Vietnam cyber law set for tough enforcement despite Google, Facebook pleas

Vietnamese Internet activist Nguyen Lan Thang looks at a Facebook page at a cafe in Hanoi November 27, 2013. REUTERS/Kham/Files

HANOI: Vietnam is preparing to strictly enforce a new cybersecurity law requiring global technology companies to set up local offices and store data locally despite pleas from Facebook, Google and other firms, a government document showed.

Vietnamese lawmakers approved the new law in June overriding strong objections from the business community, rights groups and Western governments including the United States, who said the measure would undermine economic development, digital innovation and further stifle political dissent.