On 25 February 2008, the Ministry of Science and Technology has promulgated a Circular 01/2008/TT- BKHCN which provides guidelines for industrial property assessments.

Highlights of the Circular include:

• Industrial property assessments cover: trademarks and geographical indications; industrial designs; inventions and layout designs of semi-conductor integrated circuits; and other IP rights.

• An entity has the right to conduct an industrial property assessment where: (i) at least two of its members possess an IP assessor card; and (ii) it has been issued with the relevant certificate by the National Office of Intellectual Property or the Ministry of Science and Technology.

• National Office of Intellectual Property has the competence to issue and revoke assessor cards, and to announce the list of IP assessors. Assessors may work either freelance or in-house; they must be registered as such in the list of IP assessors and possess an assessor card.