Vietnam government issues sweeping regulatory reforms effective August‑September 2026
The Vietnamese government has issued a series of decrees that will take effect from August to September 2026, covering a wide range of administrative and economic areas.
Decree 301/2026 amends electronic linkage procedures for civil services, including birth registration, permanent residence registration and issuance of health‑insurance cards for children under six. It also shortens processing times, allowing birth‑registration results to be issued within 24 hours.
Decree 66/22/2026 expands the VNeID digital identity platform, granting fee‑waivers and reduced charges for citizens who integrate five core personal documents and use the system for a variety of online public‑service procedures.
Decree 12/2026, issued by the Supreme People’s Court, bans the use of mobile phones, tablets, laptops and other recording devices in courtrooms unless expressly permitted by the presiding judge, and prohibits live‑streaming of proceedings.
Decree 204/2026 introduces fines of 1‑2 million VND for owners who let dogs roam without muzzles or leashes in public places, and for failure to vaccinate against rabies.
Decree 238/2026 tightens child‑safety rules for motor‑vehicle travel, imposing fines of up to 1 million VND for drivers who transport children under 10 years old without appropriate safety devices.
Decree 283/2026 sets penalties of up to 5 million VND for employers who exceed the agreed trial‑period length or repeat trial periods for the same job, and outlines additional sanctions for other labour‑contract violations.
Decree 340/2025 raises administrative fines to 300‑400 million VND for illegal gold‑piece trading and authorises the confiscation of the gold involved.
Decree 274/2026 offers a 5 % investment incentive for projects that apply advanced, low‑pollution technologies, and establishes a high‑risk AI monitoring list covering sectors such as education, finance and transport.
Decree 125/2020 (amended by Decree 310/2025) increases penalties for small businesses that fail to report revenue and bank‑account information by up to 7.5 million VND.
Entities: Government of Vietnam · Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development · Ministry of Finance · Ministry of Justice (Vietnam) · Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment · Supreme Court of Vietnam · Supreme People's Court of Vietnam · VNeID · Vietnam · Vietnam Government · Vietnam Ministry of Finance · Vietnamese Government
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] From 31 August 2026 Nghị định 281/2026 amends administrative‑penalty rules for land management, adding restoration orders and higher fines for violations. (Vietnamese Government)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] From 7 August 2026 Nghị định 273/2026 regulates duty‑free goods business, setting customs management procedures and oversight. (Vietnamese Government)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] From 7 August 2026 Nghị định 211/2026 introduces fines up to 100 million VND for individuals and 200 million VND for organisations for violations in the livestock sector. (Vietnamese Government)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] From 15 August 2026 penalties are imposed on drivers of child‑transport vehicles that lack required safety equipment. (Vietnamese Government)
- [● 4 SOURCES] From 1 August 2026 a Supreme Court circular (Thông tư 12/2026) bans phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches and other recording devices in courtrooms unless permitted by the presiding judge. (Vietnamese Supreme Court)
- [● 3 SOURCES] From 1 August 2026 Nghị định 204/2026 imposes fines of 1–2 million VND on owners who fail to muzzle dogs or keep them leashed in public. (Vietnamese Government)