Direct Tax Avoidance Agreements

Vietnam

ARTICLE 13 : Technical fees - 1. Technical fees arising in a Contracting State which are derived by a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

2. However, such technical fees may also be taxed in the Contracting State in which they arise, and according to the laws of that State; but if the recipient is the beneficial owner of the technical fees the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the technical fees.

3. The term technical fees as used in this Article means payments of any kind to any person, other than to an employee of the person making the payments, in consideration for any services of a technical, managerial or consultancy nature.

4. The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the technical fees, being a resident of a Contracting State carries on business in the other Contracting State in which the technical fees arise through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services, and the technical fees are effectively connected with such permanent establishment or such services. In such case, the provisions of Article 7 or Article 15, as the case may be, shall apply.

5. Technical fees shall be deemed to arise in a ContractingState when the payer is that State itself, as political sub-division, a local authority or a statutory body thereof, or a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the technical fees, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment in connection with which the obligation to pay the technical fees was incurred, and such technical fees are borne by that permanent establishment, then such technical fees shall be deemed to arise in the Contracting State in which the permanent establishment is situated.

6. Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the recipient or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the technical fees paid, exceeds for whatever reason, the amount which would have been agreed upon by the payer and the beneficial owner in the absence of such relationship, the provisions of this Article shall apply only to the last-mentioned amount. In such case, the excess part of the payments shall remain taxable according to the law of each ContractingState due regard being had to the other provisions of this Agreement.