Vietnam AI Law Takes Effect, First in South-East Asia

A law regulating artificial intelligence has been introduced in Vietnam, making it the first country in South-East Asia with a comprehensive framework on the booming technology.

Passed by the National Assembly in December, the law focusses on the risks posed by generative AI, requiring human oversight and control along the lines of the European Union’s landmark AI Act.

Many nations are moving to address the dangers of chatbots and image generators – from misinformation to online abuse and copyright violations – but few have enacted legislation.

The legislation, which is in force as of March 1, “paves the way for Vietnam to deeply integrate with international standards while maintaining digital sovereignty”, the government said in a December report.

It requires companies to clearly label AI-generated content such as deepfakes that cannot readily be differentiated from reality.

It also requires them to disclose to customers when they are interacting with an artificial rather than human agent.

The law applies to developers as well as providers and deployers of the technology, whether they are Vietnamese organisations or foreign entities operating in the country.

So far only a handful of countries have implemented far-reaching regulatory frameworks on AI.

In January, South Korea became the first country to have an AI law take full effect, while the European Union is gradually phasing in a set of rules that will become completely applicable in 2027.

– AFP (1 March 2026)