Vietnam’s national digital ID app, VNeID, is about to become compulsory for doing business online. Decree 320/2026/ND-CP, in force since September 28, 2026, mandates linking with an electronic identification account for e-transaction accounts on digital platforms in 11 named fields, with a primary deadline of December 31, 2026. For e-commerce sellers, livestream sellers, affiliate marketers and social network users, this is current law with imminent deadlines, not a future policy goal.
Document facts
Issuing body: Government of Vietnam
Document number: Decree 320/2026/ND-CP, amending Decree 69/2024/ND-CP on electronic identification and authentication
Signed: August 13, 2026
Effective: September 28, 2026
Status: In force
Unofficial English summary for reference only. Not a legal translation and not legal advice. The Vietnamese text linked at the end of this page is authoritative.
What the document does
Decree 320/2026 amends Decree 69/2024/ND-CP on electronic identification and authentication. It aims to make VNeID the sole verified identity for e-transactions on the platforms it names, widen eligibility, and tighten account integrity. Its centerpiece is Article 19, which adds Clauses 9 and 10 to Article 40: Clause 9 names the 11 fields where linkage is mandatory, and Clause 10 empowers ministers to specify other transactions where it is mandatory. Article 20 sets the deadlines.
What changes in practice
The 11 fields in Clause 9 are: (1) education; (2) digital literacy; (3) securities; (4) telecommunications; (5) banking; (6) e-commerce, covering sellers, livestream sellers and affiliate marketers under the E-commerce Law; (7) e-invoicing; (8) transport business; (9) tourism business; (10) pharmaceutical business and medical examination and treatment; and (11) social networks in Vietnam. Accounts serving defense, security, and cross-border services must also be linked before use, once the platforms qualify.
Article 20(3) sets the deadlines. National digital platforms must integrate electronic identification for authentication, login, and transactions by December 31, 2026. Clause 9 accounts created before the decree took effect, except for banking accounts, must be linked by the same date; banking accounts have until June 30, 2027. Although in force since September 28, 2026, the deadlines are still approaching.
Eligibility widens too. Under the new Article 7, citizens aged 6 or older with a valid citizen ID card or ID card can hold a level-1 account, or level 2 where necessary. Citizens under 6 with an ID card can hold level 1 where necessary. Foreigners legally entering or residing in Vietnam are eligible regardless of level, where necessary; under-14s, wards, and represented persons must be accompanied by a guardian using a mobile number registered in the guardian’s name.
Account integrity tightens. The amended Article 15(1) adds a second automatic lock: a citizen’s account locks when the mobile number used to register it has changed and is no longer in the holder’s name. The amended Article 8 sets deadlines for updates: issuing bodies must update changed documents immediately upon the data becoming available, and in any case, within 24 hours, or within 5 minutes where a citizen requests a direct update.
Administration changes too. Under the amended Article 4(4), bodies handling administrative procedures, public services or civil transactions must use integrated documents and must not request originals or copies of documents already integrated. App-filed procedures are eligible for fee exemptions or reductions. Article 20(1) also opens automated border gates to foreigners with full entry-exit data or an eID account, and annuls Article 11 of Decree 77/2020/ND-CP.
What changed from the previous rules
On linkage, the change is a reversal. Article 40 of Decree 69/2024, signed June 25, 2024, did not mandate linkage: accounts could be created freely and eID login was only encouraged. Decree 320/2026 makes linkage mandatory for the 11 named fields plus defense, security, and cross-border services, with hard deadlines.
On eligibility, the residence card requirement has been removed: Article 7 of Decree 69/2024 made foreigners eligible only with a temporary or permanent residence card. For citizens, the old age bands (14 and older automatically eligible; 6 to 14 eligible based on need; under 6 eligible for Level 1 based on need) are unified into one rule for those aged 6 and older, with level 2 where necessary. Organizations were already eligible regardless of level; that is unchanged.
On automatic locking, the second ground is new: under Decree 69/2024, an account locked automatically only when the citizen’s e-identity card was locked. Decree 320/2026 adds the condition of a changed mobile number not registered in the holder’s name. The lock is triggered when a registered mobile number has changed and is no longer in the account holder’s name, not simply for accounts initially registered with a number not in the holder’s name.
On document updates, the specific timelines are new: the old Article 8 set out automatic updating from national and specialized databases but did not specify a firm deadline; the amended Article 8 spells out the 24-hour and 5-minute limits. On paper originals, the rule is a reinforcement: Decree 69/2024 already advocated for integrated documents, and Decree 320/2026 restates it with fee relief for app-filed procedures.
Who is affected
E-commerce sellers, livestream sellers and affiliate marketers are named directly, as are social network, telecom, and securities account holders, transport and tourism businesses, pharmaceutical and healthcare providers, education providers, e-invoicing users, and banking customers. National digital platforms bear the integration responsibility. Foreigners without a residence card become eligible for an account for the first time, and agencies must stop asking for paper originals of documents already integrated on VNeID. Decree 396/2026 shows the same pattern in another field.
Notes for investors and operators
The Ministry of Public Security leads implementation under Article 20(4), in conjunction with the Ministry of Science and Technology. As of October 28, 2026, no implementation guidance had been published. The National Assembly is debating the Electronic Identification and Authentication Law this session; if enacted, it may supersede parts of this decree, so the decree should not be read as the final word. The parallel is Hanoi’s Directive 20/CT-TTg: deadlines arrive whether or not operators are ready.
What businesses should do next: e-commerce sellers, livestream sellers, and affiliate marketers, and social-network, telecom, securities, transport, tourism, pharmaceutical and healthcare, education, and e-invoicing account holders should link and verify accounts with VNeID before December 31, 2026. The deadline applies to accounts created before September 28, 2026. Account holders in the banking sector have the same obligation by June 30, 2027. National digital platforms must integrate electronic identification by December 31, 2026. Foreigners without a residence card can now apply for an account where necessary, with under-14s accompanied by a guardian using a phone number registered in the guardian’s name. Anyone whose registered mobile number has changed and is no longer registered in their name should check their VNeID status: the account locks automatically. Agencies should stop requesting paper originals of integrated documents.
Sources and the official text
No Official Gazette (Cong Bao) link for Decree 320/2026/ND-CP was found: the Thu Vien Phap Luat document page lists the gazette date and number as still being updated. The full text below is therefore the legal-database reproduction, not the gazette.
Thu Vien Phap Luat, Decree 320/2026/ND-CP full text (legal database, Vietnamese and English): Decree 320/2026/ND-CP full text (Vietnamese and English)
Thu Vien Phap Luat, analysis quoting Article 19 and Article 20(3) (legal database): Analysis of the decree’s linkage rules and deadlines
LuatVietnam, expanded e-ID eligibility from September 28, 2026 (legal press): Expanded e-ID eligibility from September 28, 2026
LuatVietnam, VNeID auto-lock cases from September 28, 2026 (legal press): VNeID auto-lock cases from September 28, 2026
About this explainer: VoltViet prepared this summary in English from the official Vietnamese text so that investors and operators can follow what the document does. It is a reading aid, not a translation of record and not legal advice. Where any wording here differs from the Vietnamese text, the Vietnamese text governs. For decisions with legal or financial consequences, rely on the official text linked above and take advice from a qualified Vietnamese lawyer.
Related reading
More explainers from the Policy & Law desk, and reporting from the Tech & AI desk. See also our explainer on the same decentralization pattern in another field: Decree 396/2026 Moves the Carbon Registry to the Provinces.
