A total of 268 native species are recorded from the freshwaters of Vietnam (from the Ca River basin northwards) and immediately adjacent waters in China and Laos. The systematic status and nomenclature of all species have been reevaluated. Compared to the last synthesis of the fishes known from the same area, 20 (10%) of the 203 formerly recognised species are invalid, 85 (42%) additional species are recognised, and the names of 150 (74%) of the then-known species are shown to be incorrect (either because of misidentifications, or for various nomenclatural reasons). The fish fauna of the Chinese Provinces of Yunnan, Guangxi, Guangdong, and Hainan has been compared with the Vietnamese fish fauna where relevant in an attempt to make the nomenclatures used in the two countries compatible and in agreement with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.