Vietnam is introducing stricter origin labelling rules, due to be enacted in 2025.

Since 2018, discussions have been underway in Vietnam on the implementation of origin labelling rules for locally produced products, including agri-food products.

In 2019, a draft circular on “Made in Vietnam” policies was published and widely circulated in local media, but it was not formally implemented and fell into oblivion until the issue was raised again in the National Assembly last year.

In response, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) recently published a new draft regulation aimed at regulating the circumstances under which locally produced products can bear the “Made in Vietnam” label and relevant labels.

“The Made in Vietnam Decree is a key element of the government’s policy to effectively implement international economic integration and maintain political and social stability in the context of Vietnam’s (increasing) participation in new-generation free trade agreements”MOIT Minister Nguyễn Hồng Diên said in an official statement.

“It is also important to protect consumer rights, as well as strengthen the management of preventing origin fraud and illegal supply of products (to prevent reputational damage caused by) counterfeit, fake and low-quality products labeled as ‘Made in Vietnam’.

“The lack of regulations on how these origin labels can be used has been a source of confusion for many organisations and individuals in industries from electronics to food production, particularly for products that undergo only simple processing and manufacturing processes locally and receive such a label (despite not using local ingredients).”

The agri-food sector is of particular concern to the ministry due to the food safety and health problems caused by counterfeiting and fraud in this sector. As a result, MOIT has proposed that this sector receive special attention and be classified separately.

“We will differentiate Vietnamese products into two main commodity groups: agricultural goods, which will mainly include food and beverage products; and industrial goods, which will include all other non-agricultural products.”he added.

“The country of origin labelling criteria for both groups of goods will be classified accordingly, but the information will always be displayed in English or French, depending on the country where the products are placed on the market.

“These criteria will help enterprises and management agencies identify products that are actually made in Vietnam and provide a basis for guiding not only product labeling, but also packaging, advertising, branding, etc. to protect the reputation and brands of local products.”

Much more rigorous

The final decree will also significantly tighten requirements for products to bear the “Made in Vietnam” label.

“Goods will only be considered as made in Vietnam (and be eligible for the label) if they meet one of the following criteria: they are of pure Vietnamese origin; they are

“made in Vietnam with all raw materials of Vietnamese origin; it undergoes a final processing stage in Vietnam that fundamentally changes its nature, and this final stage will also have to meet strict criteria,”document added.

“This proposal will be submitted to the Prime Minister in November 2024, the draft decree will be finalized in June-July 2025 and then submitted to the Ministry of Justice in August 2025, comments will be accepted in September 2025 and then submitted for promulgation in October 2025.”