Sections 35 and 60 of Decree No. 52/2013/ND-CP provide that certain E-commerce services need to be licensed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade: E-commerce websites that permit participants to sell and purchase goods according to the method of goods exchange; evaluation and certification of personal data protection policies of traders, organisations and individuals participating in e-commerce activities; and certification of e-contracts.
In addition, Art. 44 states that traders and organisations providing online auction services must register the provision of auction services, and under Art. 52, traders, organisations or individuals may set up sales e-commerce websites if, among other conditions, they have notified the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Also, pursuant to the provisions of Art. 61, one of the conditions for conducting credit rating of e-commerce websites is being a trader or an organisation established under Vietnamese law.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) issued Circular No.59/2015/TT-BCT to regulate the management of e-commerce activities via mobile applications. The circular strictly regulates the operation of e-commerce on mobile applications, which requires registration to MOIT. The circular applies to all Vietnamese individuals and organisations, foreigners who reside in Vietnam, and foreigners and organisations who have a presence in Vietnam through investment, setting up branches, or representative offices.

It is reported that Vietnam prohibits commercial importation of some products, including encryption devices and encryption software. This applies despite Vietnam's agreement in its WTO Accession Protocol to the principle of no restriction or regulation on commercially traded goods equipped with encryption technology.

In November 2013, the Government of Vietnam issued Decree No. 187/2013/ND-CP, implementing the Commercial Law on international trade in goods and the activities of international agents involved in buying, selling, outsourcing, and transiting goods. The Decree outlined products that were either banned from importation or required an import licence, assigning regulatory oversight to specific entities. Annex 1 of the Decree identified goods banned from import, including:
(i) Used electronic products, regulated by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT);
(ii) Used IT products, regulated by the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC);
(iii) Specific radio equipment and radio wave-applied devices, also regulated by MIC.
To facilitate the implementation of this Decree, MOIT issued Circular No. 04/2014/TT-BCT in January 2014, which provided additional details and a more specific list of used products prohibited from import. Annexe 1 of the Circular included:
(i) Personal laptops (HS 8471);
(ii) Cellphones (HS 8517);
(iii) Digital cameras (HS 8525);
(iv) Video game consoles and machines (HS 9504).
In May 2018, the Government introduced Decree No. 69/2018/ND-CP, which replaced Decree No. 187/2013/ND-CP and reallocated the list of import licensing requirements to Annex 3. Subsequently, on 15 June 2018, MOIT replaced Circular No. 04/2014/TT-BCT with Circular No. 12/2018/TT-BCT, though the list of banned electronic products remained unchanged.

In July 2012, the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications introduced Circular No.11/2012/TT-BTTTT, which amended the list of prohibited imported IT products, with some exceptions. This was further extended and detailed by Circular 31/2015/TT-BTTTT, effective from December 15, 2015. This extension included additional guidelines for implementing the ban. Subsequently, on October 15, 2018, following Decree 69/2018/ND-CP, the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications issued Circular No. 11/2018/TT-BTTTT, providing a comprehensive list of banned imported IT products. This new circular replaced Annex 1 of Circular 31/2015/TT-BTTTT and prohibited the import of the following items:
- HS8443: Printing machinery used for printing using plates, cylinders, and other printing components, excluding certain machines.
- HS8470: Calculating machines, pocket-size data recording and reproducing machines with calculating functions, and similar machines, excluding specific categories.
- HS8471: Automatic data processing machines, magnetic or optical readers, machines for transcribing data, and machines for processing data.
- HS8517: Telephone sets, wireless communication apparatus, and other transmission or reception devices, excluding specific categories.
- HS8518: Microphones, loudspeakers, headphones, amplifiers, and related devices.
- HS8525: Transmission apparatus for radio and television, as well as radar and radio remote control apparatus.
- HS8526: Radar apparatus, radio navigational aid apparatus, and radio remote control apparatus.
- HS8527: Reception apparatus for radio and broadcasting, with or without sound recording apparatus.
- HS8528: Reception apparatus for television and related devices.
- HS8534: Printed circuits.
- HS8540: Thermionic, cold cathode, or photocathode valves and tubes, including cathode-ray television picture tubes.
- HS8544: Insulated wires, cables, and other electric conductors, including optical fibre cables.

In November 2013, the Government of Vietnam issued Decree No. 187/2013/ND-CP on the implementation of Commercial Law regarding international trade in goods and activities of international agents relating to buying, selling, outsourcing, and transiting of goods. The Decree detailed a list of products to be banned from importation or to be required with an import license. Annex 2 of Decree 187/2013/ND-CP listed goods that require an import license. These include (i) Goods that need import control according to the provisions of international treaties to which Vietnam is a member; (ii) Radio transmitting and receiving equipment with a frequency band from 9 KHz to 400 GHz, with a capacity of 60 mW or more. In May 2018, the Government of Vietnam issued Decree No. 69/2018/ND-CP on Detailed provisions on a number of articles of the Commercial Law. The Decree replaced Decree No. 187. However, the list of import licensing requirements is reallocated to Annex 3 of the Decree 69/2018/ND-CP.

Vietnam's Law on Network Information Security (Law 86/2015/QH13), effective from July 1, 2016, places restrictions and conditions on entities involved in the import, export, and trade of network information security products with encryption capabilities. This law requires importers to navigate a complex process for obtaining import permits involving licenses, certificates of conformity, product specifications, commercial invoices, and contracts.

Decree No.108/2016/ND-CP further outlines the conditions for trading network information security products and services in accordance with Law No. 86/2015/QH13. Art. 4.2 designates the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) to compile a list of network information security products requiring import licenses. Following the issuance of the decree, MIC introduced Circular No.13/2018/TT-BTTTT, which details the list of network information security products necessitating import licenses and outlines the associated procedures and required documentation. The specific network information security products subject to import licensing include (i) HS847130 (portable digital automatic data processing machines); (ii) HS847141 (automatic data processing machines and units); (iii) HS847149 (digital automatic data processing machines and units)

Decree No. 58/2016/ND-CP, issued in July 2016, regulates the sale and provision of civil encryption products and services, as well as the export and import of such products. Under this Decree, corporations seeking to export or import civil encryption products must obtain an export and import licence.
Annex 1 of the Decree specifies the products and services within its scope, including:
-Biometric encryption products, encryption key management or storage items;
-Cryptographic components of a PKI system;
-Stored data security products;
-Online data security products;
-IP and channel security products;
-Analog and digital voice security products;
-Wireless security products;
-Facsimile and telegraph security products;
-Information protection services utilising civil
encryption products;
-Civil encryption testing and evaluation services;
-Network data security consulting services utilising civil encryption products.
Annex 2 outlines civil encryption products requiring export/import licences, listed under the following HS codes: HS 8443, HS 8471, HS 8473, HS 8517, HS 8523, HS 8525, HS 8526, HS 8529, HS 8542, and HS 854.
The National Agency of Cryptography and Information Security (NACIS) is currently drafting a new decree to amend Decree No. 58/2016/ND-CP, addressing various issues related to cyber information security, including the export and import of civil encryption products.

According to Art. 26 of Vietnam's Law on Cybersecurity, owners or organisations in charge of websites must authenticate information when a user registers a digital account, ensure confidentiality of user information and accounts, provide user information to the task force in charge of network security protection under the Ministry of Public Security upon written request to serve the investigation and handling of violations of the law on network security.

According to Art. 3.16 and 25.9 of the Decree No.72/2013/ND-CP and its amendment and extension of Decree No.27/2018/ND-CP, online social network service suppliers are required to ensure that only individuals who have supplied "accurate and complete personal information as required by law", including the government-issued card number, may create blogs or provide information on online social networks.

Pursuant to Art. 15.1 of Decree No. 25/2011/ND-CP, individuals subscribing to telecommunications services are required to provide telecommunication enterprises with specific information. This includes the subscriber's full name, date of birth, and, for Vietnamese citizens, the identity card number, along with the date and place of issuance. For foreign citizens, passport details must be provided.

According to Art. 41 of Vietnam's Cybersecurity Law, Internet service providers (ISPs), websites and information systems administrators/owners are responsible for:
- Controlling information content transmitted by users so that such content will not harm or prejudice children or the children’s rights; and
- Preventing the sharing of content and deleting any content that harms or prejudices children or the children’s rights.
In addition, pursuant to Art. 16, information system administrators/owners, telecoms and Internet service providers are required to coordinate with the competent authorities to handle illegal content closely. The ISPs have 24 hours to remove content after they receive a notice from the government authorities.
It is reported that intermediaries—including those based overseas—to regulate third-party contributors in cooperation with the state, and to “eliminate or prevent information” that opposes the republic, threatens national security and the social order, or defies national traditions, among other broadly worded provisions. The laws hold cybercafé owners responsible if their customers are caught visiting prohibited websites.

According to Art. 23 of Decree No. 72/2013/ND-CP, social networks must prevent any information from being published that defames the state of Vietnam and have human resources that meet the criteria of the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC). However, such criteria or demands by MIC have not been clarified.

Reports indicate that the government restricts access to several websites, including those of Radio Free Asia, Voice of America, the BBC Vietnamese news service, and the 88 Project. Access to international websites such as those of Human Rights Watch has been characterised by instability and unpredictability. According to Nikkei Asia, which monitors online censorship, half of the 1,000 websites it tested in 2022 were inaccessible within the country. The majority of these blocked websites were related to politics (33%), news outlets (27%), and human rights (15%).
It is also reported that content on social media is removed at an alarming rate due to the government's use of the Cybersecurity Law, which took effect in January 2019. Among other requests, in October 2022, Netflix removed a Korean drama and a Chinese series from viewing in Vietnam.

According to Art. 25 of Decree No. 72/2013/ND-CP and its amendment and extension of Decree No. 27/2018/ND-CP, Internet Services Providers (ISPs) have to coordinate with the State the removing or blocking information that contains prohibited acts, which include: State opposition, undermining national security and social order, conducting propaganda; propagating obscenity, pornography and harming national traditions and customs; providing information offending organisations or individuals; and advertising banned suitable and services, prohibited newspapers, works and publications. Various press reports have highlighted the controversial nature of Decree 72 and its broad scope regarding the capacity to block websites.