On April 8, 2020, Cambodia’s Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (MLVT) issued an instruction to its staff not to impose any late penalties on non-Cambodian workers who want to renew their 2019 foreign work permits, but have failed to meet the initial renewal deadline, effective until further notice. The MLVT states that the instruction is intended to assist non-Cambodian workers that may not have been able to return to Cambodia to continue their work due to the global COVID-19 situation.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) is considering a draft circular that would change regulations on working hours, including overtime, and breaks required for seasonal manufacturing workers and workers that process goods according to orders. The new regulations, if passed, would replace the current regulations under Circular No. 54/2015/TT-BLDTBXH of MOLISA, which was issued on December 16, 2015, and it is envisioned that the new regulations would come into effect on January 1, 2021.

On March 6, 2020 the Ministry of Finance issued Circular 13/2020/TT-BTC (Circular 13), which amends and supplements Circular No. 13/2015/TT-BTC on inspection, monitoring, and suspension of customs procedures for exported and imported goods subject to requests for intellectual property rights protection; and control of counterfeit and IP-infringing goods. Circular 13 will officially enter into force on April 20, 2020.Some of the noteworthy changes include the following:

On April 7, 2020, Cambodia’s Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training (MLVT) released an urgent notification to postpone the Cambodian New Year holiday, and require all employers and employees to treat April 13 to April 16, 2020, as regular working days. The postponement is in light of the current circumstances regarding the COVID-19 global pandemic, and presumably to prevent widespread travel during the holiday. 

Cross-Border Transportation of GoodsThe National Taskforce Committee for COVID-19 Prevention and Control has issued Guideline No. 020, Regarding Prime Minister’s Order No.02/PM, dated April 2, 2020, which includes directives aimed at the freight sector. The transportation of goods is one of the few operations that is still permitted to cross the Lao border, although this is subject to the following regulations:

On February 3, 2020, the Vietnamese Government issued Decree No. 15/2020/ND-CP stipulating penalties for administrative violations in the fields of postal services, telecommunications, radio frequency, information technology, and electronic transactions (“Decree 15”). Decree 15 will replace the existing decree on penalties in the technology and telecom sectors (Decree No. 174/2013/ND-CP) and will take effect on April 15, 2020.

On March 23, 2020, the National Steering Committee Against Smuggling, Trade Fraud, and Counterfeit Goods (“National Steering Committee 389”) issued Decision No. 195/QD-BCD 389 promulgating regulations on receiving and handling information from organizations and individuals (e.g., tips or leads) on smuggling, trade fraud, and counterfeit goods.

Last week, the Prime Minister of Vietnam issued Directive No. 16 providing regulations on a social distancing campaign during the COVID-19 global outbreak. Later, the Prime Minister issued guidelines on issues such as which businesses may continue to operate during the campaign. Additionally, many localities, such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Binh Duong Province, have issued their own local guidelines.