🇻🇳Vietnam

Detailed overview

Vietnam has adopted a dedicated Law on Artificial Intelligence, Law No. 134/2025/QH15. The law was issued on 10 December 2025 and is scheduled to take effect on 1 March 2026. Vietnam is therefore one of the jurisdictions with a specific national AI statute, rather than only AI policy guidance or data-protection rules.

Vietnam's AI law establishes a national legal framework for AI development, provision, deployment and use. It applies to AI-related activities in Vietnam and creates rules for transparency, risk management, supervision and accountability. The law is connected with Vietnam's earlier national AI strategy, which was approved by the Prime Minister in 2021 and set the country's direction for AI research, development and application to 2030.

Risk-based approach

Vietnam uses a risk-based approach. AI systems are divided into risk levels, including high-risk, medium-risk and lower-risk systems. A high-risk AI system is an AI system whose operation may significantly affect safety, health, lawful rights or public interests. A medium-risk AI system may create risks such as user confusion, manipulation or harmful reliance, especially where users cannot easily distinguish AI-generated output from real human-created content.

Transparency and deepfakes

Transparency is a key requirement. Users must be informed when they are interacting with AI, including chatbots, virtual assistants and automated customer-service systems. AI-generated audio, images and video that simulate real persons, real events or real contexts must be marked or labelled in a way that is easy to recognise. This is especially relevant for deepfakes, synthetic media, AI avatars, voice cloning and AI-generated video content.

Supervision and penalties

Vietnam also requires supervision and inspection for AI systems that create higher levels of risk. Authorities may require suspension, withdrawal or other corrective measures where an AI system creates unacceptable or unlawful risk. Violations may lead to administrative penalties, criminal liability and compensation obligations depending on the conduct and harm caused.

National AI ethics framework

Vietnam has also adopted a national AI ethics framework. The framework addresses responsible AI research, development and application, including human oversight and the ability for human intervention where needed according to the level of impact. The framework is intended to be reviewed periodically or when major changes occur in AI technology and use.

Practical requirements & details

Sourced from Law No. 134/2025/QH15 on Artificial Intelligence (effective 1 March 2026) and the National AI Strategy 2021–2030 (Decision 127/QD-TTg). Cross-cutting overlays from the Personal Data Protection Law (Decree 13/2023/ND-CP) and the Law on Cybersecurity (Law 24/2018/QH14).

Scope

• Applies to AI development, provision, deployment and use in Vietnam, and to AI used to provide services to users in Vietnam regardless of provider location.
• Coordinated with the National AI Strategy to 2030 (research, development, application).

Risk-tiered approach

• High-risk AI — may significantly affect safety, health, lawful rights or public interests.
• Medium-risk AI — may create user confusion, manipulation or harmful reliance (esp. where AI output is hard to distinguish from human content).
• Lower-risk AI — outside the high- and medium-risk categories.

Transparency to users

• Users must be informed when they interact with AI — chatbots, virtual assistants, automated customer-service systems.
• AI-generated audio, images and video that simulate real persons, real events or real contexts must be marked or labelled in an easy-to-recognise way.
• Especially relevant for deepfakes, synthetic media, AI avatars, voice cloning, AI-generated video content.

Supervision and enforcement

• Authorities can require suspension, withdrawal or other corrective measures where AI creates unacceptable or unlawful risk.
• Violations may lead to administrative penalties, criminal liability and compensation obligations.

AI ethics framework

• National framework addresses responsible AI research, development and application.
• Includes human oversight and the ability for human intervention according to level of impact.
• Reviewed periodically or on major AI technology/use changes.

Cross-cutting overlays

• Personal data (Decree 13/2023) — consent, lawful basis, transparency, security, data-subject rights; data-protection impact assessment for high-risk processing.
• Cybersecurity Law — data localisation for certain personal-information processors; security audits.
• E-commerce / consumer protection — AI-driven recommendations and pricing subject to transparency and fairness rules.

Penalties

• Specific AI Act fine table to be set in implementing decrees; expected administrative penalties scale with risk tier and harm caused.
• Personal data violations under Decree 13/2023: administrative fines up to VND 5 billion (~USD 200,000) plus suspension and revocation.
• Cybersecurity Law violations may trigger criminal liability and asset seizure.