers’ right to be paid
The singers and musicians who performed on a recording are entitled to be paid whenever it is used commercially. Vietnam’s Intellectual Property Law gives performers, alongside record producers, a right to be paid when published recordings are used in business.
Paid to singers and musicians
Music licensing in Vietnam, simplified
One song has several owners and performers. Every one must give permission or be paid.
What is your business doing with the music?
Each use needs permission, payment, or both.
Who made the music?
Your music supplier must hold rights ④ and ⑤, and the performers must be paid ⑥. Without them, the music is pirated or unpaid.
Six requirements. Miss one, and you’re not licensed.
Five need permission. One needs payment. All six are required.
Local rules and the international standard
Vietnam is still aligning with global copyright practice. MUSICVYBE licenses to the international standard, not the local minimum.
Vietnam’s Intellectual Property Law lets a business use published music and recordings commercially without asking the owners first, provided it pays royalties to the rights holders or the organisations that represent them. VCPMC collects for songwriters and RIAV for record producers.
That is the local minimum, and it only covers playing published music. It does not license the copying of recordings onto devices, and it does not give a music supplier any right to sell the music it plays. Under the international copyright treaties, owners have the right to grant or refuse permission. Using their music without permission or payment is theft of their work.
The direction of travel is clear. Twenty years ago China was regarded as the world’s capital of copyright infringement. Today its courts hear cases brought by global brands, and Chinese authorities prosecute local companies for infringing international copyright. Markets that align with global practice do not loosen enforcement; they tighten it.
MUSICVYBE holds direct licences from rights owners for every track it supplies, so all six rights are cleared with the owners’ permission and payment, wherever the local rules are today.
Can a business use Spotify, YouTube or Apple Music in Vietnam?
No. Consumer streaming services are licensed for personal listening only, and their own terms say so.
Playing a personal subscription in a shop, café, hotel or office falls outside that permission, and it covers none of the six rights above. The same applies to YouTube, Apple Music, Zing MP3, NhacCuaTui, Amazon Music, TIDAL, CDs and downloaded files.
Read the platform-by-platform answers: Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, Amazon Music and TIDAL.
Is royalty-free music a safe option?
Royalty-free does not mean free, and it does not mean you own the music. Usually a one-off fee buys a limited set of permissions defined by the seller’s licence. Many libraries license tracks for videos and online content, not for public performance in commercial premises.
Verdict: royalty-free music is only safe if its licence names every use your business makes of it, including public performance in a commercial venue in Vietnam. If it doesn’t, you still need the missing rights. More on music licensing in Vietnam.
Why the collective route leaves gaps
Paying VCPMC and RIAV clears at most two of the six rights, and only to the local minimum.
VCPMC collects for public performance of the composition and RIAV for the sound recording. Neither licenses reproduction of recordings onto devices, neither covers master or publishing rights for commercial use, and neither supplies music. Performers are also entitled to be paid for commercial use of their recordings.
| Licensing it yourself | MUSICVYBE | |
|---|---|---|
| Rights covered | At most 2 of 6, through VCPMC and RIAV | All 6 |
| Standard | Local minimum: payment for public performance | International: permission and payment for every right |
| Reproduction of the sound recording | Not covered by the collective system | Included for every track |
| Music source | Often consumer apps or downloads, licensed for personal use only | Directly licensed commercial catalogue |
| Curation | Do it yourself | Curated playlists by venue and time of day |
MUSICVYBE: all six rights in one licence
MUSICVYBE is a fully licensed background music service for Vietnamese businesses. Its catalogue is licensed directly from rights owners, so every right is cleared before the music reaches your venue.
- All six rights for every track, including the performers’ share
- Our position is that no VCPMC or RIAV licence is required for the music MUSICVYBE delivers, because the catalogue is directly licensed and sits outside their repertoire
- Curated playlists by venue type and time of day, updated monthly and seasonally
- Centralised control across one venue or many locations, with monitoring and technical support
Trusted across Asia by Fairmont and Swissotel Singapore, OCBC Bank Malaysia, Nu Sentral and Parkroyal Penang. See the Vietnam case studies.
Who collects what in Vietnam
Two collective organisations collect for public performance in Vietnam: VCPMC for songwriters and RIAV for record producers. Neither covers reproduction, master or publishing rights.
| Right | Collected or held by | Under local rules | MUSICVYBE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Public performance of the composition | VCPMC | Payment, no prior permission for published works | Yes |
| 2. Public performance of the sound recording | RIAV | Payment, no prior permission for published recordings | Yes |
| 3. Reproduction of the sound recording | Recording owners directly | Permission required | Yes |
| 4. Recording and master rights | Record labels, held by your supplier | Permission required | Yes |
| 5. Publishing rights for commercial use | Publishers, held by your supplier | Permission required | Yes |
| 6. Performers’ right to be paid | Performers or their representatives | Payment | Yes |
For the regulation behind this, read the Decree 134/2026 explainer and the Vietnam music licensing overview. Running venues elsewhere in Asia? See the Singapore and Malaysia licensing guides.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a licence to play background music in my Vietnamese business?+
Yes. If music can be heard by customers, guests or staff in a commercial space, six rights are involved: public performance of the composition and of the sound recording, reproduction of the sound recording, the recording and publishing rights your music supplier must hold, and the performers’ right to be paid.
How much are the new copyright fees for cafés and restaurants?+
Since 1 July 2026 fees are calculated as the statutory base salary multiplied by a coefficient for the type and size of premises. A kiosk under 15 m² pays around VND885,500 a year and a restaurant of up to 50 m² around VND5.06 million.
Is paying VCPMC and RIAV enough?+
No. Together they cover at most two of the six rights: public performance of the composition and of the sound recording. Neither licenses copying music onto devices, neither covers master or publishing rights, and performers are separately entitled to be paid.
Can I play Spotify in my café or restaurant in Vietnam?+
No. Spotify’s Vietnamese terms grant personal, non-commercial use only, and the same applies to YouTube, Zing MP3, NhacCuaTui and other consumer apps. See Can I use Spotify in my business?
What are the penalties for copyright infringement in Vietnam?+
Businesses face civil claims and administrative fines. Commercial-scale infringement is criminal: individuals face fines of up to VND300 million or up to three years’ non-custodial reform, and companies fines of up to VND3 billion or suspension of operations.
Do I still need VCPMC or RIAV licences if I use MUSICVYBE?+
Our position is that no collective licence is required for the music MUSICVYBE delivers, because the catalogue is directly licensed and sits outside their repertoire. Music from other sources, such as live bands, is assessed on its own terms.
Does music played only to staff need a licence?+
Yes. A workplace is a commercial space, so music played to employees is commercial use, not private listening.
Sources
- Tuoi Tre, Explainer: why Vietnam’s coffee shops can no longer play background music for free (2026): news.tuoitre.vn
- VietReader, Vietnamese karaoke mogul charged with copyright infringement (August 2026): vietreader.com
- Vietnam News, Cafe shops, restaurants playing music for customers to pay copyright fees from July 1: vietnamnews.vn
- Spotify Terms of Use (Vietnam): www.spotify.com
This guide explains general principles and is not legal advice.
Find out which rights your business is missing
Book a free, no-obligation licensing review for your Vietnamese venue.
Related Pages
| Music Licensing in Vietnam | Overview of VCPMC, RIAV and Decree 134 |
| Decree 134/2026 Explained | What the 2026 decree means for venues |
| Background Music in Vietnam | MUSICVYBE’s service for Vietnamese businesses |
| Music Licensing for Business | Cross-market guide to licensing background music |