On September 5, 2025, Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) released a draft decree titled “Detailed Provisions and Guidelines on the Management of Certain Articles and Hazardous Chemicals in Products and Goods of the Law on Chemicals” for public consultation. The Law on Chemicals (69/2025/QH15), passed by the National Assembly on June 14, 2025, will take effect on January 1, 2026.

This third part of the draft provides detailed rules on managing new chemical substances under Articles 20–22 of the Law on Chemicals.

1. Application Documents for Registration Under Article 20, new chemical substances must be registered with the competent authority before use or market distribution. Applications must include:

· A registration form for the new chemical substance

· Evaluation results detailing physical, chemical, and hazardous properties (issued by an authorized evaluation agency)

For substances already listed in at least two foreign chemical inventories, additional requirements apply. Applicants (manufacturers/importers) must submit:

· A summary evaluation report indicating the CAS or UN number and listing in the inventories

· Information on manufacturing history and transactions

Recognized inventories include those of the ECHA (EU), EPA (U.S.), and METI (Japan).

2. Registration and Review Procedures MOIT will oversee the acceptance and review of registration dossiers, as outlined in Article 23(4) of the draft decree. Key provisions include:

· Review and approval within 90 business days of receiving a complete application (excluding applicant response time for supplementary documents).

· Reviews conducted by the New Chemical Substance Evaluation Council, consisting of 7–9 members representing relevant agencies and experts.

· Upon council consensus, MOIT will approve import or manufacturing rights within seven business days after submission of complete documents.

3. Ministry Responsibilities MOIT is tasked with:

· Developing standardized forms for registration, review, and approval processes

· Submitting a national chemical inventory by 2028

Designated Evaluation Agencies for New Chemical Substances

Agencies responsible for evaluating new chemical substances must demonstrate adequate technical capability and comply with the requirements outlined in Decrees 74/2018/ND-CP and 154/2018/ND-CP. The draft decree specifies the following conditions for testing agencies:

Management of New Chemical Substances

After registration with the relevant government authority, new chemical substances are governed under the same regulatory framework as specially controlled chemicals. The draft decree largely mirrors the management provisions outlined in Article 22 of the 2025 Law on Chemicals.

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