Summary
Vietnam’s Law on Artificial Intelligence (Law No. 134/2025/QH15), adopted by the National Assembly on 10 December 2025, took effect on 1 March 2026. On 3 March 2026, the Prime Minister signed Decision 367/QD-TTg, approving the implementation plan for the law and setting out detailed tasks, timelines, and responsibilities across all ministries and local authorities.
Governance Structure
The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) is established as the lead governance body for AI in Vietnam, with a formal legal mandate under the enacted law. The implementation plan assigns specific enforcement and coordination responsibilities across seven task groups, covering regulatory development, communications, training, and compliance monitoring.
The law requires the development of a national AI human resource strategy, integration of AI basics into general education, and encourages university expansion of AI programmes. Implementing decrees, including sanctioning decrees defining penalty amounts for violations, are in preparation and being circulated for public comment.
Key Provisions Relevant to Scoring
- MoST designated as the lead AI governance authority with a statutory mandate (dimension 10)
- The law applies to providers and operators of AI systems in Vietnam; providers already operating before 1 March 2026 have a 12-month transition period (extended to September 2027 for AI systems in health, education, and finance)
- Civil servants training on the law is included in the implementation plan (communications and training task group), but no specific minimum training standard for civil servants using AI systems has been defined
- Sanctioning decrees are pending; the law itself provides the legal basis for enforcement
Significance
This marks Vietnam’s transition from a strategy-based to a law-based AI governance framework, placing MoST as a named regulatory authority with a statutory mandate — a significant step beyond the advisory or coordination structures typical of the region.