The effectiveness of the FiT policies for renewable energy (excluding small and medium hydropower), applied from 2018 to 2021, is indisputable as it attracts significant investments in developing renewable energy sources. During that period, the total installed power of the entire system increased significantly, and the power structure also experienced a remarkable change. By the end of 2021, the total installed capacity of the entire system reaches 76,620MW, of which the total capacity of wind and solar power is 20,670MW, accounting for 27.0% of the total installed capacity.

On 30 October 2022, the Government promulgated Decree No. 91/2022/ND-CP on amendments of and additions to a number of articles of Decree No. 126/2020/ND-CP dated 19 October 2020 elaborating the 2019 Law on Tax Administration (“Decree 91"), which further specifies the responsibilities of tax payers relating to tax declaration and payment on cyberspace, including the responsibility of providing certain prescribed information of merchants on e-commerce trading floors by such floors’ owners. For implementation of Decree 91, on 14 November 2022, the General Department of Taxation (the “GDT”) issued Official Letter No. 4205/TCT-DNNCN on the guidance for the owners of e-commerce trading floors to provide the prescribed information on merchants operating thereon (“OL 4205”).

After waiting since the middle of 2018, the Government of Vietnam finally issued Decree No. 53/2022/ND-CP dated 15 August 2022 (“Decree 53”) detailing some articles of the Law on Cybersecurity No. 24/2018/QH14 (the “Cybersecurity Law”), following the last draft decree version released in August 2019 (the “Last Draft Decree”). Decree 53 will take effect from 1 October 2022.

Start-up enterprises play an important role for sustainable development of the country’s economy as many of them are small and medium sized enterprises (“SMEs”). In addition, the sector of an innovation start-up enterprise has only recently entered the purview of the Government and the National Assembly. The State has provided special policies for the assistance of and incentives to encourage Start-up SMEs that primarily focus on technological advancement and research (“Innovation Start-up SMEs”) that need assistance of all resources for building their reputation and position in the market.

On 16 June 2022, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam issued Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW (“Resolution 18”), which replaces its predecessor – Resolution No. 19-NQ/TW dated 31 October 2012 and provides land policy to be applied in the near future. Resolution 18 has several new points which are the subject of this Article.

On 11 April 2022, the State Bank of Vietnam (the “SBV”) released a draft circular on conditions for foreign loans not guaranteed by the government, including loans to credit institutions and loans to local enterprises (the “Draft Circular”), and is expected to replace the current Circular No. 12/2014/TT-NHNN (“Circular No. 12”).

The Law on Electronic Transactions No. 51/2005/QH11 dated 29 November 2005 (the “ET Law”) covers issues which have seen a great deal of advancement since its promulgation over fifteen years ago. This has resulted in the need of a legal system update for conformity and more comprehensive management.

Since 2018, the corporate bond market, especially the market for privately-placed corporate bonds ("PPCBs") has experienced significant growth. The volume of corporate bonds issued has reportedly reached VND658,009 billion in 2021, of which PPCBs account for over 95% with a total value of VND627,844 billion, witnessing an increase of 46% as compared to 2020. However, recent misconduct in private placement of corporate bonds has revealed many potential risks to the corporate bond market and the national financial system.

The development of the business sector “Trading of cybersecurity products and services” has already been considered by the Government as it was included as a conditional business line under the Law on Investment 2020 (which is further amended and supplemented by Law No. 03/2022/QH15 dated 11 January 2022). In order to further explain and offer guidance for the implementation of this business sector, the Ministry of Public Security (“MPS”) has released the draft Decree on the Regulation of Business Conditions for Trading of Cybersecurity Products and Services (the “Draft Decree”) in January 2022. 

On 28 January 2022, the Government issued Decree No. 16/2022/ND-CP (“Decree 16”), which regulates administrative penalties in the construction sector and replaces Decree No. 139/2017/ND-CP (“Decree 139”). This Article will focus on the new points of Decree 16.

On 6 January 2022, the Government issued Decree No. 02/2022/ND-CP (“Decree 02”), regulating some regulations of the 2014 Law on Real Estate Business (the “LoReB”), which replaces Decree 76/2015/ND-CP (“Decree 76”). Real estate developers have been anticipating this decree as there are many new contents affecting activities in the real estate market of Vietnam. 

The State Bank of Vietnam (the "SBV") has previously issued regulations on prudential ratios and limits over banking activities while recently the ability of businesses to pay loans and interest has been severely affected by the Covid-19 epidemic. As a result of these twinned developments, commercial banks have become more and more cautious in granting credit. Many companies have directed their attention to bonds as a substitute channel to raise capital for long-term business plans. The procedure for issuing corporate bonds is much less complicated than satisfying conditions and procedures to obtain loans from commercial banks.

The government has released the draft circular guiding some contents related to foreign exchange control of foreign loans borrowed by enterprises, and of loan repayment (the “Draft Circular”) which replaces Circular No. 03/2016/TT-NHNN dated 26 February 2016, as amended by Circular No. 05/2016/TT-NHNN and Circular No. 05/2017/TT-NHNN (“Circular 03”). In comparison with Circular 03, the Draft Circular contains several changes in order to simplify the number of administrative procedures but still ensure the objectives of managing and monitoring foreign loans borrowed and repaid by enterprises.

Vietnam has been a member of the World Intellectual Property Organization (“WIPO”) since 1976. It has been a contracting party to a certain number of WIPO-related treaties or conventions, including the Bern Convention (since 2004), Brussels Convention (since 2006) and Paris Convention (since 1949), the Madrid Agreement (since 1939), the Madrid Protocol (since 2006) and the Patent Cooperation Treaty (since 1993). The Intellectual Property (“IP”) legal and regulatory framework of Vietnam was overhauled and greatly improved in preparation for WTO accession. Most importantly, it adopted the first Law on Intellectual Property in 2005 (as first revised in 2009).

Promulgated on16 May 2013 and officially effective as from 1 July of the same year, Decree No. 52/2013/ND-CP on e-commerce (“Decree 52”) has acted as the legal “backbone” for managing e-commerce activities in Vietnam for several years.

After three months experiencing strict lockdown regulations from the fourth wave of COVID-19, Vietnam is changing its strategy to control the outbreak. The Government of Vietnam has announced a gradual opening and resumption of activities from the end of September 2021. Accordingly, the National Steering Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has agreed to change the strategy policy from “Zero COVID” to “Safe and flexible adaption and effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic” under guidance of Resolution No. 128/NQ-CP of the Government of Vietnam dated 11 October 2021 (“Resolution 128”).

With a purpose to attract and create more investment opportunities for foreign investors, the Prime Minister promulgated Decision No. 29/2021/QD-TTg dated 6 October 2021 on special investment incentives (“Decision 29”). Decision 29 brings insight to the levels, duration and conditions of applying special incentives for investment projects.

In the context of the pandemic, manufacturing activities in industrial zones (IZs) became nearly impossible in some southern areas, which led to the disruption of the supply chain and a shortage of labour. One reason for this situation is that localities were not interested in developing social housing for workers.

Due to the current situation of the prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the improvement of treatment capacity as well as the increase of vaccination rates in Vietnam, there has been a demand for a new strategy in response to the pandemic. With this in mind, the Government of Vietnam has issued Resolution No. 128/NQ-CP dated 11 October 2021 providing temporary guidance on the “Safe adaptation, flexibility and effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic” on 11 October 2021 (“Resolution 128”).

Seeing that telecom sector is regularly changing, as are its governing regulations. The Ministry of Information and Communications (“MIC”) has recently released for public comments the draft decree (the “Draft Decree”) amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 25/2011/ND-CP guiding the implementation of the 2009 Law on Telecommunications (the “Telecom Law”), as amended by Decree No. 81/2016/ND-CP dated 1 July 2016 (“Decree 25”).