G/SPS/N/VNM/59  
 
31 July 2014  
(14-4432)  Page: 1/2  
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  NOTIFICATION 
1. Notifying Member: VIET NAM 
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible: National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department, 
Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item  number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; IC S numbers should be provided in 
addition, where applicable): Imported foodstuff of plant origin 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected , to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:   
5. Title of the notified document: Circular for guiding on the food safety control for 
imported foodstuffs of plant origin  Language(s): Vietnamese  Number of pages: 18 
6. Description of content: The Circular provides regulations/principles for food safety 
control on imported foodstuffs of plant origin, including procedure of exported country registration before exporting commodities in to Viet Nam, on-site inspection procedure 
(when necessary) as well as procedure for inspecting consignments of foodstuffs of plant 
origin imported into Viet Nam. 
This Circular will replace the Circular No.13/2011/TT-BNNPTNT dated 16 March 2011 and 
Circular No.05/2013/TT-BNNPTNT dated 21 January 2013. 
7. Objective and rationale: [X] food safety, [ ] animal health, [ ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.   
8. Is there a relevant international st andard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text)   
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)    
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)    
[X] None 
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?   
[ ] Yes   [ ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:   G/SPS/N/VNM/59 
 
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  9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:  
 Food Safety Law number 55/2012/QH12 dated 17 June 2010 of the Congress 
 Decree No. 38/2012/NÐ-CP dated 25 April 2012 of the Government for guiding the 
implementation of some articles of the Food Safety Law 
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : October 2014 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : October 2014 
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [ ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : 45 days from the date of circulation. 
[X] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [X] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 29 September 2014 
Agency or authority designated to hand le comments: [X] National Notification 
Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address 
(if available) of other body:  
Viet Nam Sanitary and Phytosanitary Notification Authorities and Enquiry Point 
No. 2 Ngoc Ha Str., Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Viet Nam 
Tel: +(84 4) 3734 4764 
Fax: +(84 4) 3734 9019 E-mail: spsvietnam@mard.gov.vn 
Website: http://www.spsvietnam.gov.vn 
 National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department 10, Nguyen Cong Hoan, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Viet Nam 
Tel: +(84 4) 3771 2574 
Fax: +(84 4) 3831 7221 E-mail: thuannafi@yahoo.com 
 vietyen.nafi@mard.gov.vn 
Website: http://www.nafiqad.gov.vn  
13. Texts available from: [X] National Notification Authority, [X] National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:   
Link to download:  
http://www.spsvietnam.gov.vn/En glishSPS/Lists/Documents,notification/Attachments/66
/Draft%20Circular%20VNM59.pdf