7 key policies effective from November 2018

1. Households and individual businesses are issued electronic invoices free of charge.

Decree 119/2018/ND-CP, issued on September 12, 2019, specifies the entities eligible for free electronic invoice services from the tax authorities, including:

- Households and individual businesses, excluding those with revenue of 3 billion VND or more in the previous year in the fields of agriculture, forestry, industry, and construction, or 10 billion VND or more in the fields of trade and services;

- Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) engaged in innovative startups and household and individual businesses that convert into enterprises within 12 months of their establishment;

- Small and medium-sized enterprises, cooperatives, and individual businesses operating in disadvantaged and particularly disadvantaged areas;

- Other small and medium-sized enterprises as proposed by the provincial People's Committee, excluding enterprises operating in economic zones, export processing zones, industrial parks, and high-tech zones;

This Decree takes effect from November 1, 2018.

2. Fines of up to 200 million VND for illegal multi-level marketing.

Decree 141/2018/ND-CP was issued by the Government on October 8, 2018; according to this Decree, a fine of 80-100 million VND is applied to organizations that commit one of the following illegal multi-level marketing acts:

- Requiring others to pay a deposit or a certain amount of money in order to sign a contract to participate in multi-level marketing;

- Requiring others to purchase a certain quantity of goods in order to sign a contract to participate in multi-level marketing;

- Allowing participants in multi-level marketing to receive money or other economic benefits from referring others to join the multi-level marketing scheme, rather than from the purchase or sale of goods by those referred...

The penalty will be doubled if the violation is committed in two or more provinces or cities.

The decree takes effect from November 25, 2018.

3. Power plants with a capacity of up to 30MW are eligible to participate in the electricity market.

This is stipulated in Circular No. 28/2018/TT-BCT, which promulgates specific regulations on the operation of the competitive electricity generation market.

Specifically, power plants with an installed capacity of up to 30MW, connected to the grid at a voltage of 110kV or higher, are entitled to participate in the electricity market. The entity must submit a registration application and prepare the necessary infrastructure to ensure electricity supply capability. Power plants with an operating license and an installed capacity exceeding 30MW must participate in the electricity market within 30 days of commencing commercial operation.

If a power plant fails to maintain an installed capacity exceeding 30MW for a continuous period of one year, it will be forced to cease participating in the electricity market.

The circular takes effect from November 15, 2018.

4. Three types of dietary supplements for children must declare their prices.

On September 12, 2018, the Ministry of Health issued Circular 22/2018/TT-BYT stipulating the list of functional foods for children under 6 years old subject to price declaration.

This category includes three types of functional foods: Health-protecting foods; Medical nutritional foods; and Dietary supplements, including nutritional products for children up to 36 months old.

The above list serves as the basis for agencies to manage prices in accordance with the law.

Before July 1, 2019, provincial People's Committees must publish the complete list of products for which the provincial food safety management agency has issued a Certificate of Acceptance of Product Declaration Registration, or which have been self-declared by local organizations or individuals.

This circular takes effect from November 1, 2018.

5. Seven cases where people's credit funds had their licenses revoked.

According to Circular 23/2018/TT-NHNN, there are 7 cases in which the license of a people's credit fund must be revoked, including:

- The fund may voluntarily request dissolution when it is able to pay off all its debts and other financial obligations;

- The Fund's application for a license contained fraudulent information to qualify for the license;

- The fund is operating in a manner inconsistent with the provisions of its license;

- The fund has seriously violated regulations regarding limits and safety ratios in its operations;

- The fund failed to implement, or only partially implemented, the State Bank branch's decision to ensure safety in banking operations;

- The fund is divided, merged, consolidated, or goes bankrupt;

- The fund's operating term has expired without requesting an extension, or the request for extension has not been approved by the State Bank branch.

This circular takes effect from November 1, 2018.

6. Voluntary blood donors receive gifts in the form of medical examination and treatment services.

The support scheme for blood donors, including both paid and voluntary blood donations, will be applied according to Circular 20/2018/TT-BYT of the Ministry of Health.

Specifically, the personvoluntary whole blood donationNow, instead of just receiving physical gifts, people can choose to receive medical examination and treatment services as gifts. The minimum value of the gift is as follows:

- 100,000 VND for each person donating one unit of blood (250ml).

- 150,000 VND for those who donate one unit of blood (350ml).

- 180,000 VND for each person donating one unit of blood (450ml).

The head of the blood receiving unit is responsible for publicly displaying a list of services and the price of each service so that blood donors can choose.

The circular takes effect from November 1, 2018.

7. Preschools in cities must have a minimum area of ​​8 square meters.²/young

This is one of the provisions stipulated in Decree 135/2018/ND-CP.

Specifically, kindergartens, preschools, and daycare centers must be located in residential areas that comply with regulations on safety and environmental hygiene.

Regarding building area, the aforementioned schools must ensure a minimum average area of ​​12 square meters.²for a child in the plains, midlands and 8m areas²For a child in urban, town, mountainous, and island areas.

For independent preschool groups and kindergartens, the requirements include having qualified teachers and a childcare room with a minimum area of ​​1.5 square meters.² For a child, there should be a play area, a fence and gate to ensure the child's safety; a mat or rug to sit on, a bed and blankets for sleeping...

The decree takes effect from November 20, 2018.