Vietnam Renews Law on Industrial Explosive Substances and Explosives Precursors Control 
On June 29, 2024, the National Assembly of Vietnam promulgated Law No. 42/2024/QH15 on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosive Materials and Support Instrument (hereinafter referred to as “the new law”). The new law stipulates provisions for the control and use of arms, explosives, explosive precursors, and auxiliary tools (referring to military equipment and animals), as well as the responsibilities of authorities, organizations, and individuals, with the aim of ensuring national security, social order and safety, protecting human and civil rights, and contributing to socioeconomic development. The new law will enter into force on January 1, 2025, and on the same day the existing Law No. 14/2017/QH14 (promulgated on June 20, 2017) and Law No. 50/2019/QH14 (promulgated on November 25, 2019) that amends and supplements the Law No. 14/2017/QH14 will expire. The new law also includes provisions on management of chemicals including industrial explosives and explosives precursors under the control of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), and together with Law No. 06/2007/QH12 of 2007 on Chemicals, it will serve as an important law in the Vietnamese chemical regulation system.
The new law has not made major amendments to the previous law but have clarified the definition of industrial explosives and explosive precursors (Article 2), the requirements for the manufacture, trade, import/export, and use thereof, and rules on licensing and authorization over these substances (Chapters III and IV).
