Introduction

· The Vietnamese Prime Minister hereby issues the “Decision on Regulation on responses to waste-related emergencies” on April 23, 2025.

· With effect from June 10, 2025, this decision supersedes the Prime Minister of Vietnam’s March 18, 2020, Decision No. 09/2020/QD Tatge on the promulgation of the Regulation on responses to waste-related emergencies.

· The new provisions of the 2025 regulation on responses to waste-related emergencies include: Developing emergency response plans; Receiving and managing information about waste-related emergencies; Taking responsibility for environmental restoration and improvement; disclosing emergency response plans and scenarios; and the frequency of waste-related emergency drills.

Organisations created plans to address waste related emergencies

· The facility that must be inspected or certified to have completed environmental protection works must create a waste response plan under the 2020 regulation on responses to waste related emergencies (RWE); in the 2025 regulation, owners of investment projects and facilities must create and publish plans to address waste related emergencies.

· These details are necessary for Article 4. Responses to in-facility waste related emergencies (RWE) must adhere to Decree No. 08/2022/NDCP’s Clause 2 Article 108.

· planning for responding to other emergencies may incorporate planning for RWE. For instance, the corporation can combine its plans for environmental emergency (REE) with its plans for RWE.

Small adjustments to how information about waste-related issues is received and handled

· Emergency number 112 will no longer be notified of waste-related incidents at facilities.

· In the event of an emergency, facilities must rapidly report the situation to the People’s Committee, the Civil Defence Committee, and the district-level Civil Defence Command.

· Facilities must notify emergencies within twenty-four hours of their detection if they fall within their self-responding capabilities.

· Facilities must be reported right away if the emergencies surpass their capacity for

Self-responding.

Accountability for restoring and improving the environment following waste-related crises

· Facilities that cause waste related situations are required to mobilise their personnel, vehicles, and equipment to restore the environment.

· There must be documented plans for local authorities to set up the proper forces, vehicles, and equipment if their assistance is required for environmental restoration following waste related incidents.

· Improvement and repair of the environment following waste-related emergencies at the local, provincial, and national levels (emergencies occur out of facilities): Authorities that approve plans for environmental restoration must, if necessary, implement those plans through bidding in accordance with the Law on Bidding, as stipulated in Regulation RWE 2020.

· Facilities that generate waste-related emergencies, however, are required by Regulation RWE 2025 to implement or contract with other units to implement environmental restoration plans that have been authorised by the appropriate authorities.

Provide plans and scenarios for handling emergencies involving garbage

According to the RWE 2025 legislation, facilities must describe emergency response plans and scenarios within their establishments and forward them to:

· The commune-level headquarters District-level provincial steering committees for the prevention and control of natural disasters, and people’s committees, if a business is situated within the industrial park, the management board

· Therefore, as required by the RWE 2020 law, establishments are not allowed to reveal information regarding the weight and characteristics of waste produced from production, trading, and service supply.

Regularity of emergency drills pertaining to waste

· The Regulation on RWE 2025 also includes a new clause about the frequency of emergency exercises pertaining to waste.

· While the Regulation on RWE 2025 mandates planning waste related emergency exercises every year, the Regulation on RWE 2020 simply calls for drills to be conducted on a periodic basis in response to waste related emergencies. Please refer to Article 23 of the Regulation for specifics.