Notable new policies of Vietnam to be effective as of the start of January 2025

1. 10 Laws of Vietnam to be effective from January 1, 2025 

From January 1, 2025, the following Laws shall be effective: 

- Law on Management and Protection of National Defense Works and Military Zones 2023. 

- Law on Organization of People’s Courts 2024. 

- Law on Road Traffic Safety and Order 2024. 

- Law on Roads 2024. 

- Law on Amendments to the Law on Property Auction 2024.  

- Law on Capital 2024. 

- Law on Amendments to the Law on Guards 2024. 

- Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives, and Combat Gear 2024.

- Law on Public Investment 2024. 

- Law on amendments to the Law on Securities, Law on Accounting, Law on Independent Audit, Law on State Budget, Law on Management and Use of Public Property, Law on Tax Administration, Law on Personal Income Tax, Law on National Reserves, and Law on Handling of Administrative Violations 2024.

2. Conditions for receiving voluntary occupational accident insurance benefits in Vietnam from January 1, 2025 

This is a content of Decree No. 143/2024/ND-CP on occupational accident insurance in the form of voluntary participation for workers without employment contracts, effective as of January 1, 2025. 

According to Decree No. 143/2024/ND-CP, voluntary occupational accident insurance benefits include: 

- Assessment of the degree of work impairment.

- Occupational accident allowance.

According to the Decree, workers participating in voluntary occupational accident insurance are entitled to the benefits mentioned above when the following conditions are met: 

- Having a work impairment of 5% or more caused by an occupational accident that occurred during the period of voluntary occupational accident insurance participation;

- The case does not fall under the following circumstances: 

+ A personal conflict between the victim and the perpetrator unrelated to work or labor tasks;

+ The worker intentionally harms their own health;

+ The worker uses narcotic substances, addictive substances in violation of the law.

3. Applications for registration of vehicle ownership transfer in Vietnam from January 1, 2025

On November 15, 2024, the Minister of Public Security of Vietnam promulgated Circular No. 79/2024/TT-BCA on regulations on the issuance and revocation of certificates of vehicle registration and number plates of motor vehicles and heavy-duty vehicles. 

Specifically, an application for registration of vehicle ownership transfer from January 1, 2025 shall include a revocation application and a registration application as follows: 

- Revocation application

+ Declaration of the revocation of the certificate of vehicle registration and/or number plate; 

+ Documents of the vehicle owner according to Article 10 of Circular No. 79/2024/TT-BCA;

+ 2 copies of the engine number and chassis number of the vehicle; 

+ Copies of documents on the transfer of vehicle ownership as per regulation;  

+ Certificate of vehicle registration and/or number plate; in case of loss of the certificate of vehicle registration or the number plate, specify the reasons in the declaration of revocation of the certificate of vehicle registration and/or number plate. 

While waiting for the revocation results, the vehicle owner may retain the number plate for use and shall return it after receiving the revocation certificate; where the vehicle owner fails to return the number plate, the registration authority shall cancel the results and request the vehicle owner to re-do the revocation application in case of loss of the number plate as per regulation. 

- Registration application 

+ Declaration of vehicle registration; 

+ Documents of the vehicle owner as per regulation; 

+ Documents on the transfer of vehicle ownership as per regulation;  

+ Receipt for vehicle registration fees as per regulation; 

+ Certificate of revocation of the certificate of vehicle registration and/or number plate. 

See more details in Circular No. 79/2024/TT-BCA, effective as of January 1, 2025. 

4. Motorcycles of more than 5 years old to be subject to emission inspection in Vietnam 

This is a content of Circular No. 47/2024/TT-BGTVT on procedures for first-time inspection and inspection exemption for motor vehicles and heavy-duty vehicles; procedures for certifying technical and environmental safety for renovated motor vehicles and heavy-duty vehicles; procedures for inspecting emissions of motorcycles and mopeds promulgated by the Minister of Transport of Vietnam. 

Specifically, owners of motorcycles and mopeds that are 5 years old or less (from the manufacture year) shall be exempted from applying for emission inspection and bringing their vehicles to inspection facilities for emission inspection. 

Certificates of emission inspection for motorcycles and mopeds shall be issued by Vietnam Register on the inspection management software based on the results of the certification of technical and environmental safety of motorcycles and mopeds regarding the manufacturing, assembly, and import collected from the archived data of Vietnam Register combined with the database on motor vehicle registration and management of the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam. 

Where motorcycles or mopeds are more than 5 years old (from the manufacture year), owners shall bring them to inspection facilities for emission inspection. 

A vehicle owner shall present one of the following documents when bringing the vehicle to an inspection facility: 

- Original copy of the vehicle registration certificate; 

- Certified copies or certified e-copies of the original of the vehicle registration certificate; 

- Original copy of the appointment letter for issuance of the vehicle registration certificate.

See more details in Circular No. 47/2024/TT-BGTVT, effective as of January 1, 2025. 

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