Background The Millennium Development Goals were put forth to strengthen maternal and child health, and because infectious disease has become a trend in the world, ensuring the quality and quantity of nursing is important. We report on a survey detailing the current status of legal frameworks and qualification systems in nursing in four countries: Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), Myanmar, and Vietnam. Method We conducted a semi-structured interview with nursing administrative officers, and then we confirmed those information in their countries in 2012 and 2013. We categorized the existing nursing legal framework, nursing qualification systems, professional association and council. Results The King of Cambodia stipulated to a royal decree, which was established by the nursing council. In Lao PDR, following the Law on Health Care, two nursing and midwifery related regulations were developed. The Union of Myanmar enacted the Nurse and Midwife Law. In Vietnam following the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, two Circulars were issued by the Ministry of Health to regulate the scope of practices and norms. We report on the current situation of the qualification and registration systems for nursing of each country. In addition, the development of qualifications and regulations should be reported based on the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA). Conclusion We conducted a comparison of four countries to ensure the quality of nursing. A challenge for the future is compliance and dissemination of the laws and regulations that have been developed. ASEAN MRA has become a driving force for improvement of these legal systems.