Fire Safety for Restaurants, Hotels, Leased Offices

Restaurants, hotels and leased offices are three different business models, but they share one thing: the sources of fire risk sit in daily operations. A restaurant has a kitchen and gas, a hotel has guests sleeping overnight, and a leased office is renovated again each time a new tenant moves in. Knowing the key points for each type helps an owner prepare correctly and operate with confidence.

Quick answer:

Restaurant: control the kitchen, open flames and escape routes; the food safety certificate and the fire safety dossier are separate matters.
Hotel and accommodation: prioritize fire alarms, escape routes and guidance signs; adding rooms or floors requires checking whether re-appraisal is needed.
Leased office: the investor hands the building documents to the operating unit; each tenant consults before renovating its floor.

Why do all three types need to pay attention to fire safety?

Whether a facility is subject to fire prevention and fighting (PCCC) management depends on the list issued by the Government (Clause 7, Article 2 of the Law on Fire Prevention and Fighting, and Rescue and Search and Rescue No. 55/2024/QH15, called Law 55/2024 below). The list is in Appendix I of Decree 105/2025/NĐ-CP (Decree 105); facilities with fire and explosion hazards are in Appendix II. This article does not give area or volume thresholds for self-classification, because the specific activity type and scale must be checked against the appendix in force.

Points of note for each type:

Restaurants and food stalls: kitchens and gas cylinders are direct sources of fire, located close to busy areas.
Hotels and accommodation: guests sleep overnight, and many do not know the layout of the building.
Leased offices: each renovation for a new tenant is a chance for the use of the premises to differ from the original design.

When the competent authority inspects a facility, the items reviewed include: fire equipment, the fire protection system and firefighting water sources; conditions for using open flames, heat sources and flammable materials; escape routes and emergency exits; prohibition, warning and guidance signs; and compliance with internal regulations (Clause 1, Article 13 of Decree 105). This is also a good checklist for self-inspection.

Restaurants: kitchen, escape routes and the food safety certificate

For restaurants, three points should be checked first:

Kitchen and gas: location of gas cylinders, pipes and valves; safe use of open flames, heat sources and flammable materials is an item under inspection (Point e, Clause 1, Article 13 of Decree 105).
Escape routes: keep them free of tables, chairs, shelves and equipment; maintain escape routes and emergency exits (Point o, Clause 1, Article 13 of Decree 105).
Kitchen and dining area: arrange them sensibly and limit open flames close to crowded areas.

Many food stalls operate in residences combined with business. In that case they must meet the fire safety conditions in Article 21 of Law 55/2024, including the safety conditions of the residence, prohibition, warning and guidance signs, and measures to separate or fireproof the business area storing goods with fire or explosion risk from the residential area.

A common mistake: obtaining a food safety eligibility certificate and assuming the restaurant’s paperwork is complete. The food safety certificate reviews hygiene and food storage conditions; the fire safety dossier reviews fire prevention and fighting conditions. The two are independent, and one does not replace the other. A sensible sequence is to determine the fire safety requirements for the kitchen area, gas lines and extraction hood before or alongside the food safety dossier, so that the kitchen does not have to be modified after installation.

Hotels and accommodation: alarms, escape routes and the number of rooms

Accommodation facilities have their own features: guests stay overnight, many are not familiar with the building, and incidents at night are hard to detect early. For this reason, fire alarm systems and clear escape routes are especially important. Points to review regularly:

Escape guidance signs: clearly visible, not blocked by plants, the reception desk or decorations.
Escape routes: kept clear during operating hours; consider security measures that do not hinder escape.
Number of floors, number of rooms, functional zones: if floors are added, rooms re-partitioned, or the use of an area changed, this may change the fire safety conditions. For works subject to appraisal, cases such as adding floors, reducing the number of escape routes, or changing the main functional zones require the design to be adjusted and re-appraised (Clause 2, Article 17 of Law 55/2024; Clause 4, Article 6 of Decree 105). Consult a fire safety consultant before renovating.
Other functional areas in a hotel, such as restaurant kitchens, entertainment areas and wellness areas: each has its own sources of risk, which must be taken into account when drafting internal regulations, firefighting plans and self-inspection.

If a small residence is converted into accommodation for short-term rental, its use has changed from ordinary housing. The owner should check the type of activity and scale against Appendix I of Decree 105 to see whether it falls under PCCC management and, if so, prepare the dossier and carry out self-inspection as required.

Leased offices: how building owners and tenants divide the work

In a multi-storey office building, fire safety duties are usually divided by role:

Investor and building owner: organize acceptance and take responsibility for the acceptance result (Clauses 1 and 3, Article 18 of Law 55/2024); when the building is put into use, provide the approved design dossier and fire safety acceptance dossier to the management and operating unit (Point e, Clause 1, Article 12 of Decree 105).
Company leasing a floor: the head of the facility (the legal representative, or the person directly assigned to manage it, under Clause 11, Article 2 of Law 55/2024) handles the duties for its own premises: internal regulations, assigning people to fire safety tasks, on-site equipment, records and self-inspection (Clause 3, Article 8 of Law 55/2024).

The most sensitive point for this type is renovation of premises to suit a tenant: removing partition walls, adding an internal kitchen, turning an office floor into a classroom, showroom or recording studio. These changes may alter the main functional zone or the escape routes compared with the original design.

A practical approach: before renovating, the tenant sends its plan to the building management and a fire safety consultant to determine whether the renovation falls into the category that requires re-appraisal. The lease should clearly state which party is the point of contact during an inspection, which party bears the cost if re-appraisal is required because of the renovation, and that the building provides the building documents so that the tenant can prepare its own fire safety dossier.

Compulsory fire insurance: which facilities must buy it?

A facility on the list that must buy compulsory fire insurance is obliged to insure its property (Clause 1, Article 48 of Law 55/2024). This list is in Appendix VII of Decree 105. Facilities not on the list are encouraged to take part (Clause 2, Article 48).

From 15/9/2026, Decree 347/2026/NĐ-CP (Article 28) adjusts the property that must be insured: it excludes stand-alone houses and structures that meet fire safety requirements and have a low fire hazard level. So when renewing an insurance contract, a facility should check its type, scale and each property item against the rules in force. The compulsory fire insurance certificate is one component of the fire safety dossier for facilities within scope (Point i, Clause 1, Article 4 of Decree 105).

How Thái Tín can help

Thái Tín is the coordinating point for restaurants, hotels and businesses leasing office space that need to review the fire safety side of their operations. We receive information, review the documents the owner already holds, and connect the owner with fire safety consulting, design and installation providers suited to the type of facility to handle the technical work:

Review the fire safety dossier against the actual business use and point out what must be added.
Connect fire safety consultants when a kitchen is renovated, floors are added, rooms are re-partitioned, or an office floor is altered.
Coordinate the food safety certificate procedure and the change of business location procedure on the business registration when a facility expands or relocates.

Costs include consulting fees, installation fees (based on actual volume) and any third-party fees; a quote is provided after reviewing the site. Send the facility information (type of activity, address, scale, existing fire safety documents) through the contact page, or see services by business lifecycle.

Questions and answers

Does a small food stall need to consider fire safety?

Yes. Whether a facility is subject to fire safety management depends on the list issued by the Government (Clause 7, Article 2 of Law 55/2024/QH15; Appendix I of Decree 105/2025/NĐ-CP). It must be checked against the specific activity type and scale. In addition, a food stall located in a residence combined with business must meet the fire safety conditions in Article 21 of Law 55/2024, such as warning signs, guidance signs, and separation of the business area storing goods with fire or explosion risk from the residential area.

If a facility has a food safety certificate, can it replace the fire safety dossier?

No. The food safety eligibility certificate and the fire safety dossier belong to two different fields of law, managed by different agencies. One does not replace the other. A restaurant within the scope of both must complete both.

If a hotel adds rooms or floors, does it affect fire safety?

It may. For works subject to appraisal, if adding floors or changing the main functional zones or reducing escape routes changes the fire safety conditions, the design must be adjusted and re-appraised (Clause 2, Article 17 of Law 55/2024/QH15; Clause 4, Article 6 of Decree 105/2025/NĐ-CP). Consult a fire safety consultant before renovating to confirm the specifics.

In a multi-storey leased office, who keeps the building's fire safety dossier, and who handles each floor?

The investor organizes acceptance and provides the approved design dossier and the fire safety acceptance dossier to the management and operating unit when the building is put into use (Point e, Clause 1, Article 12 of Decree 105/2025/NĐ-CP). A company leasing a floor, if it is a facility within scope, has its head of facility handle matters for its own premises: internal regulations, assigning people, on-site equipment, records and self-inspection (Clause 3, Article 8 of Law 55/2024/QH15). The lease should clearly name the point of contact when an inspection team arrives.

Which facilities must buy compulsory fire insurance?

Facilities on the list that must buy compulsory fire insurance are obliged to insure their property (Clause 1, Article 48 of Law 55/2024/QH15). The list is in Appendix VII of Decree 105/2025/NĐ-CP. From 15/9/2026, Decree 347/2026/NĐ-CP (Article 28) excludes from the insured property stand-alone houses and structures that meet fire safety requirements and have a low fire hazard level. Check the specific activity type and scale against the list.

Legal basis · verification date

Verified 2 October 2026 · next review 2 January 2027. The content is general guidance and does not replace advice for a specific case.

Law on Fire Prevention and Fighting, and Rescue and Search and Rescue No. 55/2024/QH15 (Luật Phòng cháy, chữa cháy và cứu nạn, cứu hộ; effective 01/7/2025; amended by Law No. 118/2025/QH15; Points b, d and dd, Clause 1, Article 17 amended by the Construction Law No. 135/2025/QH15 from 01/7/2026): Clauses 7 and 11, Article 2; Clause 3, Article 8; Clause 2, Article 17; Clauses 1 and 3, Article 18; Article 21; Clauses 1 and 2, Article 48.
Decree 105/2025/NĐ-CP detailing the Law on Fire Prevention and Fighting (effective 01/7/2025), amended and supplemented by Decree 347/2026/NĐ-CP (issued 08/9/2026, effective 15/9/2026): Point i, Clause 1, Article 4; Clause 4, Article 6; Point e, Clause 1, Article 12; Clause 1, Article 13; Clauses 1 and 2, Article 14; Appendices I, II and VII.
Decree 347/2026/NĐ-CP, Article 28: amends Article 44 of Decree 105/2025 (part amending Decree 67/2023/NĐ-CP on compulsory fire insurance), excluding from the insured property stand-alone houses and structures that meet fire safety requirements and have a low fire hazard level.