Amend the Postal Law to promote the development of digital economic infrastructure.

According to the proposal, the amended Postal Law is being developed to institutionalize the Party and State’s guidelines and policies on improving institutions, developing science and technology, innovation, digital transformation , and reforming state management methods.

After 15 years of implementation, the 2010 Postal Law has strongly promoted the development of the postal market. However, the rapid development of e-commerce and digital transformation necessitates an urgent amendment of the Law to address shortcomings, innovate management models, and develop the postal service into an essential infrastructure serving the digital economy and digital society.

The draft Law on Postal Services (amended) consists of 8 chapters and 51 articles , and is expected to take effect from July 1, 2027. The draft Law focuses on the following four basic contents:

Adjusting and expanding the scope of postal services.

The draft law stipulates that postal services include the stages of receiving, sorting, transporting, and delivering mail, organized and operated within the postal network. The stages of warehousing, order processing, packaging, and returns only fall under postal services when directly related to individual mail items during the service provision process.

To differentiate it from independent transport, warehousing, and logistics services, the draft defines the characteristics of postal services as including provision over the postal network, ensuring continuity and commitment to service quality; processing each identified and trackable postal item individually, except in special cases; and delivery to the recipient at the agreed address or location.

Transportation, warehousing, and logistics services provided independently are not subject to the Law.

Adjusting and expanding the scope and management mechanisms of public postal services.

The draft law clarifies the scope of public postal services, expanding universal postal services from letters to letters and packages/parcels nationwide, aiming to facilitate access to e-commerce for the people, especially those in remote areas, border regions, and islands.

The universal postal service fee is applied uniformly nationwide for the same type of service and shall not exceed the average market price of equivalent commercial postal services.

Developing postal services into an essential infrastructure for the nation and the digital economy.

The draft law stipulates the development of the postal network to ensure nationwide connectivity and circulation of postal items; it classifies enterprises according to their roles in organizing and operating the network to determine appropriate rights and obligations. Through this, the policy aims to encourage enterprises to invest in and improve network operational capacity, gradually developing the postal service into an essential national infrastructure and a key component of the digital economy.

A postal enterprise operating a network directly organizes, coordinates, manages, and controls the core components, regardless of the ownership structure of those network components. A postal enterprise not operating a network may use the network or network components of a postal enterprise or another enterprise on the basis of agreement.

In the event of natural disasters, epidemics, or emergencies, postal service operators may be coordinated and mobilized to ensure the circulation of essential mail, packages, and goods. This coordination and mobilization is carried out in accordance with the law , within the proper authority, and is accompanied by a reasonable and legitimate mechanism for cost compensation.

At the same time, the draft shifts from issuing postal licenses (pre-approval) to online registration before providing services, linked with post-approval, facilitating businesses’ entry into the market and contributing to the development of postal services as an essential infrastructure of the nation and the digital economy.

Transforming postal services into secure digital postal services based on postal data and sender identification.

The draft regulations stipulate a unique identification code for each postal item within the postal enterprise’s system, created by the postal enterprise from the moment the postal item is accepted, for the purpose of tracking, tracing, collecting, and storing complete and accurate sender information, except in specific cases.

Additional checks, comparisons, verifications of information, and postal control are applied based on risk levels and to the extent necessary, avoiding unnecessary obligations or costs.

The draft Law stipulates the responsibilities of businesses in creating, collecting, managing, exploiting, sharing, storing, protecting data, and connecting to and providing data as required by competent authorities, complying with data laws, personal data protection, and cybersecurity; it encourages businesses to research and apply new technologies, business models, products, services, and operating methods through controlled testing.