Amendments to regulations on organization of international conferences and seminars in Vietnam

Recent practice has shown that international conferences and seminars are not only a forum for exchanging and connecting knowledge but also an opportunity to promote the country's image in the international arena. The Draft Decision on the organization and management of international conferences and seminars (the Draft)[1] is currently being consulted and issued in order to institutionalize Vietnam's policy of deep and substantive international integration.

Delegates attending MICE EXPO 2025. Source: Government News

1. Why amend Decision 06/2020/QD-TTg?

Decision 06/2020/QD-TTg dated 21/02/2020 on the organization and management of international conferences and seminars in Vietnam (Decision 06) in the process of implementation has revealed a number of inadequacies such as: (1) lack of consistency in the understanding of the concepts of "international conferences and seminars", "foreign participation; (2) there is a legal gap with a foreign organization that has not been licensed to operate in Vietnam that wants to organize an international organization; (3) The procedures and time for applying for permission to organize are still long, lack of flexibility, do not clearly distinguish between ordinary conferences and conferences and seminars that are highly professional, need to be held in a short time or are already within the framework of activities and projects approved at the conference,  the workshop has complex elements that need to be consulted by many agencies;

In order to overcome these problems, the Government has consulted to adjust and amend Decision 06/2020/QD-TTg to suit the reality and new situation on the basis of inheriting current regulations.

2. Notable new changes of the Draft

Clarification on the concept of "International conferences and seminars" and "Foreign factors"

The term "international conferences and seminars" is explained in detail, encompassing 04 characteristics such as: (i) having a program, (ii) having speakers or discussions; (iii) held in person in the territory of Vietnam or online when there is an organizer in the territory of Vietnam; (iv) there are foreign elements. For the concept of "foreign elements", the regulations have been clarified in Article 2 to avoid different views and interpretations of foreign elements.

It is important to clearly define these regulations to properly assess the nature of the event and provide appropriate management and handling methods without being too dependent on the name of the event. In fact, some activities with other names (not the true nature of the event) lead to management difficulties. In addition, the regulation also envisages that in case of online organization or a combination of face-to-face and online, then the organization must meet a bridge that is the organizer in Vietnam, it is considered an international event in Vietnam. This is an important and practical regulation in the trend of conferences and seminars held online quite often in Vietnam recently.

Mr. Vu The Binh, Chairman of the Vietnam Tourism Association, delivering a speech at MICE EXPO 2025. Source: Government News

Removing the phrase "Competent person" and resolving inadequacies in the procedures for obtaining permission for co-chairs of international conferences and seminars

In practice, the phrase "Competent person" has not been clearly interpreted, causing confusion between the authority of the Prime Minister and the agencies submitted to the Prime Minister. Invisible regulations create a large workload at the leadership level, prolonging the time for some cases where international cooperatives have simple and fast procedures without approval from higher agencies. Therefore, Article 5 of the draft has clarified the authority to allow the organization or policy of hosting international cooperation for each competent level, and at the same time strengthened the decentralization of authority to other agencies, reducing the workload for the Prime Minister.

In addition, some cases of co-chairing the HNQT are confused when it is not clear which agency will carry out the procedures for applying for permission or at the same time the co-chairing agencies must apply for permission from their competent agencies. This issue is mentioned and resolved in Article 15 of the Draft, thereby only requesting permission from a competent agency of one of the co-chairs.

Eliminating legal gaps for organizations that are foreign organizations that have not been licensed to operate in Vietnam

The mechanism to allow the organization of international organizations of subjects who are "foreign organizations not yet permitted to operate in Vietnam" is considered new, necessary, associated with the reality of arising needs of these special units. This is a legal gap that exists for a long time, leading to a lack of basis for application. However, this organization in order to organize an international event in Vietnam needs to go through a Vietnamese agency or organization in the form of hiring a Vietnamese organizer to implement and apply for a license for the event.

From a positive perspective, this regulation creates favorable conditions for the development of MICE tourism[2], which is closely associated with short-term international conferences, seminars and exhibitions. Allowing foreign organizations to hire organizers in Vietnam helps reduce barriers to market entry, attract small and medium-sized international events, thereby promoting related service industries such as accommodation, transportation, event organization and promoting the image of Vietnamese destinations. In addition, units specializing in organizing conferences and seminars in Vietnam also benefit from this policy when there are customers from other countries who need to use the service.

Decentralization and decentralization of authority to local agencies and departments

Compared to the old regulations on the competence to approve the hosting policy and allow the organization of international events in Articles 3 and 5 of Decision No. 06/2020/QD-TTg, the new regulations in the Draft are more flexible. Article 5 of the Draft stipulates that there is a uniform focal point with the authority to allow the organization or the policy of hosting each object to unify in the management and facilitate the organization to know which agency to apply for. At the same time, the Draft also supplements Article 6, which provides for decentralization and decentralization of authority for local agencies and departments, encouraging ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, and chairpersons of provincial-level People's Committees to strengthen the decentralization of authority to manage financial institutions.

In addition, Article 7 of the Draft has added cases in which HNQT is exempt from the procedures for applying for permission to organize. In particular, these cases include: (i) Conferences and seminars are included in the scheme or plan to welcome the delegation approved by state agencies; (ii) International conferences and seminars are components of programs and projects approved by state agencies, with expected information on the purpose, content, time, location, foreign speakers, composition and funding; (iii) Some other cases are exempted according to relevant regulations.

This regulation represents an approach in the direction of simplification and avoidance of duplication in the management of HNQT that has been considered and approved by the competent authority in terms of guidelines and contents in schemes, programs, plans, projects or non-projects. The exemption from the procedure for applying for permission to organize in these cases is reasonable, because the core factors such as the purpose, content, time, location, participants and funding sources have been appraised right from the initial approval stage, thereby creating favorable conditions for the agency and  organizing the implementation of activities, while still ensuring the requirements of state management.

In general, the new Draft not only overcomes the inadequacies of Decision 06/2020/QD-TTg but also ensures a more flexible and transparent legal corridor for the organization of international cooperation activities in Vietnam. The draft, after being approved, will contribute to promoting high-caliber and prestigious international events and conferences that will be held regularly and effectively in Vietnam.

Nguyen Viet Hung - Nguyen Thi Kieu Khanh

HM&P Law Firm

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