This article provides a re-cap of some key policy and protection provisions set out in one of the major bilateral treaties that have been concluded between Vietnam and the United States of America – Agreement “On Trade Relations” (2000), as well as a summary of key investment incentives in Vietnam.

The Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) has now classified e-commerce, defined as the practice of selling goods or services through an online consumer platform on the internet, as an essential service under Section 4(c) of the Essential Supplies and Services Law via Notification No. 50/2023 dated 21 July 2023. Coupled with this, the MOC issued an […]

In order to implement the provisions of the Investment Law dated 15 October 2021, the Royal Government of Cambodia adopted Sub-Decree No. 139 ANKr.BK (the “Sub-Decree”) on the Implementation of Investment Law dated 26 June 2023. Notable updates under the Sub-Decree are as follows:   1. New Procedure for QIP Registration In order to obtain […]

The amendment to the Bangladesh PPP Act seeks to limit the powers of the PPP Authority in terms of financial and administrative powers and the performance of its functions. Prior to the amendment, the PPP Authority had the right to independently carry out its functions, that has now been changed, with authority back in the […]

BTMC intends to establish textile mills and/or textile-related linked industries and support facilities at Feni, Bangladesh at the existing site of Dost Textile Mills Ltd. through a PPP. BTMC is inviting interested bidders and bidding consortiums to participate in the selection of a private partner through an international competitive bidding process as per the terms […]

Bangladesh Textile Mills Corporation (“BTMC”), under the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, intends to establish textile mills and/or textile-related linked industries and support facilities at Magura, Bangladesh at the existing site of Magura Textile Mills Limited through a PPP. BTMC is inviting interested bidders and bidding consortiums to participate in the selection of a private […]

On 23 May 2023, the Trade Department of the Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) issued a new importer and exporter registration (“IMPEX”) order via Notification 35/2023, replacing the Registration (Imports and Exports) Order 42/1954 issued under the Control of Imports and Exports (Temporary) Act 1947 and the Export and Import Bulletin No. 6/2018 issued by the […]

This article addresses a possible misunderstanding of Cambodia’s Transfer Pricing (“TP”) regulations as set out in Prakas 986 on Rules and Procedures for Division of Income and Expense between Related Parties (“the Prakas”).

On 6 March 2023, the Royal Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia issued a Sub-Decree on the Requirements and Procedures for Business Combinations (the “Sub-Decree”), which will be enforced in six months. Its enactment is part of the government’s efforts to improve and strengthen the enforcement of the Competition Law. The aim of the Sub-Decree […]

Per Section 97 of the 2017 Myanmar Companies Law, companies must file their first annual return (“AR”) with the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration (“DICA”) through the MyCo system within two months of the date of incorporation. Previously, no supporting documents were required; however, an announcement on the DICA website dated 1 April 2023 […]

To reduce environmental pollution, the Bangladesh government has issued the Environmental Conservation Rules 2023 and repealed the prior ones that were enacted in 1997, with immediate effect. Like the previous rules, industrial units and projects are classified into four categories—green, yellow, orange, and red—based on their activities and level of environmental pollution. The green category […]

On 10 February 2023 the Government of Vietnam issued Decree no. 03/2023/ND-CP (the “2023 VCC Decree”) regulating the functions, tasks, powers and organizational structure of the Vietnam Competition Commission (referred as “VCC”) which was previously mentioned in Law on Competition no. 23/2018/QH14 dated 12 June 2018 (the “Law on Competition”). The article discusses the role […]

On 1 April 2023, the Trademark Law will come into effect according to the State Administration Council’s Notification No. 82/2023 dated 10 March 2023. Implementation of the law is being done in phases. Prior to its effectiveness, during “Soft Opening Phase 1”, which is currently ongoing, the Myanmar Intellectual Property Department (“MIPD”) under the Ministry […]

Vietnam investment regime provides for a broad range of various business incentives. However, the regime of benefits and eligibility criteria are set out in very many laws, regulations and clarifying instructions. When considering whether your project is benefiting from available incentives to maximum extent, it is crucial to have a full and big picture view […]

The Foreign Exchange Supervisory Committee (“FESC”) decided to grant foreign companies an exemption from mandatory forex conversion in its meeting no.78/2022. In this regard, the Central Bank of Myanmar (“CBM”) issued letter no. FE-1/2861 dated 30 December 2022 concerning the resolution of the FESC’s meeting, which instructs the AD licensed banks to comply with such […]

We share some of the key overviews prepared by VDB Loi team in Vietnam over the course of 2022, as well as a year-end update summarizing some of the latest developments

The State Administration Counsil (“SAC”) passed the new Registration of Association Law 2022 on 28 October 2022 (“2022 RAL” or the “Law”) to regulate the registration and other related aspects of Local Non-governmental organization (“NGOs”) and International Non-governmental Organization (“INGOs”). The RAL repeals and replaces the Registration of Associations Law 2014 (“2014 RAL”). The 2022 […]

To strengthen the compliance with the report from the Financial Action Task Force (“FATF”), Ministry of Commerce (“MOC”) has issued its bulletin no. 10/2022 on 31st October 2022 required that all border trade transactions must be settled only through a licensed bank (“Bulletin 10”). Bulletin 10 also mentions that the importers are allowed to acquire […]

The government introduced a new rule based on section 203 of the Bangladesh Export Processing Zone (EPZ) Labor Act 2019, named EPZ Labor rule 2022,  where some important rules and regulations for zone areas has been presented. The new rule introduced a new provision that says, an employee will be automatically permanent if an employer […]

Aiming to protect environmental health, the government has published a new rule based on section 20 of The Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act, 1995. The main objectives of this rule are to prevent, control, and reduce air pollution. The government will appoint a director general who will be responsible for managing and maintaining the environmental issue. […]