Vietnam food import regulations depend on the product, its ingredients and claims, its origin, and how it will be sold. Before booking a commercial shipment, agree with your Vietnamese importer on three separate matters: the product declaration route, any food-safety or quarantine controls on the consignment, and the label needed for domestic sale.

A self-declaration is not customs clearance. A distributor’s willingness to list a product does not establish that the product or overseas factory is eligible to export it. This guide explains how to assemble a shipment plan alongside the commercial decisions in our Vietnam market-entry hub.

Which food-safety rules apply in September 2026?

Research checked: 15 September 2026. Vietnam introduced Decree 46/2026/ND-CP and Resolution 66.13/2026/NQ-CP in January 2026, then suspended them. Resolution 15/2026/NQ-CP, effective 6 April 2026, continues that suspension until the amended Food Safety Law and its implementing decree take effect. During the suspension, Decree 15/2018/ND-CP and its implementing rules continue to apply. It replaced the earlier resolution that had contemplated resumption on 16 April. Vietnamese Government explanation of Resolution 15/2026.

The government’s September parliamentary programme still describes the amended Food Safety Law as a bill for consideration. Treat draft changes as planning information until the enacted text and commencement provisions establish otherwise. Reconfirm the position before each first shipment or material product change. September 2026 legislative programme.

The suspension does not mean all other 2026 changes stopped. General goods labelling moved to Decree 37/2026/ND-CP, effective 23 January 2026. Its Article 97 ended the effectiveness of Decrees 43/2017 and 111/2021; Article 98 contains specific transitional arrangements. Food nutrition labelling also has its own requirements, discussed below. Decree 37, Articles 97–98.

Start with the responsible importer

Name the Vietnamese business that will import the goods and the entity responsible for the product declaration. They may work with a customs broker or specialist, but the contract should make responsibility explicit. Decree 15 defines the goods owner to include the entity responsible in the declaration dossier or an entity authorised to import or export the food. The self-declaring business remains responsible for product safety. Decree 15, Articles 3 and 5.

Before appointing a partner, ask it to document:

  • Its ability to import and trade your product category, and the scope of any category-specific licences.
  • Who files declarations, retains certificates and answers regulator enquiries.
  • Which inspection body, quarantine authority and customs office will handle the first shipment.
  • Who approves Vietnamese artwork, controls relabelling and keeps lot records.
  • What happens to documents, stock and ongoing responsibilities if the distribution relationship ends.

These are partner-selection questions, not a substitute for checking the partner’s records. Use our Vietnam food distributor guide to build a shortlist, then evaluate regulatory capability for the actual products you plan to ship.

Product decision tree: which route fits?

Classify each SKU using its full formulation, manufacturing process, intended consumers and proposed claims. A trade description such as “wellness drink” is insufficient.

Product or intended use Starting route What to resolve before shipping
Ordinary prepacked processed food; permitted additives and processing aids Usually self-declaration under Articles 4–5 Applicable safety tests, Vietnamese dossier and publication/submission arrangements
Health supplements, medical nutrition, special dietary foods or nutritional products for children up to 36 months Registration of the product declaration under Articles 6–8 Product classification, certificate package, supporting evidence and receipt of registration
Mixed additives with a new use, unlisted additives or additives outside permitted uses Registration route under Article 6 Whether the proposed substance, function and food use are acceptable
Meat, aquatic products, plants and other agricultural foods Check food-safety and animal/plant controls separately Product and origin access, establishment eligibility, certificate wording and quarantine requirements
Ingredients solely for export manufacture or qualifying internal production, with no domestic sale Assess the narrow Article 4 exemption Document the actual use; do not apply this automatically to ingredients sold to local customers

The declaration branches come from Decree 15, Articles 4–8. Agricultural products require a separate assessment: Article 14 sets country and establishment conditions for products within its scope and contains exceptions, including for prepacked processed foods. An exception from that article does not itself establish exemption from animal or plant quarantine. Decree 15, Articles 13–14.

For example, compare a conventional biscuit with a nutritional powder marketed for children up to 36 months. The biscuit may follow self-declaration; the powder requires the special-category assessment and registration route. Adding a functional claim or changing the intended age group can therefore affect much more than packaging copy.

Alcohol deserves a separate workstream for trading permissions, labelling and tax treatment. Do not infer its complete requirements from an ordinary packaged-food checklist. Similarly, confirm product-specific access before negotiating volume commitments for fresh fruit or animal products.

Prepare the declaration dossier before the shipment dossier

For self-declaration, Article 5 requires the declaration form and a food-safety test report issued within the preceding 12 months by a designated laboratory or one accredited to ISO 17025. The required safety indicators must match the applicable requirements. The dossier is in Vietnamese; foreign-language documents require Vietnamese translation and notarisation. Publication and submission are part of the process, not just preparation of a private PDF. Decree 15, Article 5.

Ask the importer to confirm the current receiving authority and submission channel. Do not send a dossier to an agency named in an old guide without checking current administrative arrangements. Keep evidence of the declaration as submitted and published, alongside the precise formula and artwork version it covers.

For registered imported products, Article 7 specifies a different package: a registration form; an appropriate Certificate of Free Sale, Certificate of Exportation or Health Certificate from the competent overseas authority; a qualifying test report; and scientific evidence supporting the declared use. The overseas certificate is subject to consular legalisation under that provision. Health supplements additionally require GMP or equivalent manufacturing evidence. Translation and document validity also matter. Confirm any applicable treaty exemption or current procedural adjustment with the receiving authority. Decree 15, Article 7.

A Certificate of Free Sale is therefore not a universal attachment to every ordinary-food self-declaration. Order certificates against the confirmed route, and agree the testing panel before paying for laboratory work. A report that describes a different formulation creates an avoidable mismatch.

Vietnamese labels: check two stages

At import and before domestic circulation

Decree 37 distinguishes the original label at customs from the information required for Vietnamese circulation. The original physical label must identify the goods, their origin and the overseas manufacturer or responsible entity, subject to the article’s detailed rules. Where specified manufacturer information is incomplete, accompanying shipment documents must supply it. Goods carrying foreign-language original labels need the required Vietnamese information added before domestic circulation. Decree 37, Article 42.

Build an artwork checklist covering product identity, responsible business details, origin, quantity, ingredients, dates, storage, instructions and applicable warnings. Confirm the exact category requirements in the decree’s annex and food-specific rules. Preserve the original label and make sure supplementary information is accurate and does not obscure required original content. Decree 37, Articles 39–42 and annexes.

Article 98 permits certain goods and previously printed labels to continue under defined conditions. That is not a general two-year permission to print new artwork using the retired rules. Keep evidence of dates and eligibility before relying on a transition.

Nutrition information in 2026

Circular 29/2023/TT-BYT’s implementation deadline has passed. For foods within scope, the baseline information is energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat and sodium. Specified drinks and foods with added sugar require total sugars; fried foods require saturated fat. Exemptions and low-content thresholds exist, so assess the exact product. Alcohol and health supplements are among the circular’s excluded categories. Circular 29, Articles 1 and 5–6.

From 1 January 2026, businesses cannot produce, print, import or use labels contrary to the circular. Its transition for qualifying earlier products runs to their labelled expiry. Check that provision separately from Decree 37’s transition. Government explanation of the nutrition-label timetable.

From compliant product to released consignment

Use this sequence as a working plan with your importer and broker:

  1. Freeze the product facts. Agree formulation, manufacturing site, origin, pack sizes, shelf life, storage and claims.
  2. Confirm the route. Record declaration or registration requirements, any agricultural access checks, and category permissions.
  3. Complete product work. Obtain the correct tests and certificates, complete the applicable declaration process, and approve compliant artwork.
  4. Prepare consignment records. Reconcile invoice, packing list and transport document with the product records. Confirm the customs declaration, valuation and any applicable origin proof, import permission or inspection certificate.
  5. Arrange border controls. Establish the food-safety inspection method or documented exemption, plus any quarantine process, before arrival.
  6. Release and retain records. Obtain the required clearance and inspection outcomes, verify labels before sale, and keep the batch and customer records needed to trace the stock.

Vietnam Customs’ Trade Information Portal import procedure describes the declaration and supporting-document workflow. Some portal references are historical; use it to structure the broker discussion and verify current procedures rather than adopting its old fees or processing times.

Food-safety inspection is its own control. Decree 15 provides reduced, normal and tightened methods, with different eligibility and examination requirements. Article 13 exemptions, including products with a receipt of registered declaration, are subject to the food-safety-warning exception. An ordinary self-declaration is not that registration receipt. Decree 15, Articles 13 and 16–17.

Delays to prevent in the first shipment

The most useful readiness review looks for inconsistencies before cargo moves:

  • Wrong category: the label promises a use that the chosen declaration route does not cover.
  • Document mismatch: certificates, test reports and invoices describe different products, factories or origins.
  • Incomplete origin access: the supplier assumes previous exports to another country establish Vietnam eligibility.
  • Late label work: translation, nutritional values or importer details remain unresolved when stock arrives.
  • Unclear inspection responsibility: the broker and distributor each expect the other to register the shipment.
  • Insufficient commercial buffer: the arrival plan ignores sampling, document corrections, storage costs or the buyer’s remaining-shelf-life requirement.

These are practical checkpoints, not a claim that every consignment encounters them. Separate regulatory processing estimates from freight, testing, corrections and retailer onboarding. There is no reliable universal clearance promise across categories and inspection situations.

Turn the import plan into a market-entry decision

Before confirming a purchase order, ask for one shared readiness file: the product classification, responsible importer, declaration evidence, certificate checklist, agreed labels, inspection plan and landed-cost assumptions. Give every outstanding item an owner and a deadline. Recheck product changes before subsequent orders.

Then test the commercial route. Our Vietnam supermarket guide helps identify relevant buying channels, while the Vietnam country hub connects regulation with distributor selection and launch planning. If you need to align those workstreams, GourmetPro’s Market Entry service can help structure the local partner and channel work around a product-specific import plan.