You are using an outdated browser and your browsing experience will not be optimal. Please update to the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Install Microsoft Edge

March 31, 2020

Vietnam Issues Strict Social Distancing Measures to Combat COVID-19

Subscribe to Updates

On March 31, 2020, the Prime Minister of Vietnam issued Directive No. 16/CT-TTg, which sets out Vietnam’s strongest measures yet for preventing and controlling the COVID-19 virus.

Notably, Directive 16 mandates strict social distancing throughout the country for 15 days, from April 1 through April 15. In the wording of the directive, “families should be distanced from families, villages should be distanced from villages … provinces should be distanced from provinces.”

Practical Implications

All people are required to stay at home, except for trips to buy essential goods such as food and medicine, for emergencies, and to go to work at factories and businesses that remain open. People are also required to strictly maintain a minimum distance of two meters when meeting others. Gatherings of more than two people are prohibited in all public places, and outside/in front of workplaces, schools, and hospitals.

Factories and workshops must ensure a safe distance between employees, facemasks must be worn, and workplaces must be sterilized according to regulations.

All state agencies are required to arrange for their staff to work from home.

Public transportation services will be suspended and travel/transport from region to region will be minimized, except for essential goods and services.

Border crossings between Vietnam and Cambodia and Laos will be temporarily closed from April 1. Immigration will be tightly controlled at all international border crossings; all those entering from Cambodia and Laos will be quarantined for 14 days.

Impact on Foreign Businesses

Mai Tien Dung, Minister and Chairman of the Government Office, later clarified in an interview that, for foreign businesses, management is free to determine whether to continue allowing employees to go to work based on the situation, but that they must be responsible for ensuring their employees’ health and safety in accordance with regulations. However, the government encourages the use of remote-working technology to allow employees to work from home.

Further clarifying guidance on issues such as what businesses are considered essential, if forthcoming, would help in implementing the policy.

Related Professionals

Practices

Banking and Finance

Corporate/M&A

Employment

Location

RELATED INSIGHTS​ 

July 7, 2025
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].
Read More
July 4, 2025
On July 3, 2025, the Trade Competition Commission of Thailand (TCCT) officially announced an invitation for stakeholders to participate in a public survey to gather feedback on the flexibility and appropriateness of credit terms across different business sectors for goods and services. The TCCT initially introduced guidelines on unfair trade practices related to credit terms applicable to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2021, with amendments following in 2022. The guidelines have had a wide impact, as businesses have had to adapt their payment procedures and practices, particularly those for dealing with SMEs, to comply with the guidelines. The TCCT is now seeking comprehensive feedback from businesses and other stakeholders to evaluate the effectiveness and practicality of these guidelines. The collected responses may potentially lead to future amendments aimed at enhancing fairness and efficiency in business transactions. To summarize the core principles, the guidelines aim to improve the liquidity and cash flow of SMEs, stipulating payment terms of: Within 30 days for agricultural products or primary agricultural processing involving non-complex production. Within 45 days for trade, manufacturing, and service sectors. The guidelines also identify practices deemed unfair, including: Unjustified delays in payment beyond agreed credit terms. Changes to credit terms or contractual conditions without at least 60 days’ advance notice. Other unfair conduct or credit term conditions that impose excessive burdens on an SME. Interested stakeholders are encouraged to submit their feedback through the TCCT’s online survey form available via their official public media channels. The survey is open for responses until July 20, 2025.
Read More
July 4, 2025
On July 1, 2025, new minimum daily wage rates for Bangkok and certain business types nationwide were published in the Government Gazette, taking effect on the same day. The daily minimum wage rate for Bangkok has been increased to THB 400 per day, while the minimum wage rates for other provinces remain unchanged from the rates that took effect on January 1, 2025. However, daily minimum wage rates have also been increased to THB 400 nationwide for type 2, type 3, and type 4 hotels under the Hotel Act and for entertainment establishments under the Entertainment Place Act. This THB 400 rate applies to all businesses that meet the criteria, even if the province’s general rate is lower. The new minimum wage rates supersede any lower wages agreed upon in existing employment contracts or conditions of employment that were in force before this announcement came into effect. As a result, these employees must be paid their wages at the newly prescribed rate for work performed from July 1, 2025, onward.
Read More
July 2, 2025
On June 17, 2025, Cambodia’s Ministry of Economy and Finance issued Instruction No. 18574 on Tax Obligations for Share Premiums to clarify that enterprises are not required to pay any income tax on share premiums that meet the conditions set out in the instruction. As outlined in the relevant provisions of the Law on Taxation (Royal Kram No. NS/RKM/0523/004) and Prakas No. 578 MEF.PrK.GDT on Tax on Income, taxable income is the difference between an asset’s value at the beginning and end of a period. This calculation deducts capital contributions, which are not taxable. A share premium is the amount of money that a company receives in excess of the par value of a share when the company issues new shares to a shareholder through a share subscription. In other words, share premiums are capital contributions made by shareholders into the equity of the company and, as a result, are not taxable. However, the government may nevertheless view share premiums as taxable if the company fails to meet certain legal conditions. Cambodian law requires share subscriptions to be properly recorded in the company’s accounting books and supported by documentary evidence. The recent instruction states that if an enterprise does not have proper documentation, any increase in equity, such as a capital increase through share premiums, will be treated as taxable income in accordance with the law. The instruction provides the following example: Enterprise A issues 200,000 new shares to an investor. The shares were registered with a par value of KHR 4,000 per share and were sold for a sale price of KHR 10,000 per share. The share premium of KHR 1.2 billion, which is calculated by subtracting the total par value (KHR 800 million) from the total value of the new capital (KHR 2 billion), is a capital
Read More