On May 22, 2018, the government of Vietnam promulgated Decree No. 82/2018/ND-CP on industrial and economic zones (Decree 82) replacing Decree No. 29/2008/ND-CP dated March 14, 2008, as amended by Decree No. 164/2013/ND-CP and Decree No. 114/2015/ND-CP (Decree 29). Decree 82 will come into effect from July 10, 2018. Below are some key changes of Decree 82 in comparison to Decree 29:Export-processing enterprises are allowed to conduct the purchase and sale of goods and related activities in Vietnam

Tilleke & Gibbins and other Multilaw member firms have contributed to the 2018 edition of Multilaw’s International FinTech Guide,  which covers 15 key business areas related to financial technology (FinTech) in 21 jurisdictions worldwide.

Leading intellectual property practitioners from Tilleke & Gibbins have contributed the Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam chapters of the Lex Mundi ASEAN Intellectual Property Guide: Overview of Regulatory Framework for Patent and Trademark Protection in the ASEAN Countries. The guide provides a Q&A-style overview of patent and trademark protection and compares relevant laws and procedures from throughout the ASEAN region.

The new Myanmar Companies Law 2017 will come into force on August 1, 2018, substantially reforming how companies—both domestic and foreign—do business in Myanmar. Our recent summary of the new Myanmar Companies Law provides an overview of these reforms.

On June 19, 2018, Vietnam’s prime minister issued Directive No. 17/CT-TTg on strengthening the fight against smuggling, commercial fraud, and the production and trade of fake goods and low-quality goods for pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and functional foods (Directive 17). Directive 17 states that, while tens of thousands of cases have been discovered and handled, the situation still needs improvement, as infringers are using more complex methods and are located not only in urban areas, but also in many remote regions.

On June 15, 2018, Vietnam’s government issued Decree No. 87 on Business in Gases, which governs various aspects of doing business in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), compressed natural gas (CNG), and others.

The National Assembly of Vietnam passed an updated version of the Law on Competition on June 12, 2018. The new law governs merger control and anti-competitive activities in the Vietnam market and will take effect on July 1, 2019, replacing the current Law on Competition of 2004.

Thailand’s Department of Business Development (DBD) is currently reviewing the possibility of liberalizing five businesses under List 3 of the Foreign Business Act B.E. 2542 (1999) (FBA), which currently restricts  foreigners from having ownership of more than 49%.