🇻🇳 Vietnam Refines its Legal Framework for AI Governance: Moving Towards Sustainable Development and Risk Management
On the morning of November 21, 2025, under the direction of National Assembly Vice Chairman Lê Minh Hoan, the 15th National Assembly convened a plenary session to review the Draft Law on Artificial Intelligence submitted by the Government. The draft was presented by the Minister of Science and Technology, Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng, on behalf of the Government.
📜 Enhancing the Legal Framework to Elevate Vietnam’s Position in the AI Sector
Minister Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng emphasized that the development of the Draft Law on Artificial Intelligence aims to implement key resolutions of the Party and State on science, technology, innovation, and digital transformation. The Law will focus on developing AI for the benefit of the people, promoting sustainable development, while simultaneously protecting national interests, human rights, and digital sovereignty.
The draft law comprises 8 chapters and 36 articles, intended to regulate the activities of research, development, provision, deployment, and use of AI systems in Vietnam. The draft clarifies the rights and obligations of relevant organizations and individuals, and specifies the State’s responsibility for managing domestic AI activities.
The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), the drafting agency for this law, plays a central role in connecting ministries, sectors, businesses, and domestic research institutions. Furthermore, the Ministry consulted the experiences of various countries and international organizations to refine the draft law.
🛡️ Risk-Based Management Approach and Classification of AI Systems
The draft law adopts a risk-based management approach, classifying AI systems into different levels and proposing requirements for transparency, labeling, accountability, and compliance assessment. This is intended to ensure safety and security when deploying AI applications across various sectors.
Specifically, given the confidential nature and independent management mechanisms of sensitive areas such as defense, security, intelligence, and cryptography, these fields will be excluded from the scope of application of this Law.
🤝 Ensuring Comprehensive Management of the AI Value Chain
Nguyễn Thanh Hải, Chairperson of the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment, stated that the draft law closely aligns with the major policies of the Party and State regarding technological development, innovation, and digital transformation. The Committee also unanimously agreed on the necessity of enacting an AI Law to complete the existing legal framework, establish a unified, synchronous, and flexible management mechanism, and adapt it to the characteristics of AI.
The Committee also requested that the Ministry of Science and Technology continue to review the policies of the Party and State on AI development, promote Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) for developing data infrastructure and high-performance computing, and foster high-quality human resources.
⚖️ Need for Clear Regulatory Scope and Coordination with Related Laws
One of the key issues emphasized by the reviewing agency is the need to clarify the regulatory scope of the AI Law. Currently, the draft’s scope of application is broad, but it is necessary to clearly define the boundaries between this Law and other relevant legislation, such as the Law on Science, Technology and Innovation, the Law on Data, and the Law on Digital Technology Industry. This will help avoid duplication and overlap between legal documents.
The Committee also proposed adding regulations related to intermediary entities in the AI value chain to ensure comprehensive management of the provision of platforms and foundational models, and to prevent resulting risks.
💡 Conclusion
The Draft Law on Artificial Intelligence is a crucial step for Vietnam in perfecting its legal framework for science and technology, especially in the context of rapid global AI development. The enactment and implementation of this law will contribute to ensuring safety, security, and sustainable development, while simultaneously elevating Vietnam’s position in the global value chain and promoting international cooperation in this field.
