On March 13, 2024, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) of Vietnam released a draft amendment to the Law on Chemicals (hereinafter the "Draft"). The revising work of the Law was initiated by the Vietnam Chemicals Agency (Vinachemia) of MOIT in January 2023. Following a number of reviews and discussions across the Agency and Ministry, the Draft has finally been published and is currently open for public consultation. The Draft, which is a comprehensive revision of the current Law on Chemicals (06/2007/QH12), consists of 95 articles in 11 chapters. The main revisions made include: introduction of "Specially Controlled Chemicals," which will replace “Restricted Chemicals” under the current system; changes to chemical substances as classified for different control measures, including “Declared Chemicals”; introduction of the idea of and rules for “New Chemicals”; clarification of rules for chemicals contained in products; introduction of concepts of different industrial chemicals; introduction of Green Certificate System; and revision of rules for chemical accident prevention and response plans.
The section below outlines the new rules and amendments proposed in the Draft to facilitate projects related to the chemicals industry and chemical activities.