Global AI lawIn Effect (1 March 2026)

AI Laws in Vietnam

Vietnam is the first ASEAN country with a dedicated, binding AI statute. Law No. 134/2025/QH15 was passed by the 15th National Assembly on 10 December 2025 and took effect on 1 March 2026 (Article 34). It is risk-tiered: Article 9 sorts every AI system into high risk (capable of significant harm to life, health, the lawful rights of organisations or individuals, the public interest or national security), medium risk (capable of confusing, influencing or manipulating users who cannot tell they are dealing with an AI system or with AI-generated content) or low risk. High-risk systems must pass a conformity assessment before deployment and again on any significant change (Article 13), and some classes must be certified by a designated body. Article 11 imposes transparency across the board: systems that interact directly with people must be recognisable as AI, providers must mark AI-generated audio, images and video in a machine-readable format, and deployers must disclose AI-generated or AI-edited material released publicly where it could mislead about the authenticity of an event or person. The Act also creates a national AI portal and register of AI systems (Article 8), a list of prohibited practices (Article 7) and a regulatory sandbox (Article 21). Systems already in operation before 1 March 2026 get a transition period under Article 35 — 18 months for AI used in healthcare, education and finance, 12 months for everything else — during which they may keep running unless the AI authority finds a risk of serious harm.