Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) viewed 2019 as a year for improving the country’s ranking in the ICT sector, with the motto of “Modeling, Discipline, Focus, and Breakthrough.” In 2019, among other goals, the MIC focused on shifting telecom infrastructure to ICT infrastructure to promote digital transformation; shifting the telecom industry from voice to data by reducing voice interconnection fees; universalizing smartphones; planning for 5G frequency; testing mobile money; and dealing with spam email and messages.

Vietnam’s 2015 Penal Code, which took effect on January 1, 2018, introduced the concept of corporate criminal liability to Vietnam. For the first time, companies could be held criminally liable for an assortment of offenses, including intellectual property crimes (under Articles 225 and 226 of the Penal Code). However, the enforcement of the corporate criminal liability provisions was still questioned due to a lack of actual experience of the authorities, including the police and prosecutors.

On January 7, 2020, the Thai General Insurance Association hosted a session on the insurance industry’s compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), which was enacted in 2019 and is due to come into force on May 27, 2020. Representatives from the Office of Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) and the Office of Insurance Commission (OIC) gave presentations, followed by a panel discussion with representatives of the OIC and the Thai General Insurance Association.Speakers were able to give clarity on a number of issues:

On January 6, 2020, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued Decision No. 27/QD-TTg establishing the Danang IT Park in the rapidly developing city of Danang on Vietnam’s central coast.

With its low labor costs, growing economy, and increasingly modernized legal environment, Myanmar is an attractive destination for foreign investors. While historically M&A activities have been limited, they are expected to become more significant as the country continues to modernize its commercial legal framework.

On December 30, 2019, the government of Vietnam issued Decree 99/2019/ND-CP detailing and guiding the implementation of the amended 2018 Law on Higher Education (Decree 99). Decree 99 will take effect on 15 February 2020, and sets out, among other things, conditions for the establishment of campuses in Vietnam of foreign higher-education institutions, regulations on governing boards, and the autonomy and accountability of higher-education institutions.

The Hague Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs (Geneva Act of July 2, 1999 – “1999 Act”) officially took effect in Vietnam on December 30, 2019. Hague System users can now designate Vietnam in an international design application.

On December 24, 2019, the Ministry of Commerce issued a notification on the filing and recording of letters of exclusive importation and distribution of trademarked goods. This notification supplements the 2016 Prakas on the Procedure to Record and File Letters of Exclusive Importation of Trademarked Goods, which required importers with the exclusive right to import goods bearing specific trademarks to record that exclusivity in order to enforce their rights against third parties.