Seminar

Vietnam Law on Chemicals 2025: Key Updates for Businesses – A Summary of the Webinar

28/09/2025

On August 21, 2025, Enviapac Research & Consulting Co., Ltd. (EARC) hosted an online webinar on the topic “ Vietnam Law on Chemicals: Key Updates for Businesses"

The webinar focused on the new aspects of the Chemical Law 2025 and garnered significant attention and interest from representatives of businesses across various sectors and industries involved with chemical activities.

The session provided a general overview of Vietnam's current chemical regulatory system, which encompasses Chemical Law No. 06/2007/QH12 and related decrees and circulars governing chemical regulation and management. It also covered other relevant laws and regulations under the Law on Environmental Protection, the Law on Occupational Safety and Health, the Law on Road Traffic, etc.

 

New Points

The Vietnam Law on Chemicals 2025 has amended the categories of regulated chemicals, added provisions related to chemical use, specified regulations for managing new chemicals, and clarified rules for dangerous chemicals in products and goods. Specifically, regarding chemical categories, "Restricted Chemicals" have been replaced by the concept of "chemicals under special management." The regulation for "declared chemicals " has been abolished, although the requirement for import declaration remains. The declaration of imported chemicals will be conducted through the national single-window portal.

The Law on Chemicals 2025 also stipulates various types of licenses for chemicals under conditional production/business and chemicals under special management for activities such as manufacturing, trading, import-export, purchasing, selling, using, or storing. These licenses and certificates will have a validity period ranging from 06 months to 05 years, depending on the chemical and the business's activities.

The law provides clearer regulations on the management of new chemical substances that are not listed in the foreign and national chemical inventories recognized by Vietnam's competent state authorities. The law also mentions the concept of "Foreign Chemicals," but this has not been clearly defined within this law. New substances will be controlled similarly to "chemicals under special management" to ensure risk management and prevent regulatory loopholes.

Furthermore, the National Chemical Inventory (NCI) under the Law on Chemicals 2025 includes chemicals from the current law and information collected from businesses. As of August 2025, the NCI contains nearly 42,000 substances, and this number is expected to increase. The regulation of dangerous chemicals in products and goods is also more clearly defined in the new Law on Chemicals – before being circulated on the market, businesses must declare and publicize information about the content of hazardous chemicals in their products.

Overview of the chemical regulatory system in Vietnam

Questions from Businesses

The webinar received numerous questions from businesses regarding current chemical regulations and the upcoming new rules.

Inquiries related to licenses and the management of various chemicals listed in controlled categories, such as industrial precursors, scheduled chemicals, and chemicals subject to conditional production/business, as well as transitional provisions related to the Law on Chemicals 2025. Additionally, the issue of protecting confidential business information (CBI) on Safety Data Sheets (SDS) was a major concern for businesses due to inconsistencies in current management practices. Issues related to chemical safety training under the current law were also discussed, such as the competency requirements for organizations providing chemical safety training.

Businesses also expressed their concern about the timeline for the issuance of legal documents guiding the implementation of the new Law on Chemicals, so they can promptly comply with the regulations and adjust their company's processes and operations.

 

Recommendations for Businesses

The webinar proposed several key points for businesses to consider. They need to pay attention to exemptions, regulations on additives, information security, and the scope of dangerous chemicals in products and goods. Businesses should review their chemicals throughout their lifecycle, along with their management systems, including records, internal management procedures, and coordination with relevant stakeholders.

Currently, businesses continue to comply with the current law on chemicals until the new one takes effect. Information regarding expected changes to documents and records can be found in the transitional provisions of the Law on Chemicals 2025.

The Vietnam Law on Chemicals 2025 will come into effect on January 1, 2026. Follow Enviapac for the latest updates on regulations in Vietnam and related legal documents.

The Vietnam Law on Chemicals 2025, No. 69/2025/QH15, was passed by the Vietnam National Assembly on June 14, 2025. With 7 chapters and 48 articles, it regulates chemicals, chemical activity management, chemical industry development, chemical information, dangerous chemicals in products and goods, and safety and security in chemical activities. This is a more streamlined version compared to the Law on Chemicals 2007, which had 10 chapters and 71 articles. The new law introduces many new requirements for the chemical industry in the current context of digital and green transformation.

 

About Us

Enviapac Research & Consulting Co., Ltd. is a consulting firm owned by EnviX Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan). We work in the fields of environment, chemicals, energy, OHS, climate change, sustainable development, and more. If you have any questions or are interested in the topic of chemicals or our other services, please contact us via:

  • Email: contact@enviapac.com.vn
  • Phone: (+84) 24 8586 2368
  • Hotline: (+84) 815 039 966