Investment by Thai companies in Vietnam is surging over recent years, especially after several major M&A deals in the last few years in the beverage, retail and other sectors. However, Thai companies, as well as all foreign investors in Vietnam, should be aware of some common pitfalls in regard to Vietnamese employment law.Termination of Employees

The latest edition of the Practical Law Life Sciences Global Guide was recently published, with content for Vietnam contributed by practitioners from Tilleke & Gibbins’ Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City offices. The guide provides a comparative overview, in Q&A format, of laws and regulations on pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and other life sciences products in dozens of jurisdictions around the world.

Experts from Tilleke & Gibbins have authored the Vietnam chapters of the latest edition of the Practical Law Life Sciences Global Guide. The guide provides a comparative overview, in Q&A format, of laws and regulations on pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and other life sciences products in dozens of jurisdictions around the world.

On June 12, 2018, Vietnam passed a new Law on Competition that will take effect on July 1, 2019, replacing the Law on Competition of 2004. The new law brings about several changes affecting intellectual property. Notably, it eliminates many of the discrepancies between the current 2004 Competition Law and the Intellectual Property Law in dealing with IP-related unfair competition.Acts of Unfair Competition

The 2018 edition of Thomson Reuters’ Practical Law Life Sciences Global Guide  has been released, with a chapter on Pharmaceutical Intellectual Property and Competition Law in Thailand penned by legal practitioners from Tilleke & Gibbins.The guide is a Q&A-style overview of the regulatory frameworks of the life sciences industries across multiple jurisdictions worldwide, with this chapter addressing the following issues as they relate to Thailand:

The 2018 edition of the Practical Law’s Life Sciences Global Guide to Medicinal Product Regulation and Product Liability has now been published, providing an overview of the key issues that life science industry professionals should be aware of in this fast-moving field.

Athistha (Nop) Chitranukroh, a partner in Tilleke & Gibbins’ corporate and commercial department and head of the firm’s insurance practice, has co-authored an article for The Australian Corporate Lawyer Magazine  (produced by The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Australia) addressing some of the key challenges and opportunities facing in-house counsel in Southeast Asian emerging markets.

In May 2018, Myanmar’s Ministry of Commerce (MoC) issued Directive 25/2018 (the Directive), allowing 100% foreign owned companies, as well as joint venture companies established between Myanmar citizens or companies and non-Myanmar citizens or companies, to conduct retail or wholesale businesses in Myanmar, subject to various minimum capital requirements and operational restrictions. Very broadly written, the Directive was quickly followed by a number of clarifications on both its scope and application to flesh out the legislative framework.