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The decision to open an overseas office is one of the most expensive and hard-to-reverse steps in a startup's journey. Many founders do this too early, too hastily — and close after 12 months due to insufficient preparation.
This checklist is compiled from the experience of 20+ Vietnamese founders who have successfully opened and operated offices abroad.
The Most Critical Question Groups
Legal: Local company or subsidiary? Tax residency implications? Founder visas and work permits? Finance: Banking setup, FX risk, intercompany transfer pricing, local accounting? People: Who will be there first? Local hire or relocate from VN? Compensation benchmarks? Market: Do you have at least 3 customer commitments before opening? Does revenue from that market cover at least 50% of operating costs?
“Our rule: don't open an overseas office until we have 3 paying customers and at least 1 strong local hire committed. That's saved us from at least 2 premature openings.”