The Literary and Art Copyright Office (LACO), of which the forerunner is the Copyright Protecting Firm, founded on 27 February 1987, was the State management agency with a nationwide competence in term of copyrights and other related rights. The following are the Office's activities over the past years:

1. Formation and development of the LACO

At first, the Office had only four employees. At present, its organizational structure has been perfected, with a representative office in Ho Chi Minh City. The Ministry of Culture and Information has issued the Regulations on the organization and operation of the LACO. The LACO has also set up its own regulations on functions and obligations of different departments and the representative office, as well as on archives for internal management. These documents were reissued in 2004 after the Ministry of Culture and Information had promulgated new regulations on the organization and operation of the LACO (No. 39/2004/QD-BVHTT dated 28 June 2004). After its establishment, the LACO has been awarded 15 certificates of merit by the Minister of Culture and Information for its excellence.

Among the total contingent of 20 civil servants of tertiary-educational standard, 3 persons obtained two tertiary diplomas, one doctorate, 1 master and one postgraduate. Many employees can fluently use foreign languages to attend international seminars and conferences; to translate English international legal documents into Vietnamese for referral; to conduct scientific researches; to teach at some universities. The LACO has received great support and cooperation from Vietnamese agencies and sectors, the World Intellectual Property Organization, and international/NGO organizations.

2. Researching, building and perfecting the legal documents on copyright and other related rights

To set up the existing legal documents on copyright and other related rights, the LACO shall play the leading role in composing 15 legal documents to submit to the different levels. In general, the existing legal system is strong enough to perform national guarantee and implementation as well as international exchanges in this field.

3. Instructions for the implementation, inspection and dealing with breaches of copyright and other related rights.

Each legal document on copyright and other related rights, after its issuance, shall be exhibited throughout the country. The LACO has organized over 40 seminars, meetings, and workshops, including some international meetings and seminars held by WIPO, UNESCO and other international organizations. Through these activities, the awareness of copyright and the related rights is considerably improved among in society.

The LACO has directly dealt with over 500 petitions and claims on copyright and other related rights, for example the copyrights for the National Anthem and National Insignia, etc.

After 1986, the LACO has received and issued Copyright Certificates to authors and owners of over 15.000 works.