After more than 20 years of implementing the ASEAN Framework Agreement on Services, Vietnam has recorded positive developments in the process of international integration in general and ASEAN integration in particular, thereby promoting the development of the national economy and accumulate valuable experiences for international economic integration.

As specified in Article 2.3 of the 2019 Labor Code of Vietnam (effective as of January 1, 2021), foreign workers are among subjects of application of the Code and entitled to thirteen days of public holiday leaves

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc had talks with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio in Tokyo on September 26 as part of his stay in Japan to attend the state funeral for former PM Abe Shinzo.

The Government has recently requested the Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) to direct localities to flexibly relax regulations and conditions for grant, extension and certification of work permits for foreign workers in Vietnam in response to the new situation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many foreign-invested enterprises tend to bring their own workers to Vietnam for work, particularly for management positions, due to the high requirements for qualifications, expertise and skills, especially differences in language and culture.

Under Government Decree 152/2020/ND-CP dated December 30, 2020, on management of foreign workers in Vietnam and recruitment and management of Vietnamese workers for Vietnam-based foreign entities and individuals, a foreign worker may be exempt from Vietnam’s work permit.

As per Article 2 of Government Decree 143/2018/ND-CP, when being employed in the country, a foreigner is required to participate in social insurance if he (i) possesses a work permit, practice certificate or practice license granted by a Vietnamese authority; and (ii) has entered into a labor contract of an indefinite term or of a term of at least full one year with a Vietnam-based employer.

The Government recently issued Decree No 152/2020/ND-CP featuring regulations on foreigners working in Vietnam and the recruitment and management of Vietnamese working for foreign organizations and individuals in the country.

Coming into force from the beginning of 2021, the Labor Code prescribes labor standards; rights, obligations and responsibilities of employees, employers, grassroots-level employees’ representative organizations, and employers’ representative organizations in industrial relations and other relations directly associated with industrial relations; and state management of labor.