Vietnam’s new Law on Cybersecurity has garnered much attention due to its sweeping attempt to regulate online content available to internet users in Vietnam. Among its more controversial provisions are the requirements that both foreign and domestic online service providers store personal data of Vietnamese end-users in Vietnam, surrender such data to Vietnamese government authorities upon request, and supervise user posts to remove “prohibited” content (defined to include content viewed as disparaging of the Vietnamese government and/or government officials or state agencies). The law also requires offshore service providers to open branches or representative offices in Vietnam, presumably to facilitate enforcement of the Cybersecurity Law against them.
Tag Archives: Vietnam
Update: Vietnam’s New Cybersecurity Law
On June 12, 2018, the Vietnamese National Assembly passed the Law on Cybersecurity (the “Cybersecurity Law”), which will take effect on January 1, 2019. Among other aims, the law seeks to regulate data processing methods of technology companies that operate in Vietnam and restrict the Internet connections of users who post “prohibited” content. The seemingly broad application of the law’s provisions understandably caused concern among foreign tech companies serving Vietnamese end-users with fears of mandatory data localization and requirements to establish a physical presence in Vietnam.