Vietnam: Adopted Decree No. 27/2018/ND-CP including operational license requirement

On 1 March 2018, the Government issued Decree No. 27/2018/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. No. 27/2018/ND-CP. The decree mandates that aggregated information websites and social networks in Vietnam must secure an operational license that confirms their compliance with national laws on business registration and internet management. These entities must have appropriate staff, a ".vn" domain name and the data has to be stored on servers in Vietnam. Furthermore, technical requirements are outlined including data storage durations and security measures to protect against unauthorized access and cyber threats. The decree also provides for the procedure to obtain the license. The decree enters into force on 15 April 2018.