Since its World Trade Organization accession in 2007, Vietnam has been an attractive destination in ASEAN for foreign investment, with overseas companies eager to offer their goods and services to the growing Vietnamese market. In parallel, Vietnam has emerged as one of the top countries in the world for business process outsourcing (BPO), attracting foreign companies with affordable and skilled Vietnam-based labor to handle back office and IT functions.

On December 28, 2018, Notifications of the Trade Competition Commission (TCC) related to merger control under Section 51 of the Trade Competition Act, B.E. 2560 (2017) were published in the Government Gazette, coming into effect on the following day. 

When Vietnam began to open its market in the late 1980s, there were few cars on its roads. Over time, as the country’s economy entered a period of rapid growth, the number of cars grew accordingly. While that number has steadily risen, car ownership in Vietnam is still low by world standards, with only about 23 cars per 1,000 people. However, that rate is only expected to increase in the coming years as per capita income continues to rise.

On January 8, 2019, the government of Vietnam issued Decision No. 02/2019/QD-TTg (Decision 02) amending and annulling some regulations of Decision No. 11/2017/QD-TTg (Decision 11) on the mechanism for encouraging the development of solar power in Vietnam. Decision 02 took immediate effect upon its issuance. Below are some notable points of Decision 02.Change in trading method for rooftop solar projects

Partner Vinh Quoc Nguyen and attorney Tu Ngoc Trinh of Tilleke & Gibbins contributed the chapter on electricity regulations in Vietnam for the Practical Law Energy and Natural Resources Global Guide. The guide provides a comparative high-level overview, in a concise Q&A format, of energy laws and regulations in multiple jurisdictions around the world, and is split into three sections featuring regulations on (i) electricity, (ii) oil and gas, and (iii) mining.The Vietnam electricity chapter covers a range of topics, including the following:

On January 2, 2019, Myanmar’s Ministry of Planning and Finance issued an announcement inviting local and foreign insurers to submit their Expressions of Interest (EOIs) and/or Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for carrying out life and non-life insurance businesses in the country. Successful EOIs and RFPs will ultimately lead to the grant of licenses to operate in the jurisdiction.The following licenses are available:Life Insurance

Thailand’s Office of Insurance Commission (the OIC) has issued two sets of requirements—collectively called the OIC Notifications Re: Conditions Relating to Issuing and Offering Insurance Policies of Insurance Companies, and Duties of Non-life Insurance Agents, Brokers and Banks 2018 (the Notifications)—imposing practical new requirements on life and non-life insurance and reinsurance companies in Thailand.