Two-decade implementation of Viet Nam’s Law on Intellectual Property
VGP – Viet Nam has consistently doubled efforts to improve legal system for intellectual property over the past two decades to better integrate into the global economy.
In 2005, the National Assembly of Viet Nam adopted the Law on Intellectual Property, marking an important milestone in establishing a legal framework for protection of intellectual property in the Southeast Asian country.
The Law, which came into effect from July 1, 2006 and amended in 2009, 2019, and 2022, was a fundamental move in Viet Nam's process of international economic integration.
Most recently on December 10, 2025, the National Assembly adopted the revised Law on Intellectual Property (Law No. 131/2025/QH15), with a focus on reforming administrative procedures and advancing digital transformation in intellectual property protection.
Under the new Law, time required for processing a patent registration application shall be reduced to 12 months from previous 18 months, while a trademark registration application shall be processed within five months instead of previous 9 months.
The required time for processing an industrial design registration shall be reduced to five months from previous seven months.
Noticeably, the Law supplements the mechanism for faster verification (within three months) of patent and trademark registration applications once these applications meet certain conditions. Few countries apply this mechanism.
The Law also requires comprehensive digital transformation in this domain, including the application of new technologies and artificial technology to streamline administrative procedures, thereby improving the effectiveness of State management and meeting the society's growing demand for intellectual property services.
Beyond administrative procedures reform, the Law also expands the scope of application to cover new contents such as industrial design of non-physical products (screen layouts, icons or graphical interfaces).
The Law now protects inseparable parts of a product rather than not only the entire product's appearance.
In particular, issues related to artificial intelligence were specified for the first time in the 2025 Law.
The Law regulates that Viet Nam shall not issue patents if not created by humans.
According to Luu Hoang Long, Director General of the Intellectual Property Office of Viet Nam, the Office received more than 423,000 industrial design registration fillings during 2021-2025 period, an increase of 26.5 percent against the preceding five-years.
The number of issued patents reached 255,000 over the last five years, up 55.4 percent, he added.
Viet Nam is collaborating with the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and partners in promoting the commercialization of intellectual property rights in favor of national economic growth.
Given the current context, Viet Nam's approach to intellectual property aims to protect the legitimate interests of relevant stakeholders while creating foundation for improving national competitiveness and building a new growth model based on innovation./.
