On September 25, 2025, Enviapac Research & Consulting Co., Ltd. organized a webinar on the subject of “Environmental Protection Regulations 2025” in Vietnam. The webinar drew the participation of representatives from various enterprises, as well as concerned individuals and organizations with an interest in environmental protection regulations in Vietnam.

Overview of the Webinar

The webinar provided participants with a comprehensive overview of the legal framework for Environmental Protection in Vietnam, which is founded upon the Law on Environmental Protection No. 72/2020/QH14, together with its guiding legal documents concerning relevant articles, including but not limited to environmental monitoring, environmental protection fees, waste management, administrative sanctions, and incident response.

The webinar focused on a number of key legal documents that shall take effect in the year 2025, as follows:

• Decree No. 05/2025/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP detailing a number of articles of the Law on Environmental Protection.
• Circular No. 07/2025/TT-BTNMT amending a number of articles of Circular No. 02/2022/TT-BTNMT guiding the implementation of the Law on Environmental Protection.
• Decree No. 153/2024/ND-CP stipulating environmental protection fees for emissions.
• Circular No. 41/2025/TT-BTNMT providing technical guidance on the prevention of and response to waste incidents and environmental remediation after environmental incidents.
• Decision No. 11/2025/QD-TTg promulgating the Regulation on Waste Incident Response.

Summary of Key Provisions

Pursuant to Decree No. 05/2025/ND-CP, amendments are made to the cases eligible for the renewal, adjustment, and re-issuance of an Environmental Permit, along with cases exempted from environmental registration. It is hereby recommended that enterprises conduct a review to determine whether they fall within the scope of these amendments in order to carry out the relevant procedures. The decentralization and delegation of authority are also newly introduced in this Decree, whereby the responsibilities and powers of provincial-level People's Committees are increased. Furthermore, various forms and appendices have been amended and supplemented in comparison to Decree No. 08/2022/ND-CP.

Circular No. 07/2025/TT-BTNMT introduces notable new provisions, including regulations on environmental self-auditing, the environmental management plan for hazardous waste treatment facilities, and supplementary waste monitoring activities, in addition to certain amendments and supplementations to official forms.

Decree No. 153/2024/ND-CP provides for the environmental protection fees applicable to emissions. The Decree stipulates the subjects liable for fee payment, the methodology for fee calculation, and the organization of fee collection.

The final two legal documents presented, Circular No. 41/2025/TT-BNNMT and Decision No. 11/2025/QD-TTg, regulate the facilities, items, and works that pose a risk of incidents. They specify the required contents of a grassroots-level waste incident prevention and response (WIPR) plan. The said plan may be integrated with the environmental incident prevention and response plan and must be publicly disclosed and posted at the facility.

Enterprises are required to organize annual WIPR drills. In the event of an incident that exceeds the facility's response capacity, the facility must immediately notify the commune-level People's Committee and the commune-level Civil Defense Steering Committee where the incident occurred. Circular No. 41/2025/TT-BTNMT also stipulates the responsibilities for environmental remediation following a waste incident.

Concerns from Enterprises

The webinar also received numerous inquiries from participants. The questions primarily focused on the effective date of the new regulations, given the frequent updates to the current legal framework. Further inquiries pertained to the decentralization of authority at the local level, the integration of various incident prevention and response plans, and certain difficulties faced by enterprises in the payment of environmental protection fees for emissions.

In addition to addressing the inquiries raised during the webinar, enterprises shall monitor and stay updated on the latest legal documents related to the environmental sector to ensure compliance and mitigate risks throughout their operations and development.

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Enviapac Research & Consulting Co., Ltd. is a 100% invested consulting firm under EnviX Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan). We provide updates on legal regulations in the fields of environment, chemicals, energy, OHS, climate change, sustainable development, and more. We offer total consulting services, compliance assessments, and compliance checklists for businesses in need.

Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the environmental sector or our other services, please do not hesitate to contact us:

• Email: contact@enviapac.com.vn
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