Vietnam Briefing reports:
On November 30, 2024, the Vietnam government approved the new Law on Personal Data Protection with a 94.15 percent majority. The law’s implementation date has been expedited to July 1, 2025, from the initially planned January 1, 2026. This legislation introduces stricter provisions than the existing Personal Data Protection Decree, aiming to establish a robust legal framework for regulating data usage in Vietnam’s evolving digital landscape.
The objective of the PDP Law is to establish robust frameworks and regulations designed to guarantee the secure management, processing, and utilization of personal data. By doing so, the PDP Law aims to uphold citizens’ privacy rights and cultivate confidence in the country’s rapidly evolving digital environment.
Here is part of their summary of developments:
National data center
The Standing Committee has directed a thorough review and consolidation of the contents of Chapter IV of the draft Law, including Articles 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, and 47, into Section 1 of Chapter III regulating the construction and development of the National Data Center with three articles. Accordingly, the amendments will primarily focus on the ground rules as follows:
- General and principled regulations on the construction and development of the National Data Center;
- Clarification of the location, functions, and roles of the national data center;
- Avoiding conflicts with relevant legal provisions; and
- Provisions on building contingency plans to deal with incidents that may arise.
A new National Data Center will also be established as a unit under the Ministry of Public Security. The Minister of Public Security is tasked with defining its operational framework and responding to potential data-related incidents.
Read more at Vietnam Briefing.
Some big American tech companies had pushed back on proposed cross border transfer provisions of the draft bill, and it’s not clear to PogoWasRight how what the national assembly has done will be received when specific regulations are developed.