Notable documents of last week in Vietnam (May 16 - 22, 2022)

1. To promulgate regulation on interest rate support of 2%/year for enterprises, business households

The Government's Decree No. 31/2022/ND-CP dated May 20, 2022 on interest rate support from the state budget for loans granted to enterprises, cooperatives and business households, including 2%/year of interest rate support.

In specific, Decree No. 31/2022/ND-CP provides for entities that are enterprises, cooperatives and business households eligible for the interest rate support (hereinafter referred to as customers) that fall into one of the following cases:

- Use purpose of loans which are granted by one of the business registration sectors specified in the Decision No. 27/2018/QD-TTg dated July 06, 2018, including:

+ Airway; 

+ Transport and warehousing;

+ Tourism; 

+ Accommodation and catering services;

+ Education and training;

+ Agriculture, forestry and fishery;

+ Processing and manufacturing;

+ Publishing of software;

+ Computer programming and related activities;

+ Information service activities;

Construction activities directly serving above-mentioned economic industries do not include construction for real estate business purposes specified in Decision No. 27/2018/QD-TTg.

- They use loans for implementing projects on building social houses and houses for workers and renovating old condominiums on the list of projects aggregated and announced by the Ministry of Construction.

The term for interest rate support begins from the date of disbursement of a loan to the date on which the borrower fully pays principal and/or interest as agreed between the commercial bank and the borrower, in line with the informed funding source for interest rate support, but shall not exceed December 31, 2023.

The Decree No. 31/2022/ND-CP comes into force from the date on which it is signed.

2. Guiding the prevention of COVID-19 against people entering Vietnam

The General Department of Preventive Medicine (the Ministry of Health) promulgates the Official Dispatch No. 498/DP-DT dated May 16, 2022 on prevention and control of COVID-19 epidemic for people entering Vietnam.

Specifically, the Department of Preventive Medicine proposes the provinces and cities to direct the implementation of measures to prevent and combat COVID-19 with people entering Vietnam as follows:

- Strictly implement directive and instructional documents on prevention and control of COVID-19 by incoming persons, including: Official Dispatch No. 416/CD-TTg dated May 13, 2022; Official Dispatch No. 2118/BYT-DP dated April 26, 2022; Official Dispatch No. 2213/BYT-DP dated April 29, 2022.

- To continue maintaining activities of surveillance, early detection and investigation and timely handling of COVID-19 outbreaks.

Especially new and abnormal fluid hotspots (range, rate of spread, infectious diseases, rate of serious cases, deaths, new variables ... ) related to the inbound persons.

- To take the initiative in updating information on the epidemic and carrying out communication activities for the prevention and fight against the COVID-19 epidemic suitable to the current situation of the epidemic.

Note: The communication at the border gate in various forms, language is suitable to various subjects according to each type of specific border gate.

- Regularly check and deal with issues that arise or report to the General Department of Preventive Medicine to deal with them intra vires.

Details of the Official Dispatch No. 498/DP-DT dated May 16, 2022.

3. Obligations of the service organizations authorized to collect the social insurance and health insurance premium

On May 12, 2022, Vietnam Social Security issued the Decision No. 1155/QD-BHXH on the Regulation on operation of the collecting authority of social insurance and health insurance. In which, defines the obligations of the social insurance and health insurance collection service organization as follows:

- Comply with regulations of Vietnam Social Security on management of collection of insurance contributions and premiums, management of documents and information about participants in voluntary social insurance and health insurance who voluntarily pay insurance contributions and regulations on information, reports, inspection and supervision by social insurance authorities of collection of insurance contributions and premiums under contracts.

- Pay compensation for damage caused by the collector to the social insurance authority, participants and relevant parties as prescribed by law.

- Set up the collection points in the commune, ensure that each commune has at least 01 collection point and has its standing collecting staff and 03 employees to mobilize the collection.

- Ensure the material and technical facilities, finance and human resources to carry out the development and maintenance of participants of voluntary social insurance and health insurance, particularly:

+ Mobilize the people to participate in voluntary social insurance and health insurance to pay by themselves.

+ Receive dossiers and make a list of participants of voluntary social insurance and health insurance who make payment by themselves.

+ Urge and guide: the participants of voluntary social insurance and health insurance voluntarily pay their premium to be recorded the time of participation in voluntary social insurance and extend the validity of health insurance cards.

+ Collect voluntary social insurance contributions and health insurance premiums paid by the participants; transfer/submit the premiums and applications promptly and sufficiently to the social insurance authority.

+ Receives the social insurance books and health insurance cards from the social insurance agency returning them to the participants of voluntary social insurance and health insurance paid by themselves.

- Refund corresponding remuneration in case the social insurance agency refunds the premium of voluntary social insurance and health insurance to the participants in accordance with regulations and law.

The Decision No. 1155/QD-BHXH comes into force from May 12, 2022 and replaces the Decision No. 1599/QD-BHXH dated October 28, 2016.

4. Elaboration of regulations on the application of special consumption tax Vietnam to fresh water 

According to Decision No. 1294/QD-BYT dated May 19, 2022 on the action plan for implementation of the national nutrition strategy by 2025, the Ministry of Health issues a requirement for imposition of special consumption tax on drinks with sweeteners.

In specific, under the Decision No. 1294/QD-BYT, the tasks to formulate the nutrition-related policies to meet the needs of new and urgent issues to be placed out as follows:

- Establish regulations on restriction on advertising, promotion, sponsorship of food labels that are not harmful to health, especially for children, and imposition of special excise tax on beverages.

- To formulate the health insurance policy on the payment for services of counseling, treatment for children with serious malnutrition levels; payment for mother milk of neonatal infants, prenatal and immature newborns and pathological conditions not yet accessed to mother milk;

- Formulate technical instructions for fortifying micronutrients in food.

- To elaborate school meal technical standards, regulations on nutrition and physical strength in schools, regulations on activities of canteens in schools, ensuring the supply of food beneficial to pupils and students' health.

- Develop the national guidelines for healthy nutrition and physical activities relevant to target groups, prevention and control of obesity and noninfectious diseases.

- Formulate recommendations on the workers' meals according to their business lines and apply them to production and business establishments and industrial parks.

- Provide instructions on counseling on nutrition and support for breastfeeding for workers who have no labor contracts with employees;

Details in the Decision No. 1294/QD-BYT comes into force from the day on which it is signed.

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