Legal Overview - Import and Export

The laws of Vietnam are complex and new legislation is constantly being introduced. What follows is no more than an introductory overview that we hope will assist investors to decide which areas of law they will need to research further.

This summary is, necessarily, selective and is no substitute for detailed legal advice.

1. In general, import and export activities are regulated by the State, as set out in Decree No. 33 CP of 19 April 1994, which gives the Ministry of Trade the main responsibility for State management of all import/export matters.

2. Decree 33 requires individual Ministries to submit proposals for the type and level of goods, either for import or export, which are to be regulated by quota. From these submissions, an annual quota plan is formulated, which requires the approval of the Prime Minister.