The government has introduced several changes to the publication laws that tighten control over the import of foreign publications and the operations of foreign publishers in Vietnam.

The offices can continue operating while waiting for the new licenses, which will valid for five years from the date of issuance and must be extended every five years.

The same rule will apply to importers of foreign publications.

Also, they have to submit a list of the items they plan to import for approval from the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC). The approval will be effective only until December 31 of the year in which the application has been made.

Under the new regulation, the ministry has the power to issue or revoke licenses for foreign publishing agencies’ offices in Vietnam and the importation of non-commercial publications.

The ministry’s Directorate of Publishing will issue such licenses to central, foreign and international organizations based in Hanoi.

The ministry’s permission will not be required for importing private documents and those used at international seminars or conferences organized with permission from Vietnamese authorities.

The latest changes also deal with publication on the Internet and the content of book covers.

Publications that are copies of laws or Vietnam Communist Party documents, regulations of the National Assembly, holy books and regulations of recognized religions in Vietnam will not be allowed to print on the cover the names of authors, translators or publishing partners.

These names cannot be placed on the images of Vietnam’s political leaders, the national flag, the Communist Party flag or the maps of Vietnam that are carried on front covers.

Those who want to publish an item on the Internet have to register with the ministry’s Directorate of Publishing their publication plans, including the website address and publication date.

They also need written approval from the directorate that should be granted within a maximum of 10 days after application.

To publish on the Internet the items that have already been published on other media, the publishers must have written approval from the authors or copyright owners.

Reported by Thuy Vi