-DATA PROTECTION AND PRIVACY-
Vietnam’s New Consumer Protection Law Consolidates Consumer Rights on Protection of Personal Information
Vietnam’s National Assembly recently passed a new Consumer Protection Law on 17 November 2010, which will take effect on 1 July 2011 and replace the 1999 Ordinance on Protection of Consumers Rights. The new Law contains a variety of provisions that strengthen consumers’ rights, including those on use, collection and transfer of consumer information. While the Civil Code1, Law on E-Transactions2 and IT Law3 impose similar general obligations on the treatment of personal information, the new Consumer Protection Law expands those obligations in regard to all consumers (not just in the context of e-transactions, for example).
Article 6 on the Protection of Consumer Information provides that: Consumers have the right to have their information protected and kept secret when they participate in business transactions or use goods and services. Consumer information can only be disclosed at the request of competent authorities.
In sum, while the new Consumer Protection Law does not appear to change significantly Vietnam’s regulatory landscape in regard to data privacy and protection, it does emphasize and consolidate consumers’ rights in this area.
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