02 Decrees and 15 Circulars Effective from Mid-January 2017

1. Household businesses can exploit minerals for construction materials without owner’s equity

According to Decree 158/2016/ND-CP guiding the implementation of the Mineral Law, household businesses as stipulated in Clause 2, Article 51 of the Mineral Law are granted a License to exploit minerals for ordinary construction materials when they meet all the conditions:

- Have an economic-technical report on mineral exploitation in the explored area with approved reserves consistent with the province or city’s exploration, exploitation, and usage plans for said minerals.- Have an environmental protection plan approved by a competent authority in compliance with the law on environmental protection;- The exploitation capacity must not exceed 3,000 m^3^ of raw minerals product/year.

Thus, compared to the current regulations, the environmental protection plan has been added as a replacement for the environmental protection commitment; simultaneously, the condition for having at least 30% of the total investment capital of the mineral exploitation project as owner's equity has been abolished.

Decree 158/2016/ND-CP takes effect from January 15, 2017, replacing Decree 15/2012/ND-CP.

2. Amendments and supplements to several entitlements for Veterans

Decree 157/2016/ND-CP effective from January 15, 2017, amends and supplements several entitlements for Veterans (CCB) as stipulated in Decree 150/2006/ND-CP as follows:

- Veterans who participated in the resistance war before April 30, 1975, or in the war to protect the Fatherland, carrying out international missions in Cambodia, assisting friends in Laos after April 30, 1975, are entitled to health insurance benefits and funeral expense policies as per social insurance regulations upon death.- Solitary Veterans without dependents and without income when retired are prioritized for admission, support, and care in social nurturing centers; receive legal assistance.- Veterans working in CCB association offices are trained, retrained, and allowed to take part in entrance exams to central and local training institutions to improve their qualifications to meet the association's duties.

3. New regulations on the management and use of State Treasury accounts

According to Circular 315/2016/TT-BTC (effective from January 15, 2017), on the management and use of State Treasury (KBNN) accounts opened at the State Bank of Vietnam (NHNN) and commercial banks (NHTM) to perform collection and disbursement of government funds, the types of KBNN accounts include:

- Consolidated payment account of the KBNN Exchange Office opened at the NHNN Transaction Center;- Consolidated payment account of the KBNN Exchange Office opened at NHTM in the Central region;- Payment account of provincial KBNN opened at NHNN branch in the province or centrally-run city in the same locality (if applicable);- Payment accounts of units opened at NHTM;- Specialized collection accounts of provincial KBNN units, district KBNN units opened at NHTM in the same locality, district.

4. Circular 199/2016/TT-BQP stipulates and guides the organization of commemorative days; awarding and receiving ceremonies of forms of commendation, and commendation titles in the People's Army of Vietnam, effective from January 15, 2017;
5. Circular 201/2016/TT-BQP stipulates the list, standards, and code of professional titles of defense public employees, effective from January 21, 2017;
6. Circular 13/2016/TT-BVHTTDL stipulates the standard operating regulations for public libraries at the provincial, district, and communal levels, effective from January 22, 2017;
7. Circular 314/2016/TT-BTC guides Decree 24/2016/ND-CP stipulating policies on the management of public funds, effective from January 15, 2017;
8. Circular 25/2016/TT-BGDDT abolishes legal normative documents issued by the Ministry of Education and Training, effective from January 30, 2017;
9. Circular 27/2016/TT-BCT amends and abolishes legal normative documents stipulating conditions for business investment in the fields under the management of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, effective from January 20, 2017;
10. Circular 28/2016/TT-BCT stipulates the quota-based import for 2016 and 2017 with a preferential import tax rate of 0% for goods originating from Cambodia, effective from January 18, 2017;
11. Circular 42/2016/TT-BGTVT stipulates the National Technical Regulation for the operation and maintenance of urban railways, effective from January 15, 2017;
12. Circular 36/2016/TT-BTNMT stipulates the technical-economic norms for the activities of the hydro-meteorological station network, effective from January 26, 2017;
13. Circular 25/2016/TT-BCT stipulates the power transmission system, effective from January 16, 2017;
14. Circular 26/2016/TT-BCT stipulates the contents for the formulation, appraisal, and approval of construction investment projects, construction designs, and construction estimates for mineral mines, effective from January 25, 2017;
15. Circular 24/2016/TT-BCT stipulates the reduction of the time required to access electricity, effective from January 16, 2017;
16. Circular 35/2016/TT-BTNMT stipulates the procedures for declaring national remote-sensing data, effective from January 16, 2017;
17. Circular 27/2016/TT-BNNPTNT stipulates the National Technical Regulation for animal feed, effective from January 26, 2017.

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