Cybersecurity regulations on data storage in Vietnam: The survival imperative under the pressure of Law 116/2025/QH15 and Decree 356/2025/ND-CP
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Cybersecurity regulations on data storage in Vietnam in 2026 establish rigorous standards through Law 116 and Decree 356. Enterprises are mandated to classify data, comprehensively encrypt cloud storage, and report security incidents within 72 hours to evade severe legal sanctions.
The year 2026 marks a nationwide architectural overhaul of data infrastructure.
The enactment of Cybersecurity Law No. 116/2025/QH15 and Decree 356/2025/ND-CP officially terminates the era of unrestricted information storage, transforming data into a strategically controlled asset governed by stringent technical barriers. Practical evidence indicates that over-collecting information without strict access control mechanisms has resulted in countless severe data breaches.
Facing these new legal sanctions, C-level executives must immediately audit and upgrade all server infrastructures, cloud environments, and internal governance protocols to avoid being eliminated from the digital economy.
How does Cybersecurity Law 116/2025 alter storage standards for critical information systems?
Cybersecurity Law No. 116/2025/QH15 compels critical national security information systems to apply specialized cryptographic standards and completely isolate internal networks storing sensitive data from the Internet. Designing, building, and operating server infrastructures must now not only resolve performance issues but unequivocally comply with preventive measures against root-level intrusions.
According to the new regulations, the organization's safety perimeter must be re-established following a defense-in-depth model. Internal computer networks functioning to store or transmit state secrets or critical data must be completely physically isolated from internet-connected devices. If a data system is likened to a gold vault, Law 116 not only requires reinforcing the vault door but also mandates the establishment of continuous identity checkpoints to prevent cyber espionage or database sabotage.
Furthermore, the new law redefines the role of specialized forces. Enterprises providing telecommunications and internet networks must coordinate closely with the Ministry of Public Security to conduct periodic system security appraisals and perform data storage and network security backups according to national technical standards. Delays in deploying encryption measures or refusing to provide data for investigative purposes will result in the imminent risk of suspension or neutralization of non-compliant storage devices.
How does Decree 356/2025/ND-CP tighten regulations on personal data storage on Cloud platforms?
Decree 356/2025/ND-CP explicitly stipulates that personal data stored on cloud computing services must be comprehensively encrypted both at rest (data at rest) and in transit (data in transit), accompanied by extremely strict access control mechanisms. This regulation directly eradicates the loose plaintext storage habits prevailing in many small and medium-sized enterprises.
Collaborating with Cloud Providers is also brought under a rigorous legal management framework. Organizations leasing cloud services must clearly define data processing flows in their contracts, specifically stipulating storage retention periods and data deletion requirements, while compelling providers to comply with Vietnam's data protection laws. Any data leak or unauthorized access incident related to Cloud systems will be inextricably linked to the accountability of both the data controller and the data processor.
Particularly in the financial and banking sectors, or when handling sensitive information such as location and biometric data, the incident response timeframe is compressed to the maximum limit. Organizations owning the storage systems are mandated to send written breach notifications to the specialized agency (under the Ministry of Public Security) and the affected data subjects within 72 hours from the moment of discovery.
Table: The Upgrade of Data Storage and Processing Standards (Decree 13/2023 vs. Decree 356/2025)
Governance Criteria | Decree 13/2023/ND-CP (Old) | Decree 356/2025/ND-CP (Latest) |
Storage Data Classification | Basic and Sensitive. | Details new sensitive categories (network behavior, location, digital accounts, biometrics). |
Cloud Encryption | General protection requirements. | Mandatory encryption at rest and in transit, strict contractual clauses with providers. |
Incident Notification | Notification within 72 hours. | Mandatory 72 hours, requiring attached mitigation measures and direct warnings regarding biometric risks. |
What are the greatest legal risks when enterprises store and transfer data cross-border?
Transferring stored data cross-border without properly preparing and submitting the "Impact Assessment Dossier" will expose enterprises to the risk of authorities ordering an immediate halt to all data transfer activities. This regulation applies to any action of uploading data collected in Vietnam to overseas servers or granting access privileges to international partners.
To ensure legality, organizations must formulate a "Cross-Border Personal Data Transfer Impact Assessment Report," detailing the purpose, encryption measures, and evaluating the security level of the overseas recipient. This comprehensive dossier must be submitted to the specialized agency under the Ministry of Public Security within 60 days from the commencement of the transfer.
Operational pressure does not end at the initial submission phase. Enterprises face a continuous "compliance debt" as they are mandated to periodically update this dossier every 06 months, or submit urgent supplements within 10 days if there are any changes regarding business lines, third-party alterations, or corporate restructuring. Negligence in monitoring these data flows can paralyze the organization's entire digital supply chain.
Why should enterprises choose solutions from IPSIP Vietnam to comply with storage regulations?
The latest legal framework forces IT systems into a comprehensive purification process, requiring organizations to possess massive specialized resources, making the IPSIP Vietnam ecosystem a premier strategic partner to thoroughly solve risk management and compliance challenges. Originating with over 15 years of experience (from France), IPSIP provides a storage infrastructure that absolutely complies with cybersecurity laws.
IPSIP's technical operational capacity is globally validated through fulfilling the most rigorous information security standards, including ISO 27001:2022 and SOC 2 Type II. By providing specialized Cloud Computing solutions, Dual Data Encryption, combined with a continuously operating 24/7 monitoring system via the Security Operations Center (SOC) and Network Operations Center (NOC), IPSIP commits to protecting sensitive data both at rest and in transit.
Specifically, with a task force of over 80 senior experts holding high-level certifications (including PAM/MFA specialists from WALLIX and AWS Architects), IPSIP will help businesses establish a robust Zero-Trust architecture, automate legal dossiers, and completely relieve the pressure of "technical debt".
Cybersecurity regulations on data storage in Vietnam through Law 116 and Decree 356 have transformed data protection from a mere technical benchmark into a mandatory legal requirement. The clear delineation of encryption structures, cloud storage limitations, and cross-border information control reflects a transparent yet highly challenging regulatory foundation, requiring enterprises to comprehensively re-establish their core infrastructure capabilities.
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