Thailand V. Vietnam’s Personal Data Protection Law: What are the notable differences?

Since 2010, he has been continuously handling transactions, disputes, and regulatory matters related to IT technology and the IT industry, intellectual property matters including measures against counterfeit products, and data protection matters concerning personal data and trade secrets. He also has abundant knowledge on cybersecurity practices and is registered as a registered information security specialist (national qualification in Japan). After studying in the U.S. and the U.K., he moved to Vietnam and then Thailand. Since then, he has been involved in the above-mentioned matters not only in Japan but also in Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, and other Southeast Asian countries. While there are few Japanese lawyers in Southeast Asia who specialize in the above-mentioned matters, he supports international companies by utilizing both his abundant knowledge and practical experience in the above-mentioned matters and his local experience and network in Southeast Asia.

Chanakarn has particular in-depth expertise in the practical side of the legislative system of labour & employment law and personal data protection law. For the Labour & Employment practice, she engages in both advisory work and litigation, as well as drafting and reviewing legal documents, negotiating settlements, interviewing employees (particularly those accused of wrongdoing), managing whistleblowing hotlines and processes, providing trainings and various types of employment law advice, and representing clients in numerous court cases and in hearings before the labour authorities. For the Personal Data Protection practice, she assists her clients through the entire process, from providing training, analysing how clients handle personal data transactions, summarising clients’ data flow, providing legal advice, and drafting necessary legal documents for her clients. Chanakarn’s strategy is to provide detailed, accurate advice and flexible solutions, adapted to meet her clients’ needs. She excels in simplifying complex matters and equipping her clients to make the right decisions. She receives consistently strong feedback from her clients regarding the quality of her work. She has been ranked for labour and employment practice in Chambers Asia Pacific 2022 and 2023.

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. Through his extensive expertise in compliance-related matters, e-commerce platforms and operation, 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. Apart from providing legal advice to clients, 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 providing comments on key drafts of laws and decrees (e.g., investment and enterprise laws, as well as guiding decrees related thereto) promulgated by the governmental bodies of Vietnam.

More than 6 years of experience engaging with SCL Nishimura & Asahi in Bangkok. Currently working in practice of finance, corporate and commercial (e.g. commercial contract drafting, full scale of corporate works: business incorporation, dissolution & liquidation, business and asset restructuring, M&A such as entire business transfer: EBT, partial business transfer: PBT, amalgamation, share subscription, share purchase, joint venture, and legal due diligence). Also, engaging in several speaker events as well as being visiting lecturer for Thai universities, namely, Bangkok University and Chiangmai University. 

Graduated Master's Degree (LL.M.) in International Tax Law and EU Tax Law from Uppsala University, Sweden, under the offer and award from the Swedish Institute Study Scholarships 2017 (SISS), and LL.B in Business Law Major from Chulalongkorn University with honour. 

Also, interested in business trends, investment, economics, cryptocurrencies and Web 3.0’s on-going global trend and its development e.g. blockchain, tokenomics and etc.