Protecting Personal Data pursuant to the Vietnamese Law: Regulations, Appraisal and Recommendations

The 2013 Constitution of Vietnam upholds human and basic rights and obligations of citizens in which personal data protection is one of the most important human rights-related issues. Although it has been recognized in many different documents, so far, a complete and comprehensive legal framework has not been enacted to separately regulate personal data protection. The absence of a complete legal framework directly affects the effectiveness in protecting personal data in particular and protecting privacy in general in Vietnam. The limitations in the provisions of Vietnamese law on the protection of personal data will be highlighted within the scope of this study. With such purpose, the study mainly uses analytical methods to evaluate the current provisions of Vietnamese law on personal data protection. In addition, legal comparison method will be also applied to suggest some comprehensive regulations for Vietnamese laws on personal privacy protection following the practical examples of other nations.