The new policy will take effect from February 2025.

Amend regulations concerning Forest Rangers and Specialized Forest Protection Forces.

Effective from February 2, 2025, Government Decree No. 159/2024/ND-CP dated December 18, 2024 amends and supplements a number of articles of Government Decree No. 01/2019/ND-CP dated January 1, 2019 on Forest Rangers and Specialized Forces for Forest Protection.

Regarding the duties and powers of the Forest Protection Department, Decree 159/2024/ND-CP amends and supplements them as follows:

Forest rangers, when performing their duties, must properly carry out their assigned responsibilities, tasks, and powers, and are responsible for the performance of their duties and powers as stipulated in this Decree and in accordance with the law; they must wear uniforms, rank insignia, forest ranger badges, and name tags as prescribed.

Request relevant agencies, organizations, and individuals to provide information, documents, and evidence; conduct on-site inspections; apply measures to prevent administrative violations as prescribed by law; and handle violations of forestry laws in accordance with the law on handling administrative violations and criminal offenses...

Administrative violations in the field of meteorology and hydrology are punishable by fines of up to 100 million VND.

The Government issued Decree No. 155/2024/ND-CP dated December 10, 2024, stipulating administrative penalties for violations in the field of meteorology and hydrology. The Decree takes effect from February 1, 2025.

According to the Decree, for each administrative violation in the field of meteorology and hydrology, the offending organization or individual shall be subject to the main form of punishment, which is a fine. The maximum fine for an administrative violation in the field of meteorology and hydrology is 50 million VND for individuals and 100 million VND for organizations.

New regulations on the functions of the inspection agency of the People's Public Security.

The Government issued Decree 164/2024/ND-CP on December 25, 2024, regulating the organization and operation of the People's Public Security Inspectorate. The Decree takes effect from February 10, 2025.

Regarding the functions of the People's Public Security Inspection Agency, Decree 164/2024/ND-CP clearly states: Within its duties and powers, the People's Public Security Inspection Agency assists the Head of the Public Security at the same level in performing state management of inspection work, receiving citizens, resolving complaints and denunciations, and preventing and combating corruption and negative practices; conducting inspections, receiving citizens, resolving complaints and denunciations, and preventing and combating corruption and negative practices in accordance with the law.

Administrative violations in the insurance business are punishable by fines of up to 200 million VND.

The Government issued Decree No. 174/2024/ND-CP dated December 30, 2024, stipulating administrative penalties for violations in the insurance business sector, effective from February 15, 2025.

This Decree stipulates administrative violations, completed administrative violations, and ongoing administrative violations; forms of penalties, penalty levels, and remedial measures for each administrative violation; subjects of penalties; authority to impose penalties, specific fines according to each position, and authority to draw up violation reports for administrative violations in the insurance business sector.

For each administrative violation in the insurance business sector, the main form of punishment applied to organizations and individuals is a fine.

The monetary penalty for organizations is twice the monetary penalty for individuals for the same violation. The maximum monetary penalty for individuals committing administrative violations in the insurance business is 100 million VND, and for organizations it is 200 million VND.

Support for agricultural production damaged by natural disasters and plant pests.

The government issued Decree No. 9/2025/ND-CP dated January 10, 2025, stipulating policies to support agricultural production to restore production in areas damaged by natural disasters and plant pests.

This Decree stipulates policies to support plant and animal breeding, aquaculture, forestry, salt production, or a portion of initial production costs to restore agricultural production in areas damaged by natural disasters and plant pests.

According to regulations, the level of support for aquatic products damaged by natural disasters (including aquaculture, production, and breeding of aquatic species) is as follows:

For semi-intensive and intensive aquaculture in ponds (lakes/tanks): support of 60 million VND/hectare for damaged farming area.

Aquaculture in tanks, cages, and rafts: support of 30 million VND/100 m².³The volume of the farmed area has been damaged.

For aquaculture in other forms: support of 15 million VND/hectare for damaged farming area.

The above decree takes effect from February 25, 2025.

Technical procedures for collecting, transporting, and treating household solid waste.

On December 19, 2024, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment issued Circular 35/2024/TT-BTNMT on the technical procedures for collecting, transporting, and treating solid household waste.

Accordingly, Circular 35/2024/TT-BTNMT stipulates the technical procedures for collecting, transporting, and treating sorted solid household waste from households and individuals.

- The technical procedures for collecting, transporting, and treating household solid waste are regulated as follows:

+ Technical procedures for collecting and transporting household solid waste: technical procedures for manual collection of household solid waste from households and individuals to collection points; technical procedures for mechanized collection of household solid waste from households and individuals to receiving facilities; technical procedures for transporting household solid waste from collection points to receiving facilities, from transfer stations to treatment facilities; technical procedures for transporting bulky waste from collection points to treatment facilities;

Technical procedures for transporting hazardous waste generated from households, individuals, and collection points to treatment facilities or hazardous waste storage points; technical procedures for transporting wastewater generated during the collection, transportation, and treatment of solid household waste to treatment facilities; technical procedures for cleaning solid household waste collection points;

+ Technical procedures for operating waste sorting stations capable of reusing, recycling, and transferring municipal solid waste: technical procedures for operating waste sorting stations capable of reusing and recycling; technical procedures for operating municipal solid waste transfer stations using compaction equipment; technical procedures for operating municipal solid waste transfer stations without compaction equipment;

+ Technical procedures for handling municipal solid waste: technical procedures for operating facilities that process food waste into compost; technical procedures for operating sanitary landfills for municipal solid waste; technical procedures for operating facilities that incinerate municipal solid waste to recover energy for electricity generation; technical procedures for operating facilities that incinerate municipal solid waste without energy recovery; technical procedures for operating facilities that process bulky waste; technical procedures for operating facilities that treat wastewater generated during the collection, transportation, and processing of municipal solid waste.

The above circular takes effect from February 3, 2025.

Guidelines for implementing regulations on the procedures for conducting an inspection.

On December 18, 2024, the Government Inspectorate issued Circular No. 08/2024/TT-TTCP guiding the implementation of regulations on the procedures for conducting an inspection. The Circular takes effect from February 3, 2025.

The Circular comprises 4 chapters, 27 articles, and 51 sample documents, and takes effect from February 3, 2025, replacing Circular No. 06/2021/TT-TTCP dated October 1, 2021, of the Government Inspectorate, which regulates the organization and operation of inspection teams and the procedures for conducting an inspection.

One of the highlights of Circular No. 08/2024 is the specific regulation of document templates in inspection activities. Circular No. 08/2024 also clearly outlines each step in the inspection process, from collecting information to prepare for the inspection, issuing the inspection decision, developing the inspection plan, to announcing the decision and implementing it...

Tax registration subjects

The Ministry of Finance issued Circular 86/2024/TT-BTC dated December 23, 2024, regulating tax registration.

Specifically, Article 4 of Circular 86/2024/TT-BTC stipulates the subjects required to register for tax as follows:

- The entities required to register for tax include:

+ Taxpayers subject to tax registration through the integrated one-stop mechanism as stipulated in point a, clause 1, Article 30 of the Law on Tax Administration.

+ Taxpayers subject to direct tax registration with the tax authority as stipulated in point b, clause 1, Article 30 of the Law on Tax Administration.

- Taxpayers who are required to register directly with the tax authorities include:

+ Businesses operating in specialized fields are not required to register with the business registration authority as stipulated by specialized laws (hereinafter referred to as Economic Organizations).

+ Non-profit organizations and economic organizations of the armed forces, and economic organizations of political, socio-political, social, and socio-professional organizations that conduct business activities in accordance with the law but are not required to register as enterprises through the business registration agency…

The circular takes effect from February 6, 2025.

PV