Prominent regulations in force in early November 2016

1. Surrogacy compensation

Circular No. 32/2016/TT-BYT , in effect as of November 01, 2016, defines the payment by hirers of altruistic gestational surrogates of actual expenses for the care of reproductive health.

The hirer has to pay the following expenses for the surrogate:

- Expense for travel to health care facilities for consultation, examination, monitoring, medical services and procedures;

- Expense for utilization of services of consultation, examination, treatment, medical procedures regarding the support and care of reproductive health;

- Expense for medicines, blood, intravenous fluids, chemicals, disposable materials and replacements having not been included in the expense of health care services;

- Expense for prenatal, gestational and postpartum nutrition and personal hygiene products as agreed by the hirer and surrogate.

Service expenses yet specified by competent authorities shall be based on invoices and receipts issued by health care facilities.

2. Periodic three-tier academic assessment of elementary students

Circular No. 22/2016/TT-BGDDT , in effect as of November 06, 2016, amends the Circular No. 30/2014/TT-BGDDT on elementary student assessment, as follows:

- Mid-semester and end-of-semester assessment of elementary students, on periodic basis, shall include:

+ Learning assessment: Accomplishing, Fulfilling, Not fulfilling (instead of the current two levels that are Fulfilled and Unfulfilled)

+ Ability assessment: Good, Satisfactory, Require efforts

- A student's assessment dossier shall only consist of an academic transcript and an academic assessment summary of the relevant class.

- Students commended at the end of a semester are:
 
+ Students accomplishing academic and conduct works excellently.

+ Students with outstanding achievements or great progress.

3. Support to indigent provinces for processing of wood from specialized plantation

Such new point is defined in the Decision No. 38/2016/QD-TTg on the promulgation of infrastructure investment support policies for agricultural and forestry enterprises.

The following subsidy is granted to domestic investors that execute factory investment projects for processing of wood from man-made forests or industrial bamboo in northwestern provinces, Central Highland and indigent provinces according to the Resolution No. 30a/2008/NQ-CP:

- Investment subsidy:

+ VND 20 billion per MDF plant producing more than 30,000 m3 of MDF per year;

+ VND 10 billion per factory processing more than 20,000 m3 of particleboard and industrial pressed bamboo;

+ VND 10 billion per factory producing more than 100,000 m3 of plywood for traffic and utility infrastructure, workshops and waste treatment facilities.

- Post-investment subsidy: VND 1,500 per ton per kilometer of product transportation.

Decision No. 38/2016/QD-TTg takes effect as of November 01, 2016.
 
4. Initial shares sale guideline for state-owned enterprises under privatization

Circular No. 115/2016/TT-BTC , in effect as of November 01, 2016, amends the Circular No. 196/2011/TT-BTC on initial shares sale guideline for enterprises wholly owned by the government. Such guideline is:

- State-owned enterprises under privatization shall apply to a Stock Exchange for initial shares auction, register and deposit shares and apply for stock trading at once.

- Enterprises under privatization shall report to the State Securities Commission and announce the result of the auction in 10 working days from the deadline of payment for shares purchased through the auction.

- The proceeds from the auction must be confirmed by the commercial bank opening the escrow account.

- Privatization Steering Committee shall sign or delegate the privatized enterprise to sign the auction service contract with the organization that conducts the auction of shares.