# Industrial designs

Source: https://luatbanquyen.com/en/industrial-property/industrial-designs · Updated: 2026-08-17 · Reviewed: 2026-08-17

Protects appearance, not function. A maximum of 15 years, not 20 — a figure very commonly misreported.

An industrial design is the outward appearance of a product, or of a component of a complex product, expressed through lines, shapes, colours or their combination.

## Three conditions

**Novelty** — significantly different from designs publicly disclosed before the filing or priority date. As with patents, putting the product on the market before filing can destroy novelty.

**Creativity** — not easily created by a person of ordinary skill in the field.

**Industrial applicability** — usable as a model for mass production by industrial or handicraft methods.

## The line with patents

The critical distinction: a design protects **appearance**, not **technical function**.

Where a feature of a product's shape is dictated entirely by technical function — the product only works if it has that shape — that feature falls outside design protection. It belongs to a patent or utility solution.

Take a water bottle: the decorative curve of the body is design; the leak-proof cap mechanism is a patent. A design registration will not stop a competitor using your cap mechanism in a bottle that looks entirely different.

## Not protected

Shapes dictated by the product's technical characteristics; the appearance of civil and industrial construction works; and features not visible during normal use.

## Term — 15 years, not 20

A design title runs from grant until the end of **5 years from the filing date**, **renewable twice consecutively for 5 years each** — a maximum of **15 years**.

This figure is very commonly misreported. Many articles state "10 years, renewable twice for 5 years" — the 10-year figure actually belongs to **semiconductor layout designs**, an entirely different subject matter. If a source tells you designs last 20 years, check it against Article 93(4).

## Costs scale with variants and figures

Substantive examination is charged **per design variant** (VND 700,000), search per subject matter (VND 480,000), and each figure beyond the first carries an extra VND 60,000 publication fee.

A carelessly assembled dossier with redundant variants and surplus images therefore costs considerably more than a tidy one. Conversely, an image set **missing views** is a common cause of amendment requests that add weeks to the process.

## Going abroad

Vietnam joined the Hague Agreement (Geneva Act) on 30 December 2019, allowing a single international application to register a design across member states. It is the design equivalent of Madrid and still under-used by Vietnamese businesses.

## Cited documents

- [Consolidated document 67/VBHN-VPQH — Law on Intellectual Property](/en/legal-documents/ip-law-consolidated) — In force

## Sources

- [Conditions for design protection and validity of the title (Article 93.4) — Điều 63–65, Điều 93 khoản 4](https://thuvienphapluat.vn/van-ban/So-huu-tri-tue/Van-ban-hop-nhat-67-VBHN-VPQH-2026-Luat-So-huu-tri-tue-700846.aspx) (67/VBHN-VPQH)

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Reference material only; it does not replace legal advice on a specific matter.