Foreigners with working permits or professional licenses granted by Vietnamese authorised agencies will be required to join Vietnam’s social insurance, according to the new Law on Social Insurance announced by the Presidential Office on December 11.

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The regulation will come into force as from January 1, 2018 while the law will take effect on January 1, 2016.

In addition, workers under labour contracts from one month to less than three months will also be subject to compulsory social insurance as from January 1, 2018.

The new law removes the age maximum limit of people registering for voluntary social insurance.

Besides the Law on Social Insurance, the Presidential Office also made public a range of laws and National Assembly Resolutions, including the Law on Organisation of People’s Court, the Law on Organisation of People’s Procuracy, the Law on Real Estate Business and the Law on Housing.

The Law on Real Estate Business with six chapters and 82 articles, taking effect from July 1, 2015, specifies that property businesses must have legal capital of at least 20 billion VND (952,380 USD).

The laws and resolutions were approved at the eighth session of the 13th National Assembly that wrapped up on November 28.-VNA

Presidential office announces 5 laws, 3 resolutions

The Presidential Office announced five laws and three resolutions at a press briefing in Hanoi on December 10.

They include the Laws on National Assembly (NA) Organisation, Citizen Identification, People’s Police, the Laws on amendments and supplements to some articles of the Laws on Vietnam People’s Army Officers.

The Law on NA Organisation with 7 chapters and 102 articles will come into force as from January 1, 2016. The law provides for a new position in the NA, the NA General Secretary who will replace the secretariat for each NA session. The NA General Secretary, elected by the legislature, will serve as the spokesperson for the NA and the NA Standing Committee.

The Law on Citizen Identification has 6 chapters and 39 articles and will come into force on January 1, 2016. Under the law, each citizen will be given a personal identity number.

The law on Vietnam People’s Army Officers (revised), the Law on People’s Police and the law on civil aviation (revised) will all take effect as of July 1, 2015.

The resolution on confidence vote on positions elected or approved by the NA and People’s Councils adds a new content that the NA and People’s Councils only organise vote of confidence once during a tenure, at the session at the end of the third year of the tenure. It also stipulates that those taking office for less than 9 months before the beginning day of the session with the scheduled vote of confidence will be exempt from the vote. It will be valid on July 1, 2015.

It was also announced that the NA passed two resolutions ratifying the United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.