Legal Framework for Personal Data Protection in Vietnam

Abstract

Building a smart city demands the digital transformation of government working processes and procedures, including the digitization and online execution of most administrative procedures. In practice, smart city governance uses information technology to increase the efficacy and efficiency of providing services to the public. The development of smart cities raises concerns among city residents about transparency in data collection and use of personal data. When governments implement smart city projects, sensors and closed-circuit television (CCTV) are placed in most streets, commercial centers, and public areas to observe the behavior of anyone within reach. The public is concerned about what the data collected from these CCTV systems will be used for and how to ensure that such data is not misused, disclosed, leaked, and exploited for the wrong purposes. The issue of protecting personal data and respecting privacy becomes more and more important when personal data is a special type of information. Therefore, Vietnam is urged to take bold actions to effectively strengthen data protection law. This chapter reviews the Vietnamese legal framework for data protection to highlight that the legal framework for data protection in Vietnam should be reformed for the development of smart cities.