Skip to main content

    AI by country · Southeast Asia

    AI in Vietnam: the rules, the readiness and where to start

    Last checked: 26 October 2026

    What should a company in Vietnam know before starting with AI?

    Vietnam has a dedicated Law on Artificial Intelligence, in force since 1 March 2026, and a Law on Personal Data Protection, in force since 1 January 2026. Together they set risk tiers for AI systems, labelling duties and rules on moving personal data abroad. Banks face a new State Bank circular that takes effect on 15 November 2026.

    At a glance

    Vietnam at a glance

    Key facts about Vietnam
    Data protection lawLaw No. 91/2025/QH15, in force since 1 January 2026
    RegulatorMinistry of Public Security (personal data); Ministry of Science and Technology (AI)
    AI policyLaw on AI No. 134/2025/QH15 (in force 1 March 2026); national AI strategy announced 28 August 2026
    Time zoneUTC+7 (1 hour 30 minutes ahead of India)
    CurrencyVND
    Business languageVietnamese; English in many technology firms

    Why now

    Why Vietnam is worth watching

    Each point links to the document it comes from.

    • The National Assembly passed the Law on Artificial Intelligence on 10 December 2025, and it took effect on 1 March 2026.[1]

    • The Ministry of Science and Technology announced a national AI strategy on 28 August 2026. Its targets include an AI economy of about 6% of GDP and about 60% of enterprises applying AI by 2030.[7]

    • The Deputy Prime Minister estimated digital technology exports at US$172 billion and industry revenue at US$198 billion for 2025.[8]

    • At the same forum, e-commerce revenue for 2025 was put at an estimated US$36 billion, triple the 2020 level.[8]

    • The AI Law provides for a regulatory sandbox, an AI voucher scheme and a national AI development fund to help businesses adopt AI.[1]

    The rules

    The rules that matter for AI

    What each law or policy means when you build or buy an AI system.

    Law on Artificial Intelligence, No. 134/2025/QH15

    In force2025It covers Vietnamese and foreign parties doing AI work in Vietnam and sorts systems into high, medium and low risk. Chatbots must be identifiable as AI, and AI-made audio, image and video must be marked in a machine-readable way. High-risk systems need conformity assessment, human oversight and incident handling. A deployer must compensate people harmed by a high-risk system even if it was run correctly. Systems already running before 1 March 2026 have until 1 March 2027, or 1 September 2027 in health, education and finance.[2]

    Decree 142/2026/ND-CP guiding the AI Law

    In force2026Signed 30 April 2026 and effective 1 May 2026, it covers the one-stop AI portal, the AI systems database, risk classification, labelling, conformity assessment and incident reporting. We could not open the decree itself, so check its deadlines and transition rules with a Vietnamese lawyer.[4]

    Law on Personal Data Protection, No. 91/2025/QH15, and Decree 356/2025/ND-CP

    In force2025Effective 1 January 2026, it replaced Decree 13/2023. Using a platform outside Vietnam to process data collected in Vietnam counts as a cross-border transfer and needs an impact dossier within 60 days of the first transfer. Serious breaches must be reported within 72 hours. Fines reach VND 3 billion, or 5% of prior-year revenue for cross-border violations. Article 30 requires AI processing of personal data to be classified by risk.[3]

    State Bank Circular 53/2026/TT-NHNN on AI in banking

    Passed, not yet in force2026Issued 30 September 2026 and effective 15 November 2026 per a banking association report. It keeps humans in control of AI decisions and treats larger automated payments and loans of VND 50 million or more as high-risk. One news report says some articles start in 2027, but we found that in one source only.[9]

    Where AI fits first

    Where AI fits first

    Banking and fintech

    Credit scoring support, fraud monitoring, document checks and customer service in Vietnamese.

    Circular 53/2026 sets conditions for AI in banking, including human oversight and a dossier submitted before launch of high-risk systems.[9]

    Software and IT outsourcing

    AI-assisted code review, testing and document work for overseas customers.

    Using an overseas AI platform on data collected in Vietnam can trigger a cross-border transfer filing. Check this before choosing tools.[3]

    E-commerce and retail

    Product search, customer chat and returns handling in Vietnamese.

    A chatbot must be identifiable as AI. Content made to look like a real person or event must be labelled.[2]

    Manufacturing

    Visual inspection on production lines and maintenance planning.

    The AI Law ranks risk by impact and field of use. A system outside the high and medium tiers is low-risk by default.[2]

    Your first steps

    Your first steps

    1. List your AI systems and who provides, develops, deploys and uses each, since the AI Law gives each role different duties.
    2. Classify each system as high, medium or low risk using the AI Law and Decree 142, and record the reasoning.
    3. Map where personal data goes. If an overseas tool processes data collected in Vietnam, plan the cross-border impact dossier due within 60 days.
    4. Make chatbots say they are AI and label AI-generated images, audio and video that could be mistaken for real.
    5. Put a human review step on high-impact decisions, such as credit, hiring or health, and write down who can override the system.
    6. Prepare a breach plan that can meet the 72-hour report to the data protection authority, and an AI incident process.
    7. If AI systems are already running, note your deadline: 1 March 2027, or 1 September 2027 for health, education and finance.

    How we work with you

    How we work with you

    We work remotely with clients worldwide, in the client's time zone. Vietnam is UTC+7 and India is UTC+5:30, a gap of 1 hour 30 minutes. If both sides work 9:00 to 18:00 local time, the shared window is 11:00 to 18:00 Vietnam time (9:30 to 16:30 IST), about 7 hours.

    Questions

    Common questions about AI in Vietnam

    Does Vietnam have a law on AI?

    Yes. The Law on Artificial Intelligence (No. 134/2025/QH15) took effect on 1 March 2026, and Decree 142/2026 guiding it on 1 May 2026. The Government and Prime Minister still set some details, such as lists of high-risk systems.

    Does the AI Law apply to a foreign company?

    It applies to foreign organisations and individuals taking part in AI activities in Vietnam. A foreign provider of a high-risk system needs a lawful contact point in Vietnam, and a commercial presence or authorised representative if the system needs certification before use.

    Can we use an overseas AI tool with Vietnamese customer data?

    Possibly, but treat it as a cross-border transfer. The data law requires an impact dossier sent to the authority within 60 days of the first transfer, with limited exemptions such as storing employee data in the cloud.

    Do small businesses face the same data rules?

    Not fully. Micro-enterprises and household businesses are exempt from the impact-assessment articles, and small firms and startups can opt out for five years, unless they process sensitive or large-scale personal data or offer data-processing services.

    What are the penalties?

    Both laws allow administrative or criminal liability plus compensation. For personal data the top fine is VND 3 billion for most breaches and 5% of prior-year revenue for cross-border violations. AI penalty amounts are left to a Government decree.

    Free tools

    Try these first

    Three free tools from our AI Toolkit that suit a team starting out.

    AI readiness score

    Answer a few questions and see where your team stands, in about five minutes.
    Open the tool

    AI use case triage

    Test an idea against data, risk and effort before you spend on it.
    Open the tool

    AI project cost estimator

    Get a rough build and run cost range for a first AI project.
    Open the tool

    Read next

    Sources

    Sources

    Facts checked on 26 October 2026. Numbers in square brackets above match this list.
    1. [1] VnEconomy, 2025-12-11. National Assembly approves Vietnam's first AI law(en.vneconomy.vn)
      Full title and what we used it for

      National Assembly approves Vietnam's first AI law. Passage date and effective date. The article's percentage for the vote looks wrong, so we did not use it.

    2. [2] National Assembly of Vietnam (text via LuatVietnam), 2025-12-10. Luat Tri tue nhan tao, No. 134/2025/QH15(static3.luatvietnam.vn)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Luat Tri tue nhan tao, No. 134/2025/QH15. Law text read in Vietnamese, from a legal publisher's copy. Used for scope, risk tiers, labelling (Art. 11), high-risk duties (Arts. 13, 14), liability (Art. 29) and transition (Art. 35). The ThuVienPhapLuat pages returned 403 and were not used.

    3. [3] National Assembly of Vietnam (text via LuatVietnam), 2025-06-26. Luat Bao ve du lieu ca nhan, No. 91/2025/QH15(static3.luatvietnam.vn)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Luat Bao ve du lieu ca nhan, No. 91/2025/QH15. Law text read in Vietnamese. Used for scope, fines (Art. 8), cross-border transfer (Art. 20), breach notice (Art. 23), AI processing (Art. 30), regulator (Art. 36) and exemptions and effect (Art. 38).

    4. [4] LuatVietnam, 2026-05-01. Da co Nghi dinh 142/2026/ND-CP huong dan thi hanh Luat Tri tue nhan tao(luatvietnam.vn)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Da co Nghi dinh 142/2026/ND-CP huong dan thi hanh Luat Tri tue nhan tao. Legal news site, used for the decree's signing date, effective date and subject matter. The decree text and the ThuVienPhapLuat page were not opened. Page date approximate.

    5. [5] LuatVietnam, 2026-01-01. The latest Law on Personal Data Protection and the guiding documents(english.luatvietnam.vn)
      Full title and what we used it for

      The latest Law on Personal Data Protection and the guiding documents. Used only to confirm that Decree 356/2025/ND-CP took effect on 1 January 2026 and covers impact assessment and cross-border transfer. Page date approximate.

    6. [6] Baker McKenzie, 2026-02-24. Vietnam: Artificial Intelligence Law, foundation and outlook(bakermckenzie.com)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Vietnam: Artificial Intelligence Law, foundation and outlook. Law-firm interpretation of the AI Law, used for the sandbox and support measures, local presence rules and pending implementing instruments.

    7. [7] Viet Nam News, 2026-08-28. National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence announced(vietnamnews.vn)
      Full title and what we used it for

      National Strategy on Artificial Intelligence announced. Strategy targets. The article gives no decision number and does not say whether it replaces the 2021 strategy, so we do not say.

    8. [8] Tuoi Tre News, 2025-12-31. Vietnam's digital technology exports hit $172bn in 2025(news.tuoitre.vn)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Vietnam's digital technology exports hit $172bn in 2025. Official estimates given by the Deputy Prime Minister on 30 December 2025. Press report of a speech.

    9. [9] Vietnam Banks Association, 2026-10-07. NHNN ban hanh Thong tu quy dinh ve an toan, quan ly rui ro khi ung dung…(vnba.org.vn)
      Full title and what we used it for

      NHNN ban hanh Thong tu quy dinh ve an toan, quan ly rui ro khi ung dung AI trong nganh ngan hang. Industry association report on Circular 53/2026/TT-NHNN: dates, scope and risk thresholds. The circular text was not opened.

    10. [10] LuatVietnam, 2026-10-08. Circular No. 53/2026/TT-NHNN: AI-automated payments for individual cust…(luatvietnam.vn)
      Full title and what we used it for

      Circular No. 53/2026/TT-NHNN: AI-automated payments for individual customers must not exceed VND 100 million per day. Second report on the circular: issue date, human oversight and daily payment caps. Its effective date was not stated there.

    This is general information, not legal advice. Vietnam's AI rules are still being filled in by decrees and decisions, and some sources here are news or legal-site summaries rather than the official text. Check with a qualified Vietnamese lawyer before you act. Facts checked on 26 October 2026.

    Other country guides

    Starting with AI in Vietnam?

    Talk to an engineer. The first call is free, and we start with a readiness assessment before any budget is committed.

    Talk to our team Get your AI score