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Vietnam Legal & Investment Environment Update: January 2026

- Adapting to a "Qualitative Shift": Stricter Data Governance, Labor Legislation, and Industrial Regulations -

In January 2026, Vietnam marked a major political milestone with the 14th National Party Congress (held in January 2026) and got off to a strong start, as the economic growth forecast was revised upward to 7.5% (according to United Overseas Bank (UOB)’s latest report). According to JETRO’s 2025 survey on the business conditions of Japanese companies investing overseas, business sentiment among Japanese companies operating locally is at its highest level since 2009, and the appetite for expansion is currently the strongest within the ASEAN region. However, behind this boom, Vietnam’s legal system is clearly steering away from "deregulation to attract investment" toward "stricter management for social and economic advancement." In this issue, we focus on three key areas from the important laws and regulations...To read the full article, please see the PDF file

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Authors

廣澤 太郎

Taro HIROSAWA

  • Partner
  • Tokyo Hanoi / Ho Chi Minh City

In addition to seven years' experience in Vietnam, Taro also has experience in working as in-house counsel for a major trading company. He has strong expertise in cross-border M&A/joint ventures, real estate development, labor, compliance, crisis management deals, and international transactions. In recent years, the scope of his work has expanded to include Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries. He is also a member of the Agrifood Practice Team.

グエン・テイ・タン・フォン

NGUYEN Thi Thanh Huong

  • Partner
  • Hanoi / Ho Chi Minh City

Huong started her career at leading local and regional law firms with diversified national and international practices. In 2009, Huong began pursuing a master’s degree from the University of Melbourne, and after doing so, continued her legal career at a number of law firms. Her areas of expertise include M&A transactions, labor law, corporate law, real estate transactions, restructuring and insolvency, and compliance. Huong often advises clients on cross-border M&A deals in relation to real estate, banking and finance, services, and manufacturing. She also regularly supports clients in regard to the formation and registration of internal labor regulations, dealing with labor disputes, labor contract performance, and retrenchment. In addition, Huong assists clients with the incorporation, operation, restructuring, and termination of their businesses in Vietnam, including with respect to day-to-day commercial business, corporate governance, and compliance. In these areas, clients value her extensive experience and detailed knowledge of local laws and culture, as well as her timely, responsive, and effective support.

ファン・ティン・フォン

PHAN Thien Huong

  • Partner
  • Hanoi / Ho Chi Minh City

Huong is highly skilled at providing practical solutions that are tailored to clients' needs in regard to M&A, foreign investment, corporate governance and restructuring, contract law, employment, and market access in Vietnam. She has advised numerous international clients on various complex deals in a variety of heavily regulated industries, such as real estate, land and construction, trade and distribution, securities, and M&A filing requirements with respect to competition and antitrust laws. In addition to representing large corporations in a diverse range of business law matters, she also assists clients in negotiating and dealing with counterparties in order to identify any obstacles between the parties and achieve the parties’ goals. When clients require practical solutions for their business projects in Vietnam, they turn to Huong.

グエン・トゥアン・アン

NGUYEN Tuan Anh

  • Partner
  • Hanoi / Ho Chi Minh City

Tuan Anh joined our firm in August 2015 after spending approximately seven years practicing law at local firms, which included one of the first-tier local law firms in Vietnam. With extensive expertise in data protection, M&A, labor law, compliance-related matters, e-commerce platforms, and corporate crisis management, he provides his clients and Japanese attorneys with tailored legal services in those practice areas in Vietnam. His legal advice, solutions, and recommendations are always appreciated by his Japanese colleagues in our firm’s Vietnam practice group due to their reliability, practicality, and appropriateness. He also has lectured clients’ employees on anti-corruption and compliance matters, labor regulations, and personal data protection laws. Furthermore, he is often asked to assist the JCCI in Vietnam in commenting on key drafts of laws and decrees (e.g., investment, enterprise, data, and personal data protection laws and guiding decrees) promulgated by the governmental bodies of Vietnam. He has collaborated with the operator of one of the fastest-growing and most widely used technology platforms, based in Atlanta, Georgia, on certain writing projects and a webinar on data privacy regulations related to Vietnam.