Key new policies effective from February 2019.

1. Adjusting the monthly salary used for calculating social insurance contributions.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs issued Circular 35/2018/TT-BLĐTBXH adjusting monthly wages and income subject to social insurance contributions.

From January 1, 2019, the monthly salary on which social insurance contributions were paid for employees subject to the state-regulated salary regime who started participating in social insurance from 2016 onwards, and employees paying social insurance according to the salary regime determined by the employer… will be adjusted according to the following formula:

Adjusted monthly salary for social insurance contributions for each year = Total monthly salary for social insurance contributions for each year x Adjustment rate for social insurance contributions for the corresponding year.

This circular takes effect from February 15, 2019.

2. Spending 200 million VND to buy information about smuggled cigarettes.

Smuggled cigarettes that meet quality standards will be auctioned off, and the proceeds will be used for anti-cigarette smuggling activities in accordance with Circular 122/2018/TT-BTC.

In addition, the proceeds from the auction will be used for the following purposes:

- The maximum expenditure for purchasing information on smuggled cigarettes is no more than 200 million VND per case;

- Fuel expenses for vehicles used to inspect, apprehend suspects, and seize evidence of violations;

- Compensation for night work and overtime for officials and civil servants...

Within 3 working days from the date of receiving the proceeds from the auction, the agency or unit assigned to organize the auction is responsible for depositing the entire amount into a temporary holding account at the State Treasury.

The circular takes effect from February 1, 2019.

3. Conditions for converting from electronic documents to paper documents

According to Decree 165/2018/ND-CP on electronic transactions in financial activities, the conversion from electronic documents to paper documents must meet 5 conditions (compared to the current regulation which only requires 3 conditions) in order to be converted, for example:

- Fully and accurately reflect the content of the curriculum;

- There is information indicating that the e-program has been processed on the information system, along with the name of the information system or the name of the system's administrator;

- It must have an identifier for the program to facilitate information lookup and verification, or the full name and signature of the person performing the conversion;

- Information can be retrieved at any time during the normal operation of the information system;…

The decree takes effect from February 10, 2019.

4. Convert ATM cards to chip cards.

The transition is phased and supplemented by Circular 41/2018/TT-NHNN amending Circular 19/2016/TT-NHNN regulating banking card operations.

The transition roadmap is outlined as follows:

- By December 31, 2019, at least 35% of ATMs and 50% of point-of-sale card acceptance devices must comply with the basic standards for domestic chip cards;

- By December 31, 2020, 100% of ATMs and point-of-sale card acceptance devices complied with the basic standards for domestic chip cards;

During the transition period, card issuers and card payment organizations must ensure that card operations are continuous, stable, secure, and that the legitimate rights of cardholders are protected.

This circular takes effect from February 18, 2019.

5. The new general education curriculum is officially in place.

The new general education curriculum was issued by the Ministry of Education and Training in Circular 32/2018/TT-BGDĐT dated December 26, 2018.

Notably, several new subjects will appear in the curriculum at various levels, such as:

- Primary school level: There is a new subject, Information Technology and Technology, in addition to the previous subjects such as: Vietnamese Language, Mathematics, Foreign Language, Ethics, Natural and Social Sciences, History and Geography…

- At the lower secondary level: Computer Science will become a compulsory subject, and History and Geography, Science and Natural Sciences will have new teaching methods.

- High school level: Students can choose to study in the following groups: Social Sciences (including Economics and Law Education, History, Geography); Natural Sciences (including Physics, Chemistry, Biology); Technology and Arts (including Technology, Informatics, Arts).

This circular takes effect from February 15, 2019.

6. New regulations on the probationary period for teachers and lecturers.

Circular 31/2018/TT-BGDĐT stipulates the probationary period for teachers and lecturers in public educational institutions according to their professional titles as follows:

- For lecturers of rank III, high school teachers of rank III, and pre-university teachers of rank III: 12 months of probation. Previously, high school teachers only needed 9 months of probation.

- For secondary school teachers of rank III: 9-month probationary period.

- For preschool teachers of rank IV and primary school teachers of rank IV: 6-month probationary period.

The circular takes effect from February 8, 2019.