On July 3, 2025, Vietnam’s Ministry of Health (MOH) issued Circular No. 34/2025/TT-BYT amending some articles of Circular No. 06/2011/TT-BYT on the management of cosmetics products (Circular 34), which provides the current regulations on the product notification process for cosmetics (cosmetic notification). Circular 34 will come into effect on August 18, 2025. Changes to Cosmetic Notification Some of the key stipulations of Circular 34 are outlined below. Addition of submission route for notification Circular 34 officially adds online submission via the National Public Service Portal as an accepted type of cosmetic notification, in addition to direct submission and submission via post. Clearer regulations on preparing cosmetic notification form Circular 34 provides clarification on the signing requirements for cosmetic notification forms. For online submissions, both e-signatures and digital signatures are accepted. For offline submissions, the circular explicitly states that stamped/generated signatures are not acceptable. There are no substantive changes to existing requirements regarding grouping of products in a single declaration, ingredient listing, or language used in the notification form. Circular 34 only introduces formatting adjustments to these provisions. Updated administrative procedures Circular 34 updates requirements on digital procedures and authentication for online submission with references to new government decrees. In addition, processing timelines for cosmetic notification are further clarified, in particular, five working days for feedback on incomplete dossiers and five working days for approval after receiving complete supplemental dossiers. Revised requirements for import of samples for testing and research An updated Appendix 14-MP form is introduced with Circular 34, in which the receiving authority is updated from the Drug Administration of Vietnam to the specialized health agency under the provincial People’s Committee. Both online and direct submission of the request are allowed. The approval timeline is three working days from the date of reviewing the request. Transition clause Notifications

On June 29, 2025, the government of Vietnam issued Decree No. 163/2025/ND-CP providing detailed guidance on the implementation of the amended Law on Pharmacy (Decree 163). Decree 163, like the amended Law on Pharmacy, took effect on July 1, 2025, officially replacing Decree No. 54/2017/ND-CP (Decree 54). The new decree introduces comprehensive regulations across key areas of pharmaceutical management such as pharmacy practice certificates, certificates of eligibility for pharmaceutical business, import and export of drugs and drug materials, GMP inspection of foreign manufacturers, drug and drug material recall, certificates of drug advertising content, and drug price management. Key Changes in Decree 163 Some outstanding changes and additions in Decree 163 are presented below. Destruction of Specially Controlled Drugs It is no longer required to obtain approval from the competent authority before the destruction of narcotic, psychotropic, and precursor drugs, and pharmaceutical ingredients that are narcotic or psychotropic substances, or precursors used in drugs. Instead, notification must be provided at least seven working days in advance, including the proposed destruction date and a detailed list of items to be destroyed. E-commerce in Pharmaceuticals Pharmaceutical businesses operating via e-commerce platforms must publicly disclose the following information to ensure transparency and consumer safety: (i) certificate of eligibility for pharmaceutical business, (ii) pharmacy practice certificate of the person responsible for pharmaceutical expertise, and (iii) drug information. Shelf-Life Requirements for Imported Products For drugs and ingredients with a total shelf life of nine months or less, at least one-third of the shelf life must remain at the time of customs clearance. Drugs with a shelf life of 30 days or less must still be within their shelf life at the time of clearance. Control of Imported Products Drugs subject to import control include all drugs with marketing authorization (MA), except for (i) drugs that

On June 20, 2025, Cambodia’s Ministry of Economy and Finance issued Instruction No. 19116 to clarify when board members and company directors must receive salaries and pay payroll taxes. Board members and company directors who are not considered employees are subject to a withholding tax. This category consists of people who complete services for a nonresident individual and people who perform independent work for a company in Cambodia. Board members and company directors who are considered employees, including those appointed by a foreign head office to temporarily manage a company in Cambodia, must pay payroll taxes on any salary they receive, regardless of whether they are paid by a local or foreign branch of the company. The above obligations apply regardless of whether the person has a work permit. Board members and company directors are exempt from paying payroll tax if they: Are not present and not performing a regular management role at the company despite being registered on the company’s statutes or patent tax card; Participate only in board meetings and occasional shareholder meetings; and Do not receive a salary from a company in Cambodia. Overall, this instruction provides an important clarification regarding the tax obligations of board members and company directors. Companies should pay attention to the classification of their board members and directors and be mindful of the exemption.   This article was written with the assistance of Tilleke & Gibbins interns Amelia Gemma Erickson and Amrin Keat.

On June 27, 2025, Thailand issued the new Ministerial Regulation Prescribing the Criteria and Rates for Receiving Unemployment Benefits (No. 2) B.E. 2568 (2025), which amended a similarly named ministerial regulation by boosting the rate of social security benefits to alleviate hardships for employees who are terminated. The new ministerial regulation took effect the following day. Under this new ministerial regulation, eligible terminated employees are entitled to receive unemployment benefits under the Social Security Fund (SSF) for a maximum of 180 days per year, at the rate of 60% of the employee’s monthly wages at the time of termination, up from 50% previously. However, the maximum wage used as the basis for calculating the benefit remains capped at THB 15,000 per month. Therefore, the maximum unemployment benefit that an employee can receive from the SSF is now THB 9,000 (up from THB 7,500) per month for a period of up to six months. To qualify for the unemployment benefits from the SSF, employees must be registered with the Social Security Office and must have contributed to the SSF for at least six months within the 15 months prior to the start date of the relevant unemployment period. This new ministerial regulation was enacted to increase the amount of financial support provided to insured persons in the case of termination, as part of the government’s objective of alleviating economic hardship under current economic and social conditions in Thailand. For more details on unemployment benefits in Thailand, or on any aspect of employment law in the country, please contact Pimvimol (June) Vipamaneerut at [email protected], Dusita Khanijou at [email protected], Ketnut Pukahuta at [email protected], or Chomanut Arif at [email protected].