Vietnam: Intellectual Property

Following the U.S. Trade Representative's designation of Vietnam as a Priority Foreign Country for IP violations, the Vietnamese government has launched a comprehensive enforcement initiative targeting digital piracy and copyright infringement. The Action Plan mandates coordinated action across multiple ministries, establishes stricter platform liability rules, and signals a shift toward criminal prosecution of large-scale online piracy operations.

Vietnam's Decree No. 186/2026/ND-CP introduces sweeping reforms to the country's administrative IP enforcement framework, eliminating longstanding procedural bottlenecks and expanding enforcement jurisdiction. The decree removes notarization requirements for powers of attorney, extends the Market Surveillance Agency's authority to service businesses, and introduces domain name blocking as a remedy for online infringement, fundamentally reshaping how IP rights holders can protect their interests in Vietnam.

越南新颁布的第186/2026号法令从根本上重塑了知识产权执法格局：该法令将核心行政权力移交给越南知识产权局（IP Vietnam），并引入了网站屏蔽措施。