National Assembly passes three laws on June 12

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The Law on Cyber Security was approved with 86.86 percent of votes. 

It has 7 chapters and 43 articles, regulating activities to protect national security and ensure social order and safety on cyberspace, and responsibilities of agencies, organisations and individuals concerned. 

Before voting, the NA heard a report delivered by Chairman of the NA Committee for National Defence and Security Vo Trong Viet on the revisions made to the draft law based on NA deputies’ opinions.  

The Chairman said the revisions include stipulations that agencies and organisations have the responsibility to verify information when users register digital accounts, while the building of a mechanism to verify information is the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Security. 

The revisions also clearly say the provision of information is to serve the investigation and handling of violations of laws on cyber security. 

On the stipulation that enterprises must store important data of service users in Vietnam, Chairman Viet pointed out that at present 18 member countries of the WTO including the US, Canada, Australia, Germany and France had required the storage of data inside their territories. 

Furthermore, the stipulation in this law is not the first one in Vietnam, he said, elaborating that Decree 72/2013/ND-CP of the Government has regulated that organisations and enterprises that establish news websites and social networks, or provide content on mobile phone networks and electronic game services must have at least one server system based in Vietnam to serve the inspection, check, storage and provision of information at the request of authorized state management agencies and the settlement of customers’ complaints. 

With 95.28 percent of approval votes, the NA passed the Law on Competition (revised), which has 10 chapters and 118 articles. 

The law will take effect as of July 1, 2019.

Meanwhile, the Law on Denunciation (revised) was adopted with 96.1 percent of votes. 

The revised law prescribes that denunciation can be made in the form of written petitions or at face-to-face meetings at authorized agencies and organisations. 

For denunciations made in other forms, if they contain clear contents about persons committing law violations along with specific documents and evidence, the receiving agency must conduct checks and inspections and handle the denunciations in accordance with its authority or transfer them to authorized agencies and organisations in order not to miss out on violations (Article 25).  

On the protection of whistleblowers, the law prescribes the protection of their personal information, working positions, jobs, life, health, assets, honour, dignity, as well as working positions, jobs, life, health, assets, honour, dignity of their spouses, parents, adoptive parents, children and adoptive children. 

The revised Law on Denunciations will take effect on January 1, 2019.