Vietnam OKs plan to share private camera data with local police under agreed terms

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Chi Dung recently signed a decision to green-light the plan, which outlines how security, traffic, and violation-handling camera systems will connect with the national population database and smart urban management centers.

As per the plan, data from privately owned cameras will be shared through designated collection points to commune-level police monitoring centers.

The process must comply with laws on information security and personal data protection.

Shared data can be stored locally or on licensed cloud services, and police are responsible for safeguarding it.

The regulation follows Article 18 of the Data Law, which encourages organizations and individuals to provide data to state agencies.

In emergencies, national security threats, disasters, or anti-terrorism operations, authorities may request data without the consent of the data owner.

For police-operated systems, data will flow from commune-level centers to provincial centers, then to the Ministry of Public Security’s national coordination hub.

Depending on importance, analyzed data may be stored long-term at provincial or ministry-level centers.

Data from local administration-funded systems will be integrated into smart urban management centers, which must also share data with provincial police command centers.

The roll-out will take place in three phases.

The pilot phase runs from April 1 to September 30, with initial implementation in Hanoi, Gia Lai Province, and An Giang Province, including Phu Quoc Special Zone.

A broader implementation phase will follow from October 2026 through the end of 2027, expanding integration across all 34 provinces and cities nationwide.

From January 2028, the system will be further extended to include privately funded cameras from households and businesses under agreed terms.