Managing Director of ASL LAW Pham Duy Khuong replies to a reader's queries regarding environmental impact assessment.

As per Article 104 of the 2012 Labor Code, the normal working time must not exceed 8 hours per day or 48 hours per week. An employer may set an hourly, daily or weekly working time frame for employees. In case of a weekly working time frame, the normal working time must not exceed 10 hours per day and 48 hours per week.

Under the 2014 Housing Law, houses are recognized as private property and are not subject to the state management. The Vietnamese State protects the right to housing and lawful house ownership of house owners. Only in case of necessity, may the State decide on compulsory purchase, requisition, preemptive purchase or demolition of houses, provided compensations are paid and resettlement is provided to lawful owners of such houses under Articles 4 and 5 of the Housing Law.

Article 37 of the 2014 Law on Civil Status prescribes that from January 1, 2016, the registration of marriages between Vietnamese citizens and foreigners falls within the competence of district-level People’s Committees of localities where Vietnamese citizens reside.

In order to reside permanently in Vietnam and be eligible for naturalization in Vietnam, a foreign expat must apply for a permanent residence card, which has the same validity duration as a visa.

Foreign investor’s capital contribution to a company will not change its legal status as a Vietnamese company since it was lawfully established and has been operating in accordance with the Vietnamese law on enterprises.

According to Article 10.1 of Government Decree 82 of September 24, 2015, prescribing visa exemption for overseas Vietnamese and foreigners who are spouses or children of overseas Vietnamese or Vietnamese citizens, a person entering Vietnam with a visa exemption paper will be granted by an immigration control unit a six-month temporary residence certificate for each entry.

According to the Vietnam’s Table of WTO commitments on services, the country has now opened its door for foreigners to invest in education. The Vietnamese law also provides specifically for the establishment of foreign-invested education institutions (Decree 86/2018/ND-CP dated June 6, 2018, on foreign cooperation and investment in education).

Under Vietnam’s law, foreign organizations and individuals may own houses, including apartments and private houses, built under commercial housing investment projects in areas where they are allowed to own homes.

As per the Vietnamese law on child adoption, a child’s blood aunt may adopt him/her while his/her grandparent may not (Article 13.6 of the 2010 Law on Child Adoption.