Decree No. 201/2013/NĐ-CP detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Water Resources.

This Decree provides for the collection of opinions of local community representatives when exploiting water resources and discharging wastewater into water sources; baseline study on water resources; granting water permits; Fee for granting water exploitation right and transferring such right; river basin organizations; managing and supervising the exploitation, use, protection of water resources, the prevention and mitigation of negative effects of water on the river basins.
The National council on water resources is established for the purpose of assisting the Government and the Prime Minister in the important decisions on water resources within the competence of the Government and the Prime Minister. The organization and operation of a river basin organization shall be decided by an interdisciplinary organization. The river basin organization is responsible for submitting proposals on conditioning and distributing water resources, supervising the exploitation and protection of water resources, the prevention and mitigation of negative effects of water on the river basin or some of inter-provincial river basins to competent authorities. The forecast and warning systems of flood, drought, saltwater intrusion, rise of sea level and other negative effects of water shall be developed in each river basin and integrated into the water resource database.
Water permits include permit for underground water exploration; permit for surface water exploitation; permit for underground water exploitation; permit for seawater exploitation; wastewater discharge permit.