Vietnam legal and regulatory developments

Vietnam continues to address digital conduct, administrative enforcement, and various criminal activities.

In Gia Lai, the Code of Conduct for the Digital Environment has been introduced to combat fake news, online fraud, and privacy violations. Officials emphasized that users must verify information as digital transformation impacts social life. Meanwhile, the National Assembly is debating amendments to the Law on Handling Administrative Violations. Proposed coercive measures include suspending exit permits or disconnecting electricity, water, and internet services. Delegate Nguyen Thi Viet Nga has cautioned that such actions could unfairly impact third parties, such as tenants in shared buildings, and urged for strict regulations to protect non-violating parties.

Criminal and corruption proceedings have also expanded. In a significant environmental fraud case, 28 individuals have been prosecuted for falsifying monitoring data across 10 laboratories belonging to four ministries. The suspects allegedly manipulated results to change ‘Not Pass’ statuses to ‘Pass’ through bribery.

Other recent legal actions include: • A former Pleiku official received four years in prison for accepting nearly 70 million VND in bribes related to construction permits. • The wife of a former director at the National Institute of Forensic Psychiatry is being questioned regarding 200 million VND in bribes to influence medical decisions. • A former police officer was sentenced to 12 years for a 3.5 billion VND scheme involving counterfeit infant formula. • In Dak Lak, a man received 10 years for murdering his brother-in-law. • In Hanoi, a woman received a 6-month suspended sentence for damaging a Mercedes-Benz vehicle.