Vietnam promulgates Decree and Circulars to implement Law on Water Resources 
On May 16, 2024, the Government of Vietnam promulgated Decree No. 53/2024/ND-CP on the Detailed Regulations for Implementing a Number of Articles of the Law on Water Resources (hereinafter ”the Decree”). The Law on Water Resources (28/2023/QH15), which was passed by the National Assembly on November 27, 2023, fully revises the existing 2012 Law on Water Resources. Both of the Decree and the 2023 Law on Water Resource entered into force on July 1, 2024, simultaneously.
On the same day, in addition to the Decree, MONRE also promulgated the following two Circulars to strengthen the implementation of the Law on Water Resources of 2023. With these legislations, system for implementing the Law on Water Resources is now in place.
- Circular No. 03/2024/TT-BTNMT on the Detailed Regulations for the Implementation of a Number of Articles of the Law on Water Resources
- Circular No. 04/2024/TT-BTNMT on the Audit on Compliance to the Law on Water Resources and Subordinate Regulations and the Review and Acceptance of Fundamental Water Resource Survey Results
Chapter 4 of the Law on Water Resources of 2023 provides for various licenses for the development of water resources (surface water development permit, groundwater development permit, seawater development permit, and groundwater exploration permit) by manufacturing companies. The Decree further provides in detail for mandatory monitoring of water resources for licensed operators, disclosure of information to the national water resources database, and regulation of permissible limits for groundwater development.
Mandatory water resource monitoring
Business operators that have obtained water resource development permits for the manufacturing purpose shall measure the following parameters during on-line monitoring:
