Vietnam sets out how brand owners can have lookalike domain names held, returned or blocked
At a glance
- Vietnam's Ministry of Science and Technology has issued Circular 66/2026/TT-BKHCN, signed on 31 October and in force from 1 January 2027.
- It sets out how officials can provisionally hold, order the return of, recover or block domain names that copy or are confusingly similar to a protected trade mark, trade name or geographical indication.
- For international domains not managed in Vietnam, the remedy is blocking by telecom operators.
Vietnam's Ministry of Science and Technology has amended its 2015 rules on administrative penalties for industrial property infringements with Circular 66/2026/TT-BKHCN, signed by Minister Vũ Hải Quân on 31 October and in force from 1 January 2027. Most of the changes deal with domain names that are identical or confusingly similar to someone else's protected trade mark or trade name, or to a geographical indication the registrant has no right to use. [1]
Such a domain counts as unfair competition if it is used to take unfair advantage of the mark's reputation, or held in bad faith. The circular lists signs of bad faith: registering the domain to sell it to the brand owner, knowing at registration that the mark was protected in Vietnam, or using the site to damage the mark's reputation. A domain bought at an official auction is not in itself held in bad faith, but using it in these ways can still be penalised. A complaint must come with evidence of the rights and of the misuse, such as a site presenting itself as the brand's agent or office in Vietnam. [1]
For ".vn" domains, and international domains handled by registrars or new gTLD registries in Vietnam, officials can provisionally hold the domain at the complainant's request, order it returned, and block access. If it is not returned, it can be recovered, through the Vietnam Internet Network Information Center (VNNIC) for ".vn" names. For other international domains, the remedy is blocking by telecom operators. VNNIC and registrars must answer officials' requests for information within seven working days, and freeze a domain's registration within three. [1]
The circular also repeals the 2016 joint circular on changing and recovering domain names that infringe IP; cases already under way continue under the old rules. [1]
Sources
- Ministry of Science and Technology (Vietnam), via the national legal database (vbpl.vn). Thông tư số 66/2026/TT-BKHCN sửa đổi, bổ sung một số điều của Thông tư số 11/2015/TT-BKHCN ngày 26 tháng 6 năm 2015 của Bộ trưởng Bộ Khoa học và Công nghệ. Signed by Minister Vũ Hải Quân. 31 October 2026 (signed); posted to vbpl.vn 7 November 2026; in force 1 January 2027. Vietnamese. Working English title translation: Circular No. 66/2026/TT-BKHCN amending and supplementing Circular No. 11/2015/TT-BKHCN of 26 June 2015. Accessed 9 November 2026.
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