VCI Legal – January 28, 2026

The National Assembly has enacted Law No. 78/2025/QH15, amending the Law on Quality of Products and Goods, and Law No. 70/2025/QH15, amending the Law on Standards and Technical Regulations. These legislative instruments are intended to modernize the quality management regime, strengthen compliance obligations for business entities, and enhance consumer protection in the context of rapid market expansion and the growing prominence of e-commerce. The new provisions will take effect from 1 January 2026.

A New Risk-Based Approach to the Classification of Products and Goods

Law No. 78/2025 introduces a fundamental shift in the classification of products and goods by replacing the traditional safety-hazard-based approach with a risk-based framework. Under the new regime, goods are categorized into three groups: low-risk, medium-risk, and high-risk. The determination of risk levels is based on multiple factors, including potential impacts on human health and the environment, the degree of controllability across the supply chain, and warnings or recommendations issued by relevant international organizations.

Based on this classification, quality management measures are applied in a tiered manner. All products and goods are subject to an obligation to declare applicable standards. For medium-risk and high-risk goods, enterprises must additionally assess and declare conformity with relevant national technical regulations. While medium-risk goods may be assessed through self-assessment mechanisms or certification by eligible conformity assessment bodies, high-risk goods must be certified by conformity assessment organizations designated by competent state authorities. These categories of goods are also subject to list-based management, linked to corresponding quality control requirements.

Obligation to Declare Applicable Standards

Under the revised regulations, manufacturers and importers may declare applicable standards directly on products, packaging, labels, or in accompanying documentation. However, declared standards must not conflict with applicable technical regulations or

other relevant legal instruments. Once standards have been declared, enterprises are responsible for ensuring that products and goods circulating on the market fully comply with those declared standards.

Declaration and Registration of Conformity

Law No. 78/2025 imposes stricter requirements on imported goods. Specifically, imported goods classified as medium-risk must complete conformity declaration procedures prior to being placed on the market. For high-risk imported goods, importers are required to register such goods for quality inspection via the National Single Window Portal

In parallel, Law No. 70/2025 provides that conformity declarations may be based on various forms of evidence, including certification results issued by designated or accredited domestic conformity assessment bodies, self-assessment conducted by manufacturers or traders on the basis of testing results from qualified laboratories, or conformity assessment results recognized from foreign or international organizations. Products and goods that are already subject to quality management regimes under other specialized laws, provided such regimes are consistent with national technical regulations, are exempt from the obligation to declare conformity. Conformity declarations must be registered through the National Database on Standards, Metrology and Quality.

Quality Requirements for Goods Traded in the Digital Environment

Law No. 78/2025 affirms the principle of equal quality management standards for goods traded online and those distributed through traditional channels. Accordingly, goods sold on e-commerce platforms must comply with applicable technical regulations and labeling requirements, including the provision of traceability information such as product codes and barcodes, in accordance with applicable laws.

The law also clearly delineates the responsibilities of actors operating in the digital marketplace. Sellers are required to provide platform operators with complete and accurate information relating to product quality, including product identification, origin, the identity of manufacturers or importers, compliance with standards or technical regulations, instructions for use, and safety warnings, where applicable. Digital

intermediary platform operators, in turn, are obligated to implement monitoring and enforcement measures to detect and address non-compliant goods, either upon their own discovery or at the request of competent authorities, and to establish mechanisms for receiving and resolving consumer complaints and feedback relating to product quality.

About VCI Legal:

VCI Legal is an award-winning business law firm in Vietnam with a wide range of legal and corporate services, among other things, corporate, banking & finance, tax, labor & HR, real estate and dispute resolution with special focus on international investment disputes, We also offer our specialized type of service called “In-House Counsel Service” with the aim of assisting our clients in dealing with all types of internal and external issues arising from their day-to-day operations and business activities. With our offices in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, we have a tremendous depth of experience in providing well-reasoned and comprehensive legal advice to not only multinationals and Fortune 500 companies, but also small and medium enterprises.

Our professional team comprises one of the leading law firms in Vietnam with service quality highly recommended and acknowledged by international legal service reviewers such as: The Legal 500, AsiaLaw Profiles, IFLR, KPMG’s Tax Directors’ Handbook, Acquisition International, ACQ Global, Global Law Experts, Finance Monthly, and Chambers & Partners.

For many years, VCI Legal has been ranked among the top law firms in Vietnam for corporate, finance, insurance, taxation, employment, intellectual property and investment. With a “Can Do Attitude” combined with a “Know How” capacity, our firm is big enough to provide comprehensive legal support for any in-house legal matters, yet small enough to care about each of our clients. We undertake each engagement with the mindset of a long-term relationship, with the will to give whatever it takes to understand and fulfill your needs.

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