On the morning of June 8, 2020, Vietnam’s National Assembly passed a resolution officially ratifying the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), with 100% of the members in attendance (representing 94.62% of all members) voting in favor. The EVFTA has been described as the most ambitious free trade agreement the EU has ever entered with a developing country, and will eliminate 99% of customs duties in both directions. The trade deal is also expected to improve access to service markets and the protection of intellectual property in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) is drafting a decree to amend Decree No. 72/2013/ND-CP on the management, provision, and use of internet services and online information (Decree 72), one of the key pieces of legislation affecting online business and activities in Vietnam. Among other things, the draft decree is expected to revise the current regime of domain name dispute resolution to bring it in conformity with Vietnam’s obligations under the CPTPP.

For a long time, the patentability in Vietnam of use inventions, especially new indications of a known substance in the pharmaceutical area, was a subject of controversy. An amended version of Circular No. 01/2007/TT-BKHCN (Circular 1) that took effect on January 15, 2018, seemed to settle this debate.