The Vietnamese authorities recently released two draft laws, including the draft Data Law and the draft Law on Digital Technology Industry, for public comments. These proposed laws seek to address various issues in the fields of data and digital technology, with the potential to significantly impact businesses across various industries.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) is drafting a decree on medical data management (“Draft Decree”) to establish a legal framework for (i) medical data management and development, (i) the establishment of the National Medical Database, and (iii) detailing the implementation of electronics health records and health books.
The Draft Decree is currently open for public consultation until 3 August 2024.
On 11 June 2024, the minister of the Ministry of Science and Technology of Vietnam issued Decision 1290/QD-BKHCN providing guidance on principles for researching and developing responsible artificial intelligence (AI) systems (“Decision”). This Decision, which came into effect immediately upon issuance, is included with Version 1.0 of the Guide on Principles for Researching and Developing Responsible AI Systems (“Guide”). It is essential to highlight that the Guide is established as a voluntary standard rather than a mandatory rule.
On 16 May 2024, the Government issued Decree No. 55/2024/ND-CP providing guidance on the 2023 Consumer Law. This decree specifies selected articles in detail, aiming at enhancing consumer protection and regulating diverse commercial environments in Vietnam. This decree will come into effect on 1 July 2024, coinciding with the Consumer Law’s commencement, and will be implemented immediately without a grace period.
The government and Ministry of Planning and Investment is currently working on the draft resolution of the National Assembly (NA) to amend the NA’s existing Resolution No. 119/2020/QH14 on “the pilot implementation of the urban governance model and various mechanisms and policies for the development of Da Nang city.”
The implementation of the new Law on Telecommunications, effective on 1 July 2024, requires a decree from the government to provide guidance and further details on various issues. On 2 February 2024, the Ministry of Information and Communications published a draft version of the decree guiding the New Telecom Law to collect public comments. The deadline for public comments is 2 April 2024.
The Vietnam Ministry of Public Security (MPS) published on 29 February 2024 its first version of the dossier proposing the development of the Law on Personal Data Protection (“PDP Law”) on the government’s official website for public consultation. This is one of the initial steps to kick off the drafting and enactment processes of the new Vietnam PDP Law.
The terms “data” and “digital data” have prominently surfaced in the discussions of policymakers and policy advocates. The year 2024 may signify the start of a comprehensive transformation in the data policy landscape in Vietnam, with the proposals of several key laws.
On 24 November 2023, the National Assembly officially approved the new Law on Telecommunications (“New Telecom Law”). This new law will soon supersede the existing 2009 Law on Telecommunications, which has been effective since 2010. The New Telecom Law will take effect on 1 July 2024, but its notable provisions regulating over-the-top (OTT) communications, data center (DC), and cloud computing (“Cloud”) services will take effect six months later, on 1 January 2025.
Under Vietnam’s current regulations on electronic games, foreign service providers of online electronic games must establish local enterprises to provide their services in Vietnam. The Schedule of Specific Commitments in Services of the Working Party on the WTO Accession of Vietnam (“Vietnam’s WTO Commitments”) only allows foreign investors to own up to 49% of the charter capital of such game companies. The commitments under the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) further allow foreign investors from member countries of the CPTPP to own up to 51% of the charter capital in game companies from 2019. However, from 14 January 2024, foreign investors from CPTPP member countries may own up to 100% of the charter capital in game companies in Vietnam.