Tilleke & Gibbins attorneys in Vietnam have contributed the 2025 edition of Doing Business in Vietnam, a comprehensive Q&A-style resource from Thomson Reuters Practical Law that provides essential insights for companies navigating business operations in Vietnam. The guide presents a detailed overview of the country’s legal framework and regulatory environment, reflecting recent updates in Vietnamese legislation and practice. This annually updated guide offers key information on the following areas: Legal system: Structure of the Vietnamese judiciary and the role of codified law. Foreign investment: Conditions for market access, licensing requirements, foreign ownership restrictions, and investment incentives. Business vehicles: Formation and operation of legal entities, including limited liability companies, joint-stock companies, and representative offices. Employment: Employment contracts, social insurance, labor rights, and procedures for hiring foreign nationals. Tax: Overview of corporate income tax, personal income tax, value-added tax, and other tax obligations. Intellectual property: Procedures for protecting and enforcing patents, trademarks, copyrights, and other IP rights. Data protection: Compliance requirements under Vietnam’s data privacy laws, including the Personal Data Protection Decree. Competition law: Antitrust rules and regulatory oversight under the Law on Competition. Anti-bribery and corruption: Legal framework and enforcement practices aimed at curbing corrupt activities. E-commerce and digital business: Regulations governing online platforms, digital content, and cross-border services. Marketing and advertising: Laws and guidelines on advertising standards and consumer protection. Product regulation and liability: Safety requirements, product liability issues, and roles of relevant authorities. Doing Business in Vietnam is part of Practical Law’s global series of legal guides designed to support international practitioners and businesses. To access the most recent edition of the Vietnam guide, visit the Practical Law website and sign up for a free trial.

Thailand’s Department of Business Development (DBD) has issued a regulation mandating the closure of the legacy “e-Registration” system for registration of juristic persons, effective June 1, 2025. The e-Registration system will be formally discontinued as part of Thailand’s transition to the “DBD Biz Regist” digital platform, which aims to modernize and streamline online registration processes for corporate entities. Beginning July 1, 2025, the DBD will suspend all paper-based application submissions. All corporate registration applications for partnerships and private limited companies must be submitted online through the DBD Biz Regist system. The DBD introduced the DBD Biz Regist system in 2024 by a regulation of the Office of Central Company and Partnership Registration. While paper-based registration has remained available during the transition period, it has been limited to a reduced number of cases. DBD Biz Regist System The key principles of the DBD Biz Regist system include: Online submission and identity verification. The application process is fully digital throughout the entire registration procedure. Users can create accounts on the DBD Biz Regist website and complete identity verification online through ThaID, National Digital ID (NDID), or the DBD e-Service application—which is currently the only online option available to foreign nationals. In-person verification before a DBD registrar remains available as an alternative option. Electronic signatures. The system supports electronic signatures without requiring physical appearance for document signing. Users can sign documents electronically through ThaID, NDID, or the DBD e-Service application. Consent form process. After the DBD registrar approves an online application submission, the system will generate a consent form to be signed by the relevant parties. This form certifies the information presented in the online registration application. Applicants may either print and physically sign the consent form before uploading it to the system or sign it electronically through the DBD Biz Regist platform. Digital certified corporate documents. Upon completion of the

With the fifth round of negotiations between Thailand and the EU for a free trade agreement (FTA) now complete and the sixth round scheduled for June, both sides appear to be well on the way to meeting the desired Christmas 2025 deadline. The latest discussions were held in Brussels, and Pichai Naripthaphan, Thailand’s commerce minister, announced that the two sides have reached agreement on two chapters: Customs and Trade Facilitation, and Sustainable Food Systems. No details have been released regarding what concessions were made to reach the agreement, but reports suggest that good progress is being made in all remaining chapters. Market access for goods has reportedly become the current focus of negotiations. The first draft of goods and services that will be exempted is expected in early June, which will be welcome news for importers. While the first draft cannot be expected to represent the finalized list, it will at least provide an indication of the goods and services likely to benefit from tariff exemption. Similarly, both sides have begun to share the geographical indications that they wish to be protected, which will be of great interest to producers and manufacturers in Thailand and the EU. This is especially true considering the upcoming amendments to the Geographical Indications Protection Act B.E. 2546 (2003) expected in Thailand, as one of the key changes under the prospective amendment is to enable easier registration for geographical indications protected under international agreements. Other updates from the intellectual property (IP) chapter show good progress in relation to copyright and civil and border enforcement of IP rights. Both sides are also continuing to examine possible bridging proposals for unresolved issues. Given the substantial differences in IP laws between Thailand and the EU, how negotiators will bridge this gap remains at the forefront of most

On September 6, 2024, Laos’ Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MOAF) issued Decision No. 4565/MAF on Forest Carbon Management. This decision, which took effect on October 29, 2024, enables Laos to participate in both domestic and international carbon markets. It outlines comprehensive guidelines for forest carbon activities, including investment procedures, carbon credit trading, and benefit allocation. The Department of Forestry (DOF), under the MOAF, oversees these activities and grants relevant permissions. Definitions The decision defines key terms related to forest carbon management: Forest carbon: Carbon dioxide (CO₂) absorbed by forests, calculated in tonnes per hectare. Forest carbon credit: Quantity of CO₂ reduction, absorption, and storage, measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e), achieved through various projects or activities. These credits are verified for the reduction, absorption, and storage of CO₂ to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. They can be exchanged and traded in accordance with established standards for greenhouse gas emissions. Forest carbon trading: An agreement between a buyer (domestic or foreign legal entity or government) and a seller (the owner of a forest carbon project) to trade tCO2e . This trading allows the buyer to offset greenhouse gas emissions that exceed the emission allowances set out in the Paris Agreement on climate change. The forest carbon sold becomes the property of the buyer. Forest Carbon Business Operations According to the decision forest carbon business operations include: Cooperation between the government and development partners: This involves bilateral and multilateral cooperation based on international agreements and treaties. The use of carbon credits from this cooperation is not market-based but agreement-based, contributing to Laos’ national climate change goals. Forest carbon investment: This includes direct government investments and joint investments with the private sector, international organizations, or communities. These investments aim to create forest carbon credits without granting exclusive rights to forest