On May 21, 2018, the Central Committee issued Resolution No.27-NQ/TW of the 7th Plenum of the 12th Party Central Committee on the reform wage policy for cadres, civil servants, officials and armed forces and employees in enterprises. The Resolution took effect from the date of its promulgation.

Accordingly, the Party Central Committee provides the guiding view as follows:

1. The wage policy is a particularly important policy of the socio-economic policies system;
2. Reform wage policy must be comprehensive, systematic, synchronous, inherit and promote the advantages, effectively overcome limitations and inadequacies of current wage policy;
3. In the public sector, the State shall pay salaries to cadres, civil servants, officials and armed forces according to their employment status, position and leadership position in accordance with State resources and revenues from public service delivery;
4. In the enterprise sector, wages are labor prices, formed on the basis of agreements between employees and employers according to the market mechanism under the State management;
5. Reform wage policy is an objective requirement, which is an important task, which requires high political will in building a socialist law-governed State and perfecting the institution of the socialist-oriented market economy;;

It can be seen that through the issuance of Resolution No.27-NQ/TW, the Party Central Committee has issued detailed guidelines as the basis and premise for setting wage policy for cadres, civil servants, officials and armed forces and employees in enterprises, so that these individuals can be assured of their contribution to the country.

On May 17, 2018, the Government issued Decree No.80/2018/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Government’s Decree No.147/2003/ND-CP dated December 2, 2003 regulating on conditions and procedures for granting and managing of voluntary detoxification establishments; the Government’s Decree No.135/2004/ND-CP dated June 10, 2004 prescribing the regime on application of the measure of consignment to disease treatment establishments, organization and operation of disease treatment establishments under the Ordinance on Handling of Administrative Violations, and the regime applicable to minors and volunteers to come to disease treatment establishments. The Decree took effect since July 5, 2018.

Accordingly, Decree No.80/2018/ND-CP regulates support policy for voluntary drug detoxicators as follows:

1. The State shall ensure drug withdrawal, detoxication and treatment of mental disorders for voluntary drug detoxicators at public drug detoxication establishments;
2. The State shall provide 95% of the screening costs, evaluating the level of addiction, testing services; treatment of opportunistic infections for wounded soldiers, the poor, lonely elderly, orphans; people infected with toxic chemicals…
3. Localities shall provide monthly allowances, money for living and daily-life necessities at least equal to 70% of the norms applicable to drug detoxicators subject to the application of measure of compulsory detoxification.
4. Particularly for voluntary drug detoxicators in 15 non-public drug detoxification establishments in provinces and cities such as Son La, Hoa Binh, Thai Nguyen, Hanoi and Nghe An, etc. still enjoy the following above-mentioned policy from 2018 to 2020.

With detailed and specific policies, through Decree No.80/2018/ND-CP, the State has created a financial support mechanism for drug detoxicators to have the opportunity and motivation for detoxification, thereby reducing the number of drug detoxicators, ensure security, social safety and public health.

On May 22, 2018, the People’s Committee of Hanoi issued Official Letter No.2217/UBND-KT on the implementation of the Government’s Decree No.40/2018/ND-CP dated March 12, 2018 on managing business activities in a multi-level mode. The Official Letter took effect from the date of its promulgation.

Accordingly, Official Letter No.2217/UBND-KT has assigned Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade to carry out the following tasks:

1. To grant and withdraw certification of registration of multi-level sale activities in the city, certify the registration of amendments and supplements to the contents of multi-level sale activities and certify the receipt of notices on operation termination multi-level sales; publish the results of this certification on the website of the Department and notify the Ministry of Industry and Trade;
2. To receive dossiers of notices on organization of conferences, seminars or training courses on multi-level sale of enterprises which have been granted certification of registration of multi-level sale activities in the city;
3. To inspect, examine, supervise and handle according to competence or report to competent authorities for handling violations on management of business activities by multi-level mode;
4. To trganize the training and professional training for cadres and officials in a number of departments, branches and districts, which directly perform the State management on multi-level sale activities.
5. To direct the Market Management Sub-Department of Hanoi city to well perform the State management contents.

Through specific and detailed regulations, Official Letter No.2217/UBND-KT has shown the focus of Hanoi city in tightening the management of multi-level business activities, thereby contributing to minimize the negative effects of multi-level activities, protecting people involved in this activities.

On May 15, 2018, the Government issued Decree No.69/2018/ND-CP detailing a number of articles of the Law on management foreign trade. The Decree took effect from the date of its promulgation.

Accordingly, Decree No.69/2018/ND-CP stipulates that Vietnamese traders are entitled to conduct temporary import and re-export of goods irrespective of their registered business lines as follows:

1. For goods temporarily imported for re-export or conditional, traders must satisfy the prescribed conditions.
2. For goods banned from import or export; goods temporarily suspended from export or temporarily suspended from import; goods not yet permitted for circulation or use in Vietnam; goods subject to the management of export quotas, import quotas, tariff quotas and export or import permits, except for cases of automatic export or import permits, the traders must be granted a temporary import for re-export by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
3. For the remaining cases, traders shall carry out the procedures for temporary imported for re-export at the customs offices.

With clear and detailed regulations, Decree No.69/2018/ND-CP is expected to solve some problems when implementating the Law on management foreign trade, and at the same time, contributing to improving the quality of State management in this area.

On May 16, 2018, the Government issued Decree No.78/2018/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Government’s Decree No.127/2007/ND-CP dated 01/8/2007 detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on standards and technical regulations. The Decree took effect since July 1, 2018.

Accordingly, Decree No.78/2018/ND-CP stipulated the general requirements in setting up standards and technical regulations as follows:

1. Formulation of standards

–           There must be representatives of management agencies, associations, enterprises, scientific and technological organizations, consumers and related specialists.

–           Adherence to the principle of consensus on the basis of discussion, public comment, and democracy.

2. Formulation of technical regulations

–           The system of national technical regulations and local technical regulations must be consistent with international treaties which Vietnam has signed or acceded to.

–           Prioritize the set of technical regulations adjusting the group of similar objects in terms of technical characteristics and management requirements.

–           Prescribes management measures and limits on the technical characteristics of products, goods, services, processes and environment directly serving the State management requirements in order to ensure safety and hygiene, environment, healthy; protection of animals and plants; protect the interests and national security, the legitimate rights and interests of consumers; to respect the rights to production and business of organizations and individuals.

–           The contents of national technical regulations are invoked to other national technical standards, national standards, international standards, regional standards and foreign standards.

–           In case of recourse to international standards, regional standards or foreign standards for technical requirements, the promulgating agency shall have to ensure that the Vietnamese version of the referring documents is available to individuals and groups can be referenced when requested.

–           When elaborating technical regulations, they must review the provisions on recognition of equivalence, ensuring compliance with international treaties which Vietnam has signed or acceded to.

In cases where technical regulations are capable of creating technical barriers to international trade, the promulgating agency shall have to send the draft technical regulation to the Ministry of Science and Technology for sending international comments according to the provisions of treaties to which Vietnam is a signatory or participant.

With detailed and specific regulations, Decree No.78/2018/ND-CP provides the basis for ministries, departments and agencies to set up standards and technical regulations, thereby ensuring publicity, transparency and uniformity in State management activities and not to create barriers to international trade.