US business groups say Vietnam data rules a ‘significant burden’

Coffee is filtered while a customer uses his smartphone at a shop in Hanoi, Vietnam. The new rules, unveiled last month, are expected to take effect on Oct 1 and cover tech companies as well as telco operators and data storage providers. — Bloomberg

Vietnam’s new rules requiring foreign tech companies to store user data in the South-East Asian country impose a “significant burden” and may affect investments, US business groups said in a letter to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

The letter was posted on Sept 9 and signed by the US Chamber of Commerce and the American Chambers of Commerce in Vietnam along with the Asia Internet Coalition, which includes Amazon, Google and Meta. They say rules make it difficult for companies to accurately assess the cost of doing business in Vietnam.