Vietnam's Law on Chemicals, passed on June 14, 2025, with a 93.10% approval rate, will take effect on January 1, 2026. The law introduces unified lifecycle management, new hazardous-chemical disclosure rules, and investment incentives for key sectors. Overseas chemical suppliers and buyers should prepare for stricter compliance requirements, especially for conditional and specially controlled chemicals.
Unified lifecycle management and classification
The law systematically regulates chemicals from production, trading, import-export, transportation, storage, use to waste treatment (Articles 10-16). It classifies chemicals into three categories: conditional, specially controlled, and prohibited. Conditional chemicals require a Certificate of Eligibility for production or trading. Specially controlled chemicals need a separate import-export license per invoice, valid for six months and extendable once. Prohibited chemicals are generally banned, with narrow exceptions for scientific research.
New disclosure obligations for hazardous chemicals in products
Articles 31 and 32 introduce information disclosure requirements for products containing hazardous chemicals. Producers and importers must disclose hazardous-chemical content on the specialized chemical database (https://chemicaldata.gov.vn) before market circulation. For products without existing technical standards, authorities will publish a list of chemicals requiring disclosure. This aligns Vietnam with global trends in reducing harm to health and the environment.
Investment incentives for key chemical sectors
Article 6 grants special investment incentives and support for projects in key chemical industry sectors that meet government capital and disbursement criteria. This aims to build the chemical industry as a foundational and modern sector, supporting Vietnam's double-digit economic growth target for 2026-2030. The law also encourages green, sustainable technologies and equipment in chemical projects (Article 5).
Enhanced safety, security, and compliance roadmaps
Provincial People's Committees are now responsible for formulating compliance roadmaps for existing chemical facilities regarding safety distance regulations (Article 35). The law also adjusts timelines for approving chemical incident prevention and response plans (Article 37) and improves provincial-level response plans (Article 39). The state will develop policies to enhance civil-sector chemical incident prevention and response capabilities (Article 41).
What buyers should watch
Importers of chemicals into Vietnam should verify whether their products fall under conditional, specially controlled, or prohibited categories. For specially controlled chemicals, plan for separate import-export licenses per shipment. For products containing hazardous chemicals, ensure disclosure on the government database before market entry. Engage local legal counsel to align with the new safety distance and compliance roadmaps, especially for existing facilities.
Source: Read the original report | Published: December 18, 2025