National Assembly deputy Nguyễn Tâm Hùng of HCM City speaks at the National Assembly's 10th session on Friday. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The National Assembly (NA) on Friday debated two draft law, the draft amendments to the Law on Technology Transfer and the amended Law on High Technology as part of the on-going 15th National Assembly’s 10th session.

Many lawmakers focused on tightening criteria to prevent the import of outdated technologies.

Deputy Nguyễn Tâm Hùng of HCM City supported the inclusion of definitions for 'new technology' and 'green technology', but warned that the current definitions remain overly broad and could create loopholes that allow obsolete technologies to be imported under the guise of 'new' technologies.

He proposed that the draft law include clear, measurable criteria, requiring new technologies to meet advanced regional or global standards, while green technologies should comply with national technical regulations or ISO standards to ensure transparency and effective quality control.

Regarding technology used as capital contributions in projects involving State funds, Hùng emphasised the need for detailed regulations on technology valuation methods to safeguard the efficient use of public resources.

He suggested prioritising income-based or market-based valuation approaches and stressed the importance of ensuring the competence of independent valuation organisations.

He also highlighted the need for a stricter post-inspection mechanism for technologies subject to conditional import, warning that vague rules could be exploited to evade legal compliance from the outset. If intentional violations are detected, he said, stronger penalties should be applied to prevent the import of outdated technologies.

Deputy Nguyễn Văn Huy of Hưng Yên Province supported allowing technology to be used as capital contributions, calling it a legal framework that encourages innovation. However, he cautioned that allowing organisations and individuals to self-determine the value of contributed technologies could lead to overvaluation, transfer pricing, and asset losses, particularly in projects with foreign involvement.

He recommended that technology valuation be conducted through mutual agreement among the parties or by an independent valuation organisation, ensuring transparency and consistency with relevant laws.

Commenting on the draft amended Law on High Technology, Deputy Lã Thanh Tân of Hải Phòng City requested clarification on whether high-tech enterprises and strategic technology enterprises should be classified as advanced-level science and technology enterprises, and if so, what preferential mechanisms they should receive. He also called for a comprehensive review to ensure consistency across related laws.

Also on Friday morning, the NA heard the Government’s presentation and the appraisal report on the draft Law on Artificial Intelligence.

Presenting the draft, Minister of Science and Technology Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng said the proposed law aims to institutionalise the Party and State’s policies, create a breakthrough legal framework for artificial intelligence, and build a favourable environment to foster innovation, enhance national competitiveness, manage risks and protect national interests, human rights, and digital sovereignty.

The draft law consists of eight chapters and 36 articles, regulating the promotion of research, development, provision, deployment and use of artificial intelligence systems; the rights and obligations of relevant organisations and individuals; and state management of AI-related activities in Việt Nam.

It also sets out provisions on the risk levels of AI systems, their classification and notification, transparency requirements, labelling and explainability, responsibilities for AI incident management, categories of unacceptable-risk AI systems, conformity assessment for high-risk AI and the obligations of providers and deployers of high-risk systems.

Under the draft, the maximum administrative fine is VNĐ2 billion (US$75,850) for organisations and VNĐ1 billion ($37,920) for individuals. For severe violations, fines may reach up to 2 per cent of the organisation’s revenue from the previous fiscal year.

Nguyễn Thanh Hải, Chair of the NA’s Committee on Science, Technology and Environment, representing the appraisal body, said the committee agrees on the necessity of adopting the AI Law.

She recommended that the drafting body refine the scope of regulation to avoid overlaps with existing laws, expand the coverage where necessary and add provisions concerning intermediary entities to ensure comprehensive management of the AI value chain and prevent risks arising from platform and foundational model providers. — VNS