Convention Norway - Vietnam

Desiring to conclude an Agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of fiscal evasion with respect to taxes on income,

Have agreed as follows:

Article 1

PERSONAL SCOPE

This Agreement shall apply to persons who are residents of one or both of the Contracting States.

Article 2

TAXES COVERED

1.This Agreement shall apply to taxes on income imposed on behalf of a Contracting State or of its political subdivisions or local authorities, irrespective of the manner in which they are levied.

2.There shall be regarded as taxes on income all taxes imposed on total income, or on elements of income, including taxes on gains from the alienation of movable or immovable property, taxes on the total amounts of wages or salaries paid by enterprises as well as taxes on capital appreciation.

3.The existing taxes to which the Agreement shall apply are:

(a)in Vietnam:

(i)the personal income tax;

(ii)the profit tax;

(iii)the profit remittance tax;

(hereinafter referred to as" Vietnamese tax");

(b)in Norway:

(i)the national tax on income;

(ii) the county municipal tax on income;

(iii)the municipal tax on income;

(iv)the national contributions to the Tax Equalization Fund;

(v)the national tax relating to income from the exploration for and the exploitation of submarine petroleum resources and activities and work relating thereto, including pipeline transport of petroleum produced; and

(vi)the national dues on remuneration to non-resident artistes;

(hereinafter referred to as "Norwegian tax").

4.The Agreement shall also apply to any identical or substantially similar taxes which are imposed after the date of signature of this Agreement in addition to, or in place of, the existing taxes. The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall notify each other of important changes which have been made in their respective taxation laws.

Article 3

GENERAL DEFINITIONS

1.For the purposes of this Agreement, unless the context otherwise requires:

(a)the term "Vietnam" means the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; when used in a geographical sense, it means all its national territory, including its territorial sea and any area beyond its territorial sea, within which Vietnam by Vietnamese legislation and in accordance with international law, has sovereign rights of exploration for and exploitation of natural resources of the seabed and its subsoil and superadjacent watermass;

(b)the term "Norway" means the Kingdom of Norway, including any area outside the territorial waters of the Kingdom of Norway where the Kingdom of Norway, according to Norwegian legislation and in accordance with international law, may exercise her rights with respect to the seabed and subsoil and their natural resources; the term does not comprise Svalbard, Jan Mayen and the Norwegian dependencies ("biland");

(c)the terms "a Contracting State" and "the other Contracting State" mean Vietnam or Norway as the context requires;

(d)the term "person" includes an individual, a company and any other body of persons;

(e)the term "company" means any body corporate or any entity which is treated as a body corporate for tax purposes;

(f)the terms "enterprise of a Contracting State" and "enterprise of the other Contracting State" mean respectively an enterprise carried on by a resident of a Contracting State and an enterprise carried on by a resident of the other Contracting State;

(g)the term "nationals" means:

(i)all individuals possessing the nationality of a Contracting State;

(ii)all legal persons, partnerships and associations deriving their status as such from the laws in force in a Contracting State;

(h)the term "international traffic" means any transport by a ship or aircraft operated by an enterprise of a Contracting State, except when the ship or aircraft is operated solely between places in the other Contracting State; and

(i)the term "competent authority" means:

(i)in the case of Vietnam, the Minister of Finance or his authorized representative; and

(ii)in the case of Norway, the Minister of Finance and Customs or his authorized representative.

2.As regards the application of the Agreement by a Contracting State any term not defined therein shall, unless the context otherwise requires, have the meaning which it has under the law of that State concerning the taxes to which the Agreement applies.

Article 4

RESIDENT

1.For the purposes of this Agreement, the term "resident of a Contracting State" means any person who, under the laws of that State, is liable to tax therein by reason of his domicile, residence, place of management, place of registration or any other criterion of a similar nature.

2.Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1 an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then his status shall be determined as follows:

(a)he shall be deemed to be a resident of the State in which he has a permanent home available to him; if he has a permanent home available to him in both States, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the State with which his personal and economic relations are closer (centre of vital interests);

(b)if the State in which he has his centre of vital interests cannot be determined, or if he has not a permanent home available to him in either State, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the State in which he has an habitual abode;

(c)if he has an habitual abode in both States or in neither of them, he shall be deemed to be a resident of the State of which he is a national;

(d)if he is a national of both States or of neither of them, the competent authorities of the Contracting States shall settle the question by mutual agreement.

3.Where by reason of the provisions of paragraph 1, a person other than an individual is a resident of both Contracting States, then it shall be deemed to be a resident of the State in which its place of effective management is situated.

Article 5

PERMANENT ESTABLISHMENT

1.For the purposes of this Agreement, the term "permanent establishment" means a fixed place of business through which the business of the enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.

2.The term "permanent establishment" includes especially:

(a)a place of management;

(b)a branch;

(c)an office;

(d)a factory;

(e)a workshop; and

(f)a mine, an oil or gas well, a quarry or any other place of extraction of natural resources.

3.The term "permanent establishment" likewise encompasses:

(a)a building site, construction, assembly or installation project or supervisory activities in connection therewith, but only where such site, project or activities continue for a period of more than six months;

(b)the furnishing of services, including consultancy services, by an enterprise of a Contracting State through employees or other personnel in the other Contracting State, but only where activities of that nature continue (for the same or a connected project) within the country for a period or periods aggregating more than 183 days within any 12-month period.

4.Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, the term "permanent establishment" shall be deemed not to include:

(a)the use of facilities solely for the purpose of storage, display of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise;

(b)the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of storage or display;

(c)the maintenance of a stock of goods or merchandise belonging to the enterprise solely for the purpose of processing by another enterprise;

(d)the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of purchasing goods or merchandise or of collecting information, for the enterprise;

(e)the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for the purpose of carrying on, for the enterprise, any other activity of a preparatory or auxiliary character;

(f)the maintenance of a fixed place of business solely for any combination of activities mentioned in sub-paragraphs (a) to (e), provided that the overall activity of the fixed place of business resulting from this combination is of a preparatory or auxiliary character.

5.Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, where a person -- other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 7 applies -- is acting in a Contracting State on behalf of an enterprise of the other Contracting State, that enterprise shall be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the first-mentioned Contracting State in respect of any activities which that person undertakes for the enterprise, if such a person:

(a)has and habitually exercises in that State an authority to conclude contracts in the name of enterprise, unless the activities of such person are limited to those mentioned in paragraph 4 which, if exercised through a fixed place of business would not make this fixed place of business a permanent establishment under the provisions of that paragraph; or

(b)has no such authority, but habitually maintains in the first-mentioned State a stock of goods or merchandise from which he regularly delivers goods or merchandise on behalf of the enterprise.

6.Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, an insurance enterprise of a Contracting State shall, except in regard to re-insurance, be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State if it collects premiums in the territory of that other State or insures risks situated therein through a person other than an agent of an independent status to whom paragraph 7 applies.

7.An enterprise of a Contracting State shall not be deemed to have a permanent establishment in the other Contracting State merely because it carries on business in that State through a broker, general commission agent or any other agent of an independent status, provided that such persons are acting in the ordinary course of their business.

8.The fact that a company which is a resident of a Contracting State controls or is controlled by a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State, or which carries on business in that other State (whether through a permanent establishment or otherwise), shall not of itself constitute either company a permanent establishment of the other.

Article 6

INCOME FROM IMMOVABLE PROPERTY

1.Income derived by a resident of a Contracting State from immovable property (including income from agriculture or forestry) situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

2.The term "immovable property" shall have the meaning which it has under the law of the Contracting State in which the property in question is situated. The term shall in any case include property accessory to immovable property, livestock and equipment used in agriculture and forestry, rights to which the provisions of general law respecting landed property apply, usufruct of immovable property and rights to variable or fixed payments as consideration for the working of, or the right to work, mineral deposits, sources and other natural resources; ships and aircraft shall not be regarded as immovable property.

3.The provisions of paragraph 1 shall apply to income derived from the direct use, letting, or use in any other form of immovable property.

4.The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 3 shall also apply to the income from immovable property of an enterprise and to income from immovable property used for the performance of independent personal services.

Article 7

BUSINESS PROFITS

1.The profits of an enterprise of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State unless the enterprise carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein. If the enterprise carries on business as aforesaid, the profits of the enterprise may be taxed in the other State but only so much of them as is attributable to (a) that permanent establishment; (b) sales in that other State of goods or merchandise of the same or similar kind as those sold through that permanent establishment; or (c) other business activities carried on in that other State of the same or similar kind as those effected through that permanent establishment. However, the provisions of letters (b) and (c) of this paragraph shall not apply if the enterprise proves that such sale or activities are totally independent with the business carried on through the permanent establishment.

2.Subject to the provisions of paragraph 3, where an enterprise of a Contracting State carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein, there shall in each Contracting State be attributed to that permanent establishment the profits which it might be expected to make if it were a distinct and separate enterprise engaged in the same or similar activities under the same or similar conditions and dealing wholly independently with the enterprise of which it is a permanent establishment.

3.In determining the profits of a permanent establishment, there shall be allowed as deductions expenses which are incurred for the purposes of the business of the permanent establishment, including executive and general administrative expenses so incurred, whether in the State in which the permanent establishment is situated or elsewhere. However, no such deduction shall be allowed in respect of amounts, if any, paid (otherwise than towards reimbursement of actual expenses) by the permanent establishment to the head office of the enterprise or any of its other offices, by way of royalties, fees or other similar payments in return for the use of patents or other rights, or by way of commission, for specific services performed or for management, or, except in the case of a banking enterprise, by way of interest on moneys lent to the permanent establishment. Likewise, no account shall be taken, in the determination of the profits of a permanent establishment, for amounts charged (otherwise than towards reimbursement of actual expenses), by the permanent establishment to the head office of the enterprise or any of its other offices, by way of royalties, fees or other similar payments in return for the use of patents or other rights, or by way of commission for specific services performed or for management, or, except in the case of a banking enterprise by way of interest on moneys lent to the head office of the enterprise or any of its other offices.

4.Nothing in this Article shall affect the application of any law of a Contracting State relating to the determination of the tax liability of a person in cases where the information available to the competent authority of that State is inadequate to determine the profits to be attributed to a permanent establishment, provided that such law shall be applied, so far as the information available to the competent authority permits, consistently with the principles of this Article.

5.Insofar as it has been customary in a Contracting State to determine the profits to be attributed to a permanent establishment on the basis of an apportionment of the total profits of the enterprise to its various parts, nothing in paragraph 2 shall preclude such Contracting State from determining the profits to be taxed by such an apportionment as may be customary; the method of apportionment adopted shall, however, be such that the result shall be in accordance with the principles contained in this Article.

6.For the purposes of the preceding paragraphs, the profits to be attributed to the permanent establishment shall be determined by the same method year by year unless there is good and sufficient reason to the contrary.

7.Where profits include items of income which are dealt with separately in other Articles of this Agreement, then the provisions of those Articles shall not be affected by the provisions of this Article.

Article 8

SHIPPING AND AIR TRANSPORT

1.Profits derived by an enterprise of a Contracting State from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic shall be taxable only in that Contracting State.

2.For the purposes of this Article, profits from the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic include:

(a)income from the rental on a bareboat basis of ships or aircraft; and

(b)profits from the use, maintenance or rental of containers (including trailers and related equipment for the transport of containers) used for the transport of goods or merchandise; where such use, maintenance or rental, as the case may be, is incidental to the operation of ships or aircraft in international traffic.

3.The provisions of paragraph 1 shall also apply to profits from the participation in a pool, a joint business or an international operating agency.

4.The provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall apply to profits derived by the joint Norwegian, Danish and Swedish air transport consortium Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), but only insofar as profits derived by Det Norske Luftfartsselskap A/S (DNL), the Norwegian partner of the Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), are in proportion to its share in that organization.

Article 9

ASSOCIATED ENTERPRISES

1.Where

(a)an enterprise of a Contracting State participates directly or indirectly in the management, control or capital of an enterprise of the other Contracting State, or

(b)the same persons participate directly or indirectly in the management, control or capital of an enterprise of a Contracting State and an enterprise of the other Contracting State, and in either case conditions are made or imposed between the two enterprises in their commercial or financial relations which differ from those which would be made between independent enterprises, then any profits which would, but for those conditions, have accrued to one of the enterprises, but, by the reason of those conditions, have not so accrued, may be included in the profits of that enterprise and taxed accordingly.

2.Nothing in this Article shall affect the application of any law of a Contracting State relating to the determination of the tax liability of a person, including determinations in cases where the information available to the competent authority of that State is inadequate to determine the income to be attributed to an enterprise, provided that the law shall be applied, so far as it is practicable to do so, consistently with the principles of this Article.

Article 10

Dividends

1.Dividends paid by a company which is a resident of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

2.However, such dividends may also be

taxed in the Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident and according to the laws of that State, but if the recipient is the beneficial owner of the dividends the tax so charged shall not exceed:

(a)5 per cent of the gross amount of the

dividends if the beneficial owner is a company which holds directly at least 70 per cent of the share capital of the company paying the dividends;

(b)10 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends if the beneficial owner is a company which holds directly at least 25 per cent but less than 70 per cent of the share capital of the company paying the dividends;

(c)15 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends in all other cases.

This paragraph shall not affect the taxa-- tion of the company in respect of the profits out of which the dividends are paid.

3.The term "dividends" as used in this Article means income from shares, mining shares, founders' shares or other rights, not being debt-claims, participating in profits, as well as income from other corporate rights which is subjected to the same taxation treatment as income from shares by the laws of the State of which the company making the distribution is a resident.

4.The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the dividends, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State of which the company paying the dividends is a resident through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the holding in respect of which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case, the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.

5.Where a company which is a resident of a Contracting State derives profits or income from the other Contracting State, that other State may not impose any tax on the dividends paid by the company, except insofar as such dividends are paid to a resident of that other Contracting State or insofar as the holding in respect of which the dividends are paid is effectively connected with a permanent establishment or a fixed base situated in that other State, nor subject the company's undistributed profits to a tax on the company's undistributed profits, even if the dividends paid or the undistributed profits consist wholly or partly of profits or income arising in such other State.

Article 11

INTEREST

1.Interest arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

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

3.Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2;

(a)interest arising in Norway shall be

taxable only in Vietnam if the interest is paid to:

(i)the Government of Vietnam, a political subdivision, a local authority or a statutory body thereof;

(ii)the State Bank of Vietnam; or

(iii)any institution wholly owned by the Government of Vietnam as may be agreed from time to time between the competent authorities of the Contracting States;

(b)interest arising in Vietnam shall be

taxable only in Norway if the interest is paid to:

(i)the State of Norway, a political subdivision, a local authority or a statutory body thereof;

(ii)the Central Bank of Norway; or

(iii)any institution wholly owned by the State of Norway as may be agreed from time to time between the competent authorities of the Contracting States.

4.The term "interest" as used in this Article means income from debt-claim of every kind, whether or not secured by mortgage, and whether or not carrying a right to participate in the debtor's profits, and in particular, income from government securities and income from bonds or debentures, including premiums and prizes attaching to such securities, bonds or debentures. Penalty charges for late payment shall not be regarded as interest for the purpose of this Article.

5.The provisions of paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the interest, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State in which the interest arises, through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein and the debtclaim in respect of which the interest is paid is effectively connected with (a) such permanent establishment or fixed base, or with (b) business activities referred to under (c) of paragraph 1 of Article 7. In such case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.

6.Interest shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is that State itself, a political sub-division, a local authority or a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the interest, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or a fixed base in connection with which the indebtedness on which the interest is paid was incurred, and such interest is borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such interest shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or a fixed base is situated.

7.Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the interest, having regard to the debt-claim for which it is paid, exceeds 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 laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Agreement.

Article 12

ROYALTIES

1.Royalties arising in a Contracting State and paid to a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other Contracting State .

2.However, such royalties 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 royalties, the tax so charged shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of the royalties.

3.The term "royalties" as used in this Article means payments of any kind received as a consideration for the use of, or the right to use, any copyright of literary, artistic or scientific work including cinematograph films, or films or tapes used for radio or television broadcasting, any patent, trade mark, design or model, plan, secret formula or process, or for the use of, or the right to use, industrial, commercial or scientific equipment, or for information concerning industrial, commercial or scientific experience.

4.The provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2 shall not apply if the beneficial owner of the royalties, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State in which the royalties arise, through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right or property in respect of which the royalties are paid is effectively connected with (a) such permanent establishment or fixed base, or with (b) business activities referred to under (c) of paragraph 1 of Article 7. In such cases the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.

5.Royalties shall be deemed to arise in a Contracting State when the payer is that State itself, a political subdivision, or a local authority or a resident of that State. Where, however, the person paying the royalties, whether he is a resident of a Contracting State or not, has in a Contracting State a permanent establishment or

fixed base in connection with which the liability to pay the royalties was incurred, and such royalties are borne by such permanent establishment or fixed base, then such royalties shall be deemed to arise in the State in which the permanent establishment or fixed base is situated.

6.Where, by reason of a special relationship between the payer and the beneficial owner or between both of them and some other person, the amount of the royalties, having regard to the use, right or information for which they are paid, exceeds 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 laws of each Contracting State, due regard being had to the other provisions of this Agreement.

Article 13

CAPITAL GAINS

1.Gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of immovable property referred to in Article 6 and situated in the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

2.Gains from the alienation of movable property forming part of the business property of a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State or of movable property pertaining to a fixed base available to a resident of a Contracting State in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing independent personal services, including such gains from the alienation of such a permanent establishment (alone or with the whole enterprise) or of such fixed base, may be taxed in that other State.

3.Gains derived by an enterprise of a Contracting State from the alienation of ships, aircraft or containers (including trailers and related equipment for the transport of containers) operated in international traffic shall be taxable only in that Contracting State. The provisions of this paragraph, however, shall not apply if the containers or trailers and related equipment are used for transport solely between places within the other Contracting State.

4.Gains from the alienation of shares of the capital stock of a company the property of which consists directly or indirectly principally of immovable property situated in a Contracting State may be taxed in that State.

5.Gains from the alienation of shares other than those mentioned in paragraph 4 representing a participation of at least 10 per cent in a company which is a resident of a Contracting State may be taxed in that State.

6.Gains from the alienation of any property other than that referred to in paragraph 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which the alienator is a resident.

Article 14

INDEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES

1.Income derived by an individual who is a resident of a Contracting State in respect of professional services or other activities of an independent character shall be taxable only in that State except in the following circumstances, when such income may also be taxed in the other Contracting State:

(a)If he has a fixed base regularly available to him in the other Contracting State for the purpose of performing this activities; in that case, only so much of the income as is attributable to that

fixed base may be taxed in that other Contracting State; or

(b)If his stay in the other Contracting State is for a period or periods amounting to or exceeding in the aggregate 183 days within any 12-month period; in that case, only so much of the income as is derived from his activities performed in that other State may be taxed in that State.

2.The term "professional services" includes especially independent scientific, literary, artistic, educational or teaching activities as well as the independent activities of physicians, lawyers, engineers, architects, dentists and accountants.

Article 15

DEPENDENT PERSONAL SERVICES

1.Subject to the provisions of Articles 16, 18 and 19, salaries, wages and other similar remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment shall be taxable only in that State unless the employment is exercised in the other Contracting State. If the employment is so exercised, such remuneration as is derived therefrom may be taxed in that other State.

2.Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment exercised in the other Contracting State shall be taxable only in the first-mentioned State if:

(a)the recipient is present in the other State for a period or periods not exceeding in the aggregate 183 days within any 12-month period, and

(b)the remuneration is paid by, or on behalf of, an employer who is a resident of the State of which the recipient is a resident, and whose activity does not consist of the hiring out of labor, and

(c)the remuneration is not borne by a permanent establishment or a fixed base which the employer has in the other State.

3.Notwithstanding the preceding provisions of this Article, remuneration derived in respect of an employment exercised aboard a ship or aircraft operated in international traffic by an enterprise of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State. However, where remuneration is derived in respect of an employment exercised aboard a ship registered in the Norwegian International Ships' register (N.I.S.), such remuneration shall be taxable only in the Contracting State of which the recipient is a resident.

4.Where a resident of Norway derives remuneration in respect of an employment exercised aboard an aircraft operated in international traffic by the Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) consortium, such remuneration shall be taxable only in Norway.

Article 16

DIRECTORS' FEES

Directors' fees and other similar payments derived by a resident of a Contracting State in his capacity as a member of the board of directors or of a similar organ of a company which is a resident of the other Contracting State may be taxed in that other State.

Article 17

ARTISTES AND SPORTSMEN

1.Notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 14 and 15, income derived by a resident of a Contracting State as an entertainer, such as a theater, motion picture, radio or television artiste, or a musician, or as a sportsman, from his personal activities as such exercised in the other Contracting State, may be taxed in that other State.

2.Where income in respect of personal activities exercised by an entertainer or a sportsman in his capacity as such accrues not to the entertainer or sportsman himself but to another person, that income may, notwithstanding the provisions of Articles 7, 14 and 15, be taxed in the Contracting State in which the activities of the entertainer or sportsman are exercised.

3.Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, income derived by entertainers or sportsmen who are residents of a Contracting State from activities in the other Contracting State under a plan of cultural exchange between the Governments of both Contracting States shall be exempt from tax in that other Contracting State.

Article 18

PENSIONS, ANNUITIES, PAYMENTS UNDER A SOCIAL SECURITY SYSTEM AND ALIMONY

1.Pensions (including government pensions), annuities and payments under a social security system paid to a resident of a Contracting State, shall be taxable only in that State.

2.Alimony and other maintenance payments paid to a resident of a Contracting State shall be taxable only in that State. However, any alimony or other maintenance payment paid by a resident of one of the Contracting States to a resident of the other Contracting State, shall, to the extent it is not allowable as a relief to the payer, be taxable only in the first-mentioned State.

Article 19

GOVERNMENT SERVICE

1.

(a)Remuneration, other than a pension, paid by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof to an individual in respect of services rendered to that State or subdivision or authority shall be taxable only in that State.

(b)However, such remuneration shall be taxable only in the other Contracting State if the services are rendered in that State and the individual is a resident of that State who:

(i)is a national of that State; or

(ii)did not become a resident of that State solely for the purpose of rendering the services.

2.The provisions of Articles 15 and 16 shall apply to remuneration in respect of services rendered in connection with a business carried on by a Contracting State or a political subdivision or a local authority thereof.

Article 20

STUDENTS AND APPRENTICES

Payments which a student or business apprentice who is or was immediately before visiting a Contracting State a resident of the other Contracting State and who is present in the first-mentioned State solely for the purpose of his education or training receives for the purpose of his maintenance, education or training shall not be taxed in that State, provided that such payments arise from sources outside that State.

Article 21

OFFSHORE ACTIVITIES

1.Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 5 and Article 14, a person who is a resident of a Contracting State and carries on activities offshore in the other Contracting State in connection with the exploration or exploitation of the seabed and subsoil and their natural resources situated in that other State shall be deemed in relation to those activities to be carrying on business in that other State through a permanent establishment or fixed base situated therein.

2.Paragraph 1 of this Article shall not apply where a resident of a Contracting State carries on transportation of supplies or personnel to a location, or between locations, where activities in connection with the exploration or exploitation of the seabed and subsoil and their natural resources are being carried on in the other Contracting State, or operate tugboats and other vessels auxiliary to such activities.

3.Notwithstanding the provisions of Article 13, gains derived by a resident of a Contracting State from the alienation of:

(a)exploration or exploitation rights; or

(b)property situated in the other Contracting State and used in connection with exploration or exploitation of the seabed and subsoil and their natural resources situated in that other State; or

(c)shares deriving their value or the greater part of their value directly or indirectly from such rights or such property or from such rights and such property taken together,

may be taxed in that other State.

In this paragraph "exploration or exploitation rights" means rights to assets to be produced by the exploration or exploitation of the seabed and subsoil and their natural resources in the other Contracting State, including rights to interests in or to the benefit of such assets.

Article 22

OTHER INCOME

1.Items of income of a resident of a Contracting State, wherever arising, not dealt with in the foregoing Articles of this Agreement shall be taxable only in that State.

2.The provisions of paragraph 1 shall not apply to income, other than income from immovable property as defined in paragraph 2 of Article 6, if the recipient of such income, being a resident of a Contracting State, carries on business in the other Contracting State through a permanent establishment situated therein, or performs in that other State independent personal services from a fixed base situated therein, and the right or property in respect of which the income is paid is effectively connected with such permanent establishment or fixed base. In such case the provisions of Article 7 or Article 14, as the case may be, shall apply.

3.Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraphs 1 and 2, items of income of a resident of a Contracting State not dealt with in the foregoing Articles of this Agreement and arising in the other Contracting State may also be taxed in that other State.

Article 23

METHODS FOR ELIMINATION OF DOUBLE TAXATION

1.In Vietnam, double taxation shall be eliminated as follows:

Where a resident of Vietnam derives income, profits or gains which under the law of Norway and in accordance with this Agreement may be taxed in Norway, Vietnam shall allow as a credit against its tax on the income, profits or gains an amount equal to the tax paid in Norway. The amount of credit, however, shall not exceed the amount of the Vietnamese tax on that income, profits or gains computed in accordance with the taxation laws and regulations of Vietnam.

2.In Norway, double taxation shall be eliminated as follows:

(a)Subject to the provisions of the laws of Norway regarding the allowance as a credit against Norwegian tax of tax payable in a territory outside Norway (which shall not affect the general principle hereof), where a resident of Norway derives income which, in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, may be taxed in Vietnam, Norway shall allow as a deduction from the tax on the income of that resident, an amount equal to the income tax paid in Vietnam.

Such deduction shall not, however, exceed that part of the income tax, as computed before the deduction is given, which is attributable to the income which may be taxed in Vietnam;

(b)Where in accordance with any provision of this Agreement, income derived by a resident of Norway is exempt from tax in Norway, Norway may nevertheless, in determining the tax rate applicable to the remaining income of such resident, take into account the exempted income;

(c)For the purpose of sub-paragraph 2 (a) of this Article, the income tax paid in Vietnam by a resident of Norway in respect of business profits earned through a permanent establishment situated in Vietnam, shall be deemed to include any amount of tax which would have been payable as Vietnamese tax for any year but for a reduction of tax granted for that year or any part thereof as a result of the application of the provisions of Vietnamese Law designed to extend time limited tax incentives to promote foreign investment for development purposes. The provisions of this sub-paragraph shall, however, not apply to profits derived from manufacturing or financial activities and also provided that no more than 25 per cent of the profits of such permanent establishment consist of interest and gains from the alienation of shares or bonds, or consist of profits derived from third States. The provisions of this sub-paragraph shall not apply to Vietnamese profit remittance tax imposed on the remitted profits of a permanent establishment of a Norwegian enterprise;

(d)For the purpose of sub-paragraph 2 (a) of this Article, Vietnamese tax paid in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 10 shall, irrespective of the amount of tax actually paid, be deemed to be 15 per cent of the gross amount of the dividends received from sources in Vietnam, insofar as such tax or any part thereof has been reduced as a result of the application of the provisions of Vietnamese Law designed to promote development. The provisions of this sub-paragraph shall, however, not apply to dividends paid out of profits derived from manufacturing or financial activities and also provided that no more than 25 per cent of the profits out of which the dividends are paid consist of interest and gains from the alienation of shares or bonds or profits derived from third States;

(e)For the purpose of sub-paragraph 2 (a) of this Article, Vietnamese tax paid in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 11 shall, irrespective of the amount of tax actually paid, be deemed to be 10 per cent of the gross amount of the interest received from sources in Vietnam insofar as such tax or any part thereof has been reduced as a result of the provisions of Vietnamese Law designed to promote development, and provided the loan on which the interest is paid has been approved by the Government of Vietnam and the interest is received by a Norwegian financial institution;

(f)For the purpose of sub-paragraph 2 (a) of this Article, Vietnamese tax paid in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 12 shall, irrespective of the amount of tax actually paid, be deemed to be 10 per cent of the gross amount of royalties received from sources in Vietnam, insofar as such tax or any part thereof has been reduced as a result of the application of the provisions of Vietnamese Law designed to promote development;

(g)The provisions of sub-paragraphs 2 (c), 2 (d), 2 (e) and 2 (f) of this Article shall apply for the first 10 years for which this Agreement is effective. The competent authorities shall consult each other in order to determine whether this period shall be extended.

Article 24

NON-DISCRIMINATION

1.Nationals of a Contracting State shall not be subjected in the other Contracting State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith, which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which nationals of that other State in the same circumstances are or may be subjected.

2.The taxation on a permanent establishment which an enterprise of a Contracting State has in the other Contracting State shall not be less favorably levied in that other State than the taxation levied on enterprises of that other State carrying on the same activities. This provision shall not be construed as obliging a Contracting State to grant to residents of the other Contracting State any personal allowances, reliefs and reductions for taxation purposes on account of civil status or family responsibilities which it grants to its own residents.

3.Except where the provisions of paragraph 1 of Article 9, paragraph 7 of Article 11 or paragraph 6 of Article 12 of this Agreement apply, interest, royalties, and other disbursements paid by an enterprise of a Contracting State to a resident of the other Contracting State shall, for the purpose of determining the taxable profits of such enterprise, be deductible under the same conditions as if they had been paid to a resident of the first-mentioned State.

4.Enterprises of a Contracting State, the capital of which is wholly or partly owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by one or more residents of the other Contracting State, shall not be subjected in the first-mentioned State to any taxation or any requirement connected therewith which is other or more burdensome than the taxation and connected requirements to which other similar enterprises of the first-mentioned State are or may be subjected.

5.The provisions of paragraphs 2 and 4 of this Article shall not apply to the Vietnamese profit remittance tax, which in any case shall not exceed 10 per cent of the gross amount of profits remitted, and the Vietnamese taxation in respect of oil exploration or production activities or in respect of agricultural production activities.

6.Nothing contained in this Article shall be construed as obliging either Contracting State to grant to individuals not resident in that State any of the personal allowances, reliefs and reductions for tax purposes which are granted to individuals so resident.

7.The provisions of this Article shall apply only to the taxes which are the subject of this Agreement.

8.Notwithstanding the provisions of this Article, for so long as Vietnam continues to grant to investors licenses under the Law on Foreign Investment in Vietnam, which specify the taxation to which the investor shall be subjected, the imposition of such taxation shall not be regarded as breaching the terms of paragraphs 2 and 4 of this Article.

Article 25

MUTUAL AGREEMENT PROCEDURE

1.Where a person who is a resident of a Contracting State considers that the actions of the competent authority of one or both of the Contracting States result or will result for him in taxation not in accordance with the provisions this Agreement, he may, irrespective of the remedies provided by the domestic law of those States, present his case to the competent authority of the Contracting State of which the person is a resident. The case must be presented within three years from the first notification of the action resulting in taxation not in accordance with the provisions of the Agreement.

2.The competent authority shall endeavor, if the objection appears to it to be justified and if it is not itself able to arrive at a satisfactory solution, to resolve the case by mutual agreement with the competent authority of the other Contracting State, with a view to the avoidance of taxation which is not in accordance with this Agreement. Any agreement reached shall be implemented notwithstanding any time limits in the domestic law of the Contracting States.

3.The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall jointly endeavor to resolve any difficulties or doubts arising as to the application of the Agreement. They may also consult together for the elimination of double taxation in cases not provided for in the Agreement.

4.The competent authorities of the Contracting States may communicate with each other directly for the purpose of reaching an agreement in the sense of the preceding paragraphs. The competent authorities, through consultations, shall develop appropriate bilateral procedures, conditions, methods and techniques for the implementation of the mutual agreement procedure provided for in this Article. In addition, a competent authority may devise appropriate unilateral procedures, conditions, methods and techniques to facilitate the above-mentioned bilateral actions and the implementation of the mutual agreement procedure.

Article 26

EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION

1.The competent authorities of the Contracting States shall exchange such information as is relevant for carrying out the provisions of this Agreement or of the domestic laws of the Contracting States concerning taxes covered by the Agreement in so far as the taxation thereunder is not contrary to the Agreement. Any information received by a Contracting State shall be treated as secret in the same manner as information obtained under the domestic laws of that State. However, if the information is originally regarded as secret in the transmitting State it shall be disclosed only to persons or authorities (including courts and administrative bodies) involved in the assessment or collection of, the enforcement or prosecution in respect of, or the determination of appeals in relation to, the taxes which are the subject of the Agreement. Such persons or authorities shall use the information only for such purposes. They may disclose the information in public court proceedings or in judicial decisions. The competent authorities shall, through consultation, develop appropriate conditions, methods and techniques concerning the matters in respect of which such exchanges of information shall be made, including, where appropriate, exchanges of information regarding tax avoidance.

2.In no case shall the provisions of paragraph 1 be construed so as to impose on a Contracting State the obligation:

(a)to carry out administrative measures at variance with the law and administrative practice of that or of the other Contracting State;

(b)to supply information which is not obtainable under the laws or in the normal course of the administration of that or of the other Contracting State;

(c)to supply information which would disclose any trade, business, industrial, commercial or professional secret or trade process, or information, the disclosure of which would be contrary to public policy (ordre public).

Article 27

DIPLOMATIC AGENTS AND CONSULAR OFFICERS

Nothing in this Agreement shall affect the fiscal privileges of diplomatic agents or consular officers under the general rules of international law or under the provisions of special agreements.

Article 28

ENTRY INTO FORCE

1.This Agreement shall enter into force on the thirtieth day after the date on which diplomatic notes indicating the completion of internal legal procedures necessary in each country for the entry into force of this Agreement have been exchanged.

2.This Agreement shall have effect:

(i)in respect of taxes withheld at source, in relation to taxable amount paid on or after 1 January following the calendar year in which the Agreement enters into force;

(ii)in respect of other taxes, in relation to income, profits or gains arising in the calendar year following the calendar year in which the Agreement enters into force.

Article 29

TERMINATION

This Agreement shall remain in force until terminated by a Contracting State. Either Contracting State may terminate the Agreement, through the diplomatic channel, by giving to the other Contracting State, written notice of termination at least six months before the end of any calendar year after the expiration of five years from the date of its entry into force. In such event the Agreement shall cease to have effect:

(i)in respect of taxes withheld at source, in relation to taxable amount paid on or after 1 January following the calendar year in which the notice of termination is given;

(ii)in respect of other taxes, in relation to income, profits or gains arising in the calendar year following the calendar year in which the notice of termination is given, and in subsequent calendar years.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned, being duly authorized thereto by their respective Governments, have signed this Agreement.

DONE in duplicate at Oslo this first day of June of the year one thousand nine hundred and ninety-five in the Norwegian, Vietnamese and English languages, three texts being equally authentic. In case of divergence of interpretation, the English text shall prevail.

For the Government For the Government

of the Kingdom of the Socialist

of NorwayRepublic of Vietnam

Grete KnudsenHo Te

(sign.)(sign.)