While developing infrastructure is vital to industrialization, clear and fair business rules and regulations are indispensable to promoting foreign investment. As Vietnam steadily moved toward a market-oriented economy, preparing basic laws and business-related systems, regulations and standards became necessary. Since 1996, Japan implemented three phases of the Project for Japanese Cooperation to Support the Formulation of Key Government.
Policies on Legal System for 10 years, to provide support by sharing Japan’s legal and human resource development systems and providing professional advice on the amendment to the Civil Code. In addition, Japan has supported the development of systems and the strengthening of administrations related to business activities, in such areas as the competition law, tax and customs, and intellectual property rights. Currently, Japan is providing technical cooperation to core organizations in the legislative, judicial and administrative bodies of Vietnam, including the office of the government and the national assembly as well as the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administration (HCMA). For instance, a technical cooperation project has been implemented to support HCMA to train key administrative officials. 
Japan provided support in the field of legal system development based on its own experience which established models appropriate to Japanese society and culture, while learning from European countries. In this cooperation, Japanese professionals provided information on Japan’s legal and judicial systems as well as personnel system. Based on this, the Vietnamese side prepared a draft of relevant laws, which the Japanese side provided comments. Through such support, Vietnam successfully formulated and enacted by 2007, basic civil and commercial laws such as the revised Civil Code, Civil Procedure Code, Intellectual Property Law, and Law on Enterprise Bankruptcy. This provided an important foundation for Vietnam’s economic open-door policy and contributed to the progress toward a country governed by laws and the improved investment environment. 
Technical Cooperation Project for Capacity Building for Enforcement of Competition Law and Implementation of Competition Policy in Vietnam
The Project carried out activities to enhance the investigative functions of the Vietnam Competition Agency (VCA) and to promote and disseminate knowledge concerning the Competition Law among governments, enterprises, consumers and academics. To this end, VCA established three working groups to work jointly with the Japanese experts in the areas of investigation, capacity building, and advocacy. In order to enhance investigative functions, these working groups analyzed the present situation, updated investigative skills, prepared needed guidelines and manuals for investigators, improved skills to define relevant markets, and implemented a market survey with the help of JICA’s experts. For activities in competition advocacy, the responsible working group reviewed and discussed methods of effective advocacy and conducted advocacy activities through seminars, workshops and leaflets. As a result, the number of VCA investigations rose from 0 in 2006 to 45 in 2012.The number of VCA’s resolution of incidents increased from 12 in 2006 to 98 in 2011.