Hanoi (VNA) - The Presidential Office held a press conference in Hanoion December 11 to announce a Presidential order on the promulgation of seven lawsadopted at the recent 10th session of the 14th National Assembly.

The newly-approvedlaws include the Vietnam Border Defence Law; the 2020 Law on Residency; the Lawon International Agreements; the law on amendments and supplements to several articlesof the Law on the Handling of Administrative Violations; the revised Law on VietnameseGuest Workers under Contract; the law on amendments and supplements to several articlesof the Law on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Control; and the 2020 Law on EnvironmentalProtection.

With six chapters and36 articles, the Vietnam Border Defence Law is to take effect on January 1, 2022,and create a strong legal foundation for safeguarding national sovereignty in thenew circumstances.

The 2020 Law on Residency,with seven chapters and 38 articles, revises a number of matters in the 2006 version.It will take effect on July 1, 2021, and aims to ensure Vietnamese citizens’ freedomof residency in the country, streamline related paperwork, and increase the applicationof advanced technology in residency management. As such, it will help replace thecurrent management model of using household registrations and temporary residencebooks with modern management via personal identification numbers updated in a nationalresidency archive.

To come into forceon July 1 next year, the seven-chapter Law on International Agreements expands thescope of eligible signatories to international agreements, to include general departments,departments under ministries, ministerial-level agencies, specialised agencies underprovincial-level People’s Committees, and district- and commune-level People’s Committeesin border areas.

The three-article lawon amendments and supplements to several articles of the Law on the Handling ofAdministrative Violations will take effect on the first day of 2022. It will raisethe maximum fines imposed on violations in 10 State-managed sectors, including roadtraffic, prevention and control of social vices, national border management andprotection, education, electricity, newspapers, and real estate.

Effective from January1, 2022, the revised Law on Vietnamese Guest Workers under Contract has eight chaptersand 74 articles that are applied to a larger scope of subjects. It supplements regulationsto ensure the better protection of guest workers’ rights and interests. For example,such workers will have the right to unilaterally terminate contracts when beingmistreated or threatened, and will be consulted and supported in seeking employment.

The law on amendmentsand supplements to several articles of the Law on HIV/AIDS Prevention and Controlrevises 15 and discards two articles. It will be effective from July 1, 2021. Notably,it reduces the age when people are entitled to seek voluntary HIV testing to 15,so as to match the reality that more young people may contract the disease.

The revised Law onEnvironmental Protection, with 16 chapters and 171 articles, will take effect fromJanuary 1, 2022. For the first time, a community of residents is regulated as asubject in protecting the environment./.