A Closer Look At Vietnam's Hotly Debated Draft Decree On Personal Data Protection

On February 9, 2021, Vietnam's Ministry of Public Security (MPS) released the full text of the Draft Decree on Personal Data Protection (the "Draft"), an ambitious attempt to unify the country's regulations on personal data protection that are currently scattered throughout various legal documents. With personal data protection becoming such a prominent issue globally in recent years, the Draft is a necessary step in bringing Vietnam's domestic regulations up to international standards, and offers some welcome additions and changes to the existing regulations.

The effective date for the decree as set out in the Draft is December 1, 2021, so it is important for companies doing business in Vietnam to understand the scope and potential impact of the new regulations, to get a head start on formulating plans for compliance. Below, we take a closer look at some of the more significant contents of the Draft.