Smart cities hold the answer to the modern world's problems including rising population, pollution, traffic congestion, climate change and even global-scale disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic, according to experts.

In the context that there are different regulations of the Civil Code, the Commercial Law and the Construction Law regarding the maximum amount of penalty for breach of construction contract, this article will discuss about two legal issues: (i) principles for resolution of the conflict of laws that regulate construction contracts between the Civil Code, the Commercial Law and the Construction Law and (ii) the maximum amount of penalty for breach of construction contracts (including both state-funded construction works and private construction works).

The Ministry of Construction has proposed to shorten the time for grant of construction permits for construction investment projects from the current 30 days to 20 days, regardless of the projects’ type and scale. In the meantime, the time limit for granting permits for separate houses would remain 15 days.

In the coming time, Vietnam’s investment and business environment will be substantially improved in a bid to further raise the country’s competitiveness, according to Government Resolution 02 inked by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on the first day of 2020.

Five ministries have universally rejected a proposal by the transport ministry to restrict private investment in the country’s biggest airports and instead hand the job to a single company.

The case of Cocobay stirs concerns about the future of condotel complexes, a type of property projects which has been mushrooming all over the country in the past few years. It also gives rise to an urgent need to shape a legal framework for condotel development, ownership and management which would facilitate the operation of real estate developers and investors as well as state management work of authorities.

The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry has recently submitted a document to the Ministry of Planning and Investment, proposing the removal of the condominium management service from the list of conditional business investment lines in the amended Investment Law.

A legal framework covering condotel properties is urgently needed to protect the rights of both developers and buyers and to ensure sustainable development.

The 2014 Housing Law has new provisions for foreigners to own homes in Vietnam, making a breakthrough in attracting foreigners to work and live in the country. However, the applied term of house ownership for foreigners produces some negative effects that the law fails to anticipate. This article points out inadequacies in the regime of Vietnam-based house ownership by foreigners and gives recommendations for improvement.

The Law on Architecture, which is the first of its kind in Vietnam, was passed in June. Earlier, regulations on architecture are provided in different legal documents.