“Be educated as to how to properly discipline and terminate your employees, because [Vietnam] is a very regulated and employee-friendly jurisdiction,” advised Michael K. Lee, head of Tilleke & Gibbins’ corporate/commercial team in Vietnam, in a recent interview on the country’s labor law.

Michael, who was visiting Singapore to share his expertise on Vietnamese law at the HRM-sponsored Employment Law Congress, sat down with journalist Shalini Shukla-Pandey to discuss a wide range of labor-related issues of keen interest to companies operating in Vietnam, or those considering market entry.

Among the topics covered were the common traps employers fall into in and how to avoid them, the changes ushered in by Vietnam’s new Labor Code (which took effect on May 1), and whether there is any “pain-free” way to terminate employees in Vietnam.

The interview was conducted in June for the online TV channel of Singapore human resources magazine HRM. It can be viewed in full at the HRM TV website.