Vietnam's AI Law Takes Effect on March 1, 2026, First Standalone AI Statute in Southeast Asia

According to official sources, Vietnam's AI Law (Law 134/2025) took effect on March 1, 2026, becoming Southeast Asia's first comprehensive standalone AI statute. The law adopts a risk-based classification system similar to the European Union's AI Act, with prohibited, high-risk, and low-risk categories; existing systems receive a 12–18 month transition window depending on sector.

The EU AI Act carries binding force for any provider or deployer whose AI output is used within its jurisdiction, with penalties of up to 35 million euros (US$40.7 million) or 7% of worldwide turnover for prohibited uses, and up to 15 million euros (US$17.4 million) or 3% of turnover for high-risk non-compliance. High-risk AI systems—including those deployed in hiring, credit scoring, healthcare, education, and essential public services—require documented risk management across the system's lifecycle, training data governance records, technical documentation, automatic logging retention of at least six months, human oversight mechanisms, and post-market monitoring. Singapore's Monetary Authority, Thailand's central bank, and Indonesia's financial regulator have also issued AI governance expectations for financial institutions.