Vietnam is a reliable sourcing market — but like every export market, the deals that go wrong usually go wrong before the deposit is wired, at the paperwork stage nobody wanted to slow down for. Here are the seven documents we verify on every supplier, and that you should demand from anyone asking for your money (including us).

1. Business registration certificate

Every legitimate Vietnamese company has an enterprise registration with a 10-digit tax code (ours is 0101209914 — check the footer of this site). Ask for the certificate, then verify it yourself on Vietnam's National Business Registration Portal. Five minutes, free, and it instantly filters out the fake "companies" that exist only as a website.

2. Tax code cross-check

Confirm the tax code is active and the registered business lines include manufacturing or trading of the goods you're buying. A company registered last month for "consulting services" quoting you three containers of tiles deserves harder questions.

3. Factory evidence — or an honest trading declaration

Manufacturers and trading companies are both legitimate business partners, but you should know which one you're paying, because it changes your risk and your recourse. Ask for: factory address, business licence showing production, and a live video call from the production floor. A supplier who claims to be a manufacturer but won't show the factory is telling you something.

4. Mill test certificates for your actual specification

Not a generic brochure certificate — test reports that match the grade, thickness and standard in your order (for example ISO 8336 category and ASTM C1186 grade for fiber cement, ISO 13006 for tiles). Reports should name an accredited laboratory, and you should be able to verify them with the issuing lab.

5. Proforma invoice with complete terms

Before any payment, the proforma must state: exact specifications and quantities, unit and total prices, incoterm with named port (e.g. FOB Haiphong — not just "FOB"), production lead time, packing method, tolerance levels, and payment schedule. Vagueness here becomes a dispute later.

6. Third-party inspection rights, in writing

The contract should give you the right to pre-shipment inspection by an independent body — SGS, Intertek, TÜV or Vinacontrol — with loading supervision if the value justifies it. A confident supplier agrees readily; resistance to inspection is the loudest warning signal in this business.

7. The bank account name check

The simplest check and the one that stops the most fraud: the beneficiary account on the payment instruction must exactly match the legal entity name on the contract and registration certificate. Not a director's personal account, not a "sister company in Hong Kong", not a last-minute "our account is being audited, please wire here instead" email. That last one is the classic invoice-hijack fraud — always confirm banking details through a second channel (video call or a phone number you found independently) before wiring.

How we handle this

Every manufacturer on our roster has already passed these seven checks — that's the point of a vetted sourcing desk. You still get the paperwork: registration extracts, test reports and inspection certificates ship with every proposal on request. Start with your BOM and see it for yourself — consolidated proposal within 48 hours.