Vietnam has recently introduced a comprehensive framework for personal data protection, culminating in the new Personal Data Protection Law (PDP Law), which will take effect on January 1, 2026. This law builds on earlier regulations such as Decree No. 13/2023/ND-CP and represents a significant step toward GDPR-style protections.
Key Elements of Vietnam’s Privacy Framework
1. Personal Data Protection Law (PDP Law, 2025 – effective 2026)
- Scope: Applies to all organizations processing personal data of individuals in Vietnam, regardless of where the organization is based.
- Sanctions:
- Up to 10 times the revenue gained from unlawful personal data trading.
- Up to 5% of the previous year’s revenue for violations related to cross-border data transfers.
- Up to VND 3 billion for other violations.
- Sensitive data protections: Includes stricter rules for biometric, location, and health data.
- Sector-specific coverage: Employment, healthcare, insurance, finance, banking, advertising, social media, AI, blockchain, metaverse, and cloud computing.
- Exemptions: Startups and small businesses may be exempt from obligations like Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIAs) and appointing a DPO for five years after the law takes effect.
2. Decree No. 13/2023/ND-CP (PDPD)
- Vietnam’s first comprehensive data protection decree, effective April 2023.
- Established principles for collection, storage, use, disclosure, and transfer of personal data.
- Required consent for most processing activities and introduced obligations for cross-border transfers.
3. Other Relevant Laws
- Cybersecurity Law (2018): Governs online data and national security.
- Network Information Security Law (2015, amended 2018): Sets standards for information system security.
- Data Law (2024): Expands rules on data governance and sharing.
- Consumer Protection Law (2023): Includes provisions on personal data in consumer transactions.
Our Saas consent management solution:
- Personal data control at the level of individual HCPs
- Detailed, real time capturing of opt-ins/opt-outs according to mandatory GDPR Data Processing Record and local regulations
- Single source of truth for HCP data leading to higher data quality and less internal discussions about validity of the collected e-consent
- Data quality algorithm by Match & Merge to reduce duplication & improve golden records
- Seamless connections with your marketing channels (e.g web, e-detail, portal) and automated synchronized with all channels onnected, resulting in no more manual labor plus less mistakes
- Automated synchronization with widely used applications in pharma, such as Veeva & OCE
- Consent & preference center for HCPs
- Data insights based on internal and external resources
The most important
privacy laws
are:
European Union 🇪🇺
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation of the European Union (EU) that became effective on May 25, 2018.
United States 🇺🇸
In the United States there are several privacy laws and regulations on a national, state and local level. There is not one national privacy law in the United States. Certain states, like California, introduced their own comprehensive privacy laws and other states are expected to follow.
Canada 🇨🇦
The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is a federal privacy law that came into effect on January 1, 2004.
Australia 🇦🇺
The Privacy Act 1988 is a federal privacy law that sets standards for the collection, storage, use, and disclosure of personal information by Australian government agencies and some private sector organizations.
Japan 🇯🇵
The Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI) is a privacy law that came into effect on May 30, 2017.
Brazil 🇧🇷
The General Data Protection Law (Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados, or LGPD) is a privacy law that came into effect on August 16, 2020.
India 🇮🇳
The Information Technology (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011 (also known as the IT Rules) is a privacy and data protection law in India.
China 🇨🇳
China has several laws and regulations that relate to privacy and data protection, including the Cybersecurity Law of the People’s Republic of China, which came into effect on June 1, 2017, and the Personal Information Protection Law, which is still in draft form.
Africa
Privacy laws vary by country, with some having comprehensive privacy legislation and others having limited provisions.
Middle East
Privacy laws vary by country, but generally, they follow Islamic principles and are based on personal privacy rights outlined in the national constitution.
Russia 🇷🇺
The privacy law in Russia is regulated by the Federal Law No. 152-FZ “On Personal Data”. It outlines the rules for collecting, processing, and storing personal data.
Switzerland 🇨🇭
Switzerland is implementing new legislation to better protect its citizens’ data. Swiss companies will have to comply with this legislation from September 1, 2023.
OptInsight is the
e-consent management
platform for pharma & life sciences
