Attorneys from Tilleke & Gibbins’ office in Phnom Penh have contributed the Cambodia chapter to the Foreign Investment Review 2020, a global guide to the legal and regulatory environment for foreign investment in 19 jurisdictions worldwide. Published and distributed by Getting the Deal Through, the guide discusses law and policy on oversight of foreign investment, regulatory frameworks, procedural requirements, and other important stipulations for foreign investors.

The latest update to the Laos chapter of Thomson Reuters’ Practical Law guide to insurance and reinsurance has been published, written by legal practitioners from Tilleke & Gibbins’ Vientiane office. The guide presents a Q&A-style overview of insurance and reinsurance laws and practices in major jurisdictions around the world.

In November 2019, the National Assembly of Vietnam issued a new version of the Labor Code, which serves as the principal legislation on employment and labor relationships in Vietnam, covering domestic and foreign employers and employees. The changes in the new law are more incremental than sweeping, and generally serve to close loopholes and clarify vague provisions in the existing Labor Code of 2012.

The  rapidly growing middle class in Southeast Asia is bringing with it increased household wealth, increased consumption, and increased investment. With that increase, the commercial banking sector has seen a boom in the more economically developed countries of Southeast Asia—especially in Thailand. A select few foreign banks have been very successful in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam (CLMV) for many years, but as many banks seek to replicate their Thai success in these new markets, the field looks likely to become much more crowded in coming years.

The arbitrator plays a key role in protecting due process in arbitral proceedings and in granting an enforceable arbitral award. Unlike in a traditional court, parties who agree to solve their dispute through arbitration can separately or solely appoint an arbitrator or arbitrators—subject to the arbitration agreement and the rules of each arbitration institution—in the event that both parties cannot agree to appoint a sole arbitrator or presiding arbitrator.

On November 2, 2019, Cambodia enacted the Law on Electronic Commerce (“E-commerce Law”). This development makes Cambodia the last member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)—one of the world’s fastest-growing internet markets—to adopt a domestic e-commerce law. The E-commerce Law addresses electronic communications, signatures, records, and evidence, and serves to clarify the legal environment for e-commerce in Cambodia.

The intellectual property framework in Laos continues to evolve with the recent Decision on Trademarks and Trade Names No. 2822/MOST, dated December 7, 2019, which was published in January and took effect on February 11, 2020. The decision brings more clarity to the mark registration process, and it had been particularly anticipated since the May 2018 publication of the Amended Law on Intellectual Property No. 38/NA dated November 15, 2017 (the “IP Law”).

In November 2019, the National Assembly of Vietnam issued a new version of the Labor Code, which serves as the principal legislation on employment and labor relationships in Vietnam, covering domestic and foreign employers and employees. The changes found in the new law are more incremental than sweeping, and generally serve to close loopholes and clarify vague provisions in the existing Labor Code of 2012.While the new Labor Code will not take effect until January 1, 2021, employers operating in Vietnam should note the key changes now to facilitate timely implementation.