Decree 386 Sets Incentives to Attract Data Innovation Experts from December

Deputy Prime Minister Ho Quoc Dung has signed Decree No. 386/2026/ND-CP, dated October 12, creating breakthrough mechanisms to attract experts and young talent into national data innovation and exploitation, VietnamPlus reported on October 14. The decree runs to five chapters and 54 articles and takes effect on December 1, 2026.

It covers the Data Innovation and Exploitation Centre under the National Data Centre, plus Vietnamese and foreign organisations involved in data innovation work. Eligible experts and young talent may receive preferential recruitment, financial support, training and research terms, including special agreements on salaries, bonuses, intellectual property and benefit-sharing from data products, subject to transparency and a balance among the state, employers and individuals.

Income is tied to tasks, products and contribution, with heads of agencies approving packages after professional review. Personal income tax incentives can match the most favourable rates available under Vietnam’s international financial centre framework. Incentives can be withdrawn for missed commitments or misuse, but not for documented experimental failures that fall within accepted science and technology risk rules.

What it means in practice

The decree is an industrial-policy lever for Vietnam’s data economy, not a standalone AI safety law. It aims to keep scarce engineers and researchers working on domestic data products rather than leaving for higher-paying hubs, and it complements earlier skills and diplomacy pushes such as NAFOSTED’s global Vietnamese AI expert network and Google’s talks with Deputy PM Ho Quoc Dung on deeper AI cooperation.

Companies bidding around the National Data Centre will need clear IP and revenue-sharing clauses if they want to hire under the new preferences. Foreign specialists will weigh tax breaks against residency and export-control limits on tools they bring.

What to watch: the first published eligibility criteria and salary bands, how many foreign experts actually relocate by mid-2027, and whether venture funding channels named in the decree open on schedule.