Authorities in law

Riccardo Verzella Senior associate (left) and Ho Ngoc Diep Legal advisor, D’Andrea & Partners Legal Counsel Some new innovations of the aforesaid regulations are more relevant compared to the previous FDI regime, and certain aspects may be further optimised with the aim of improving the ease of doing business in Vietnam for overseas investors. Market access rules were significantly improved under the amended LoI. Before its implementation, based on the previous law, the allowed business fields for foreign investors were only those expressly referred to in a permitted list as mentioned therein. Nevertheless, Vietnam has switched to the so-called “negative list” approach with the LoI: hence, currently, foreign investors may perform all the business activities not included in the Negative List for Market Access for Foreign Investors without differentiation from domestic investors. This innovation indeed removes uncertainty for foreign investors, widens their business … [Read more...] about Crafting complete enterprise and investment laws

A delegation of the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand led by Ambassador Phan Chi Thanh visits Ho Chi Minh Museum in Phichit province. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia on May 19 held an incense-offering ceremony to pay tribute to President Ho Chi Minh on his 132nd birthday. In his remarks, Ambassador Nguyen Huy Tang called on the embassy’s staff and Vietnamese people in Cambodia to follow the late President’s ideology, morality and lifestyle. They should seriously observe local law and support each other, he said, lauding Vietnamese firms and agencies in Cambodia for their support to Cambodia ns of Vietnamese origin and local people during the COVID-19 fight. The Vietnamese community in Hungary and Hungarian friends on May 18 also gathered at a ceremony in Zalaegerszeg city where President Ho Chi Minh’s statue is located to pay homage to the late leader. Góra Balázs, Chairman of the Hungarian Socialist Party’s Zalaegerszeg branch, recalled … [Read more...] about President Ho Chi Minh remembered abroad

Cuong was sentenced by the Hanoi’s People Court after being charged with "negligence that results in serious consequences". He is also forbidden from holding positions in the field of medicine for three years after finishing his sentence. Nguyen Minh Hung, former chairman of the management board of pharmaceutical firm Vietnam Pharma JSC, received 18 years in jail for "manufacturing and trading of counterfeit medicines for treatment or prevention of diseases". Hung had been sentenced to 17 years under the same charge at another trial over the case in 2019. His cumulative years to spend in prison will be 30 years, the maximum number of jail time for combined timed sentences in accordance with Vietnamese law. 12 others convicts related to the cases were also sentenced to between 2-20 years in jail. The sentences were the latest development in a counterfeit drug case involving Vietnam Pharma and the fake drug branded Health 2000 Canada. Cuong stands accused of violations that allowed … [Read more...] about Former deputy health minister jailed in fake cancer drug scandal

Pham Viet Tuan-Associate, Indochine Counsel Many of the negative risks arise because of the complicated Vietnamese land laws, which prevent not only foreign investors but also local developers from developing projects. This article will give some hints on how they could properly tackle issues related to land in property project development through the contribution of land. In the Vietnamese real estate market, it is common for a property developer to have land but not the budget or experience/resources needed to develop the project. In this case, such developers might seek other ways to conduct their business plan. Some solutions may be to secure a loan facility from a bank; to cooperate with other developers who have experience/resources in the project development; or to call for financial aid from funds, and foreign/local investors or to issue bonds in the capital market. Each solution has its pros and cons. From a foreign perspective, project land is essential to project … [Read more...] about Making better decisions in real estate

Last month, a short news piece became a topic of discussion for my class. The lesson was about the power of news and information, about how fake news is detected and analyzed. It turns out that my students, all young people, are feeling the brunt of the sheer amount of information they are bombarded with. Information about the Covid-19 pandemic, for instance, is an endless sea. A recent study by Oxford University revealed that around 76 percent of young people are exposed to fake news from online sources at least once a week, an increase of 50 percent from two years ago. "A lie can travel around the world and back again while the truth is lacing up its boots" said Mark Twain. I think that quote is apt for our times. In the past, large platforms like Facebook played it safe; they only called themselves technological platforms that aggregate information to connect users, not media companies. That's how they avoided the troubles associated with being a publisher. The tech world … [Read more...] about Elon Musk is wrong about zero restraint free speech