On October 29, lawmakers discussing Vietnam’s draft Law on Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Development proposed removing barriers to technology, digitalisation and technical services, especially in disadvantaged areas. Nguyen Cao Son of Phu Tho said businesses also lack digital staff and consultants, and struggle with solutions, data integration and information security.
Disclose post-support costs
Son proposed contracts under Clause 5 of Article 11 cover data and operating-document handover, staff training, maintenance costs after support and conditions for moving data to another provider. Acceptance should check whether a business can use the solution independently. He proposed spending caps and results-based assessment. Tran Duc Thuan of Nghe An called for policies suited to local capacity and the chain from raw materials to processing, storage and sales; co-financing should reflect business size and finances. Son proposed staged funding, controlled advances and stage or direct provider payments.
Data links could improve access to loans
Le Hoang Anh of Gia Lai said revenue and cash-flow data were already in the business database but accessible only to state agencies. He proposed requiring tax, customs and social-insurance bodies to provide data to lenders through the business system, with consent and no fee for the business, while banks retain lending decisions. A coffee processor with three years of transparent e-invoices could borrow without a land-use certificate, he said. Dao Chi Nghia of Can Tho proposed support for financial-data standards, business plans and credit files, using cash flow, contracts, orders, invoices and lawful transaction histories for assessment without forcing banks to lend or lowering safety standards.
Data sharing must include confidentiality duties
Tran Anh Tuan of Ho Chi Minh City proposed clarifying data-use rights, fees under Clause 3 of Article 16 and responsibility for protecting business information. He said the 2024 Data Law allows access to one’s own data in a state-managed database without payment. Nghia proposed simpler accounting by business size and no repeated requests for data held by the state. Le Dao An Xuan of Dak Lak proposed online legal-support procedures, support vouchers, delegated decisions and rules protecting information and consulting independence.
Sources: Dân Trí
