Legal Update: Electronic Labour Contracts in Vietnam

Traditionally, labour contracts in Vietnam are executed in paper form with wet-ink signatures by both the employer and employee, with each party retaining one original. While electronic labour contracts ("e-Contracts") have been legally recognized, their use remains optional.

On 24 December 2025, the Government issued Decree No. 337/2025/ND-CP ("Decree 337"), followed by Circular No. 08/2026/TT-BNV ("Circular 08") issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 15 May 2026. Effective from 1 July 2026, employers choosing to use e-Contracts must conclude and manage them through the Electronic Labour Contract Platform operated by the Ministry of Home Affairs (the "Platform").

The new regulations do not mandate the use of e-Contracts. Paper-based labour contracts remain fully valid and enforceable. Instead, the regulations establish a legal framework for employers that wish to adopt electronic contracting.

This Legal Update highlights the key features of the new framework.

• E-Contract definition: An e-Contract is a labour contract concluded in the form of an electronic data message. It has the same legal validity as a paper-based labour contract. Each valid e-Contract submitted through the Platform is assigned a unique identification number (ID) for state management purposes.
• Legal effectiveness: An e-Contract becomes effective upon the last party's electronic signature, provided the signatures are timestamped and authenticated by the e-Contract service provider. The subsequent issuance of an ID by the Platform does not affect the contract's validity or effective date. Any amendment, supplement, suspension or termination of an e-Contract must also be carried out electronically.
• Conversion of paper-contracts: Existing paper-based labour contracts may be converted into e-Contracts. If a contract remains in paper form, any subsequent amendment, suspension or termination may only be carried out electronically after it has first been converted into an e-Contract.