WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  WT/L/662 
15 November 2006 
 (06-5511) 
  
  
 
 
  
ACCESSION OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM 
 
 
Decision of 7 November 2006 
 The General Council, 
 Having regard  to paragraph 2 of Article XII and para graph 1 of Article IX of the Marrakesh 
Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organiza tion (the "WTO Agreement"), and the Decision-
Making Procedures under Articles IX and XII of th e WTO Agreement agreed by the General Council 
(WT/L/93). 
 Conducting  the functions of the Ministerial Conference in the interval between meetings 
pursuant to paragraph 2 of Article IV of the WTO Agreement, 
 Taking note of the application of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam for accession to the 
WTO Agreement dated 12 January 1995, 
 Noting the results of the negotiations directed toward the establishment of the terms of 
accession of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam to the WTO Agreement and having prepared a 
Protocol on the Accession of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, 
 Decides  as follows: 
1.  The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam ma y accede to the WTO Agreement on the terms and 
conditions set out in the Protoc ol annexed to this Decision. 
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  PROTOCOL ON THE ACCESSION OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM 
Preamble
 
 The World Trade Organization (hereinafter referred to as the "WTO"), pursuant to the approval 
of the General Council of the WTO accorded under Article XII of the Marrakesh Agreement 
Establishing the World Trade Organi zation (hereinafter referred to as the "WTO Agreement"), and the 
Socialist Republic of Viet Nam,  
 Taking note  of the Report of the Working Party on the Accession of the Socialist Republic of 
Viet Nam to the WTO Agreement reproduced in document WT/ACC/VNM/48, dated 27 October 2006 
(hereinafter referred to as the "Working Party Report"), 
 Having regard  to the results of the negotiations on the accession of the Socialist Republic of 
Viet Nam to the WTO Agreement,  
 Agree  as follows: 
PART I -  GENERAL 
1. Upon entry into force of this Protocol pursuant to paragraph 8, the Socialist Re public of 
Viet Nam accedes to the WTO Agreement pursuant to Article XII of that Agreement and thereby 
becomes a Member of the WTO.  
2. The WTO Agreement to which the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam accedes shall be the WTO 
Agreement, including the Explanatory Notes to that Agreement, as rectified,  amended or otherwise 
modified by such legal inst ruments as may have entered into force be fore the date of entry into force of 
this Protocol.  This Protocol, which shall include th e commitments referred to in paragraph 527 of the 
Working Party Report, shall be an integral part of the WTO Agreement. 
3. Except as otherwise provided for in para graph 527 of the Working Party Report, those 
obligations in the Multilateral Trade Agreements annexed to the WTO Agreement that are to be 
implemented over a period of time starting with the entry into force of that Agreement shall be 
implemented by the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam as if it had accepted that Agreement on the date of 
its entry into force. 
4. The Socialist Republic of Viet Nam may mainta in a measure inconsistent  with paragraph 1 of 
Article II of the GATS provided that such a measure was recorded in the list of Article II Exemptions annexed to this Protocol and meets the conditions of the Annex to the GATS on Article II Exemptions. 
PART II - SCHEDULES 
5. The Schedules reproduced in Annex I to th is Protocol shall become the Schedule of 
Concessions and Commitm ents annexed to the General Agr eement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 
(hereinafter referred to as the "GATT 1994") and the Schedule of Specific Co mmitments annexed to the 
General Agreement on Trade in Services (hereinafter referred to as "GATS") relating to the Socialist 
Republic of Viet Nam.  The staging of the concessions and commitments listed in the Schedules shall be implemented as specifie d in the relevant parts of the respective Schedules. 
6. For the purpose of the reference in paragraph 6(a)  of Article II of the GATT 1994 to the date of 
that Agreement, the applicable date in respect of the Schedules of Conc essions and Commitments 
annexed to this Protocol shall be the date  of entry into force of this Protocol.  WT/L/662 
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  PART III - FINAL PROVISIONS 
7. This Protocol shall be open for acceptance, by  signature or otherwise, by the Socialist Republic 
of Viet Nam until 30 June 2007. 
8. This Protocol shall enter into force on the thirtieth day following the day upon which it shall 
have been accepted by the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.  
9. This Protocol shall be deposited with the Director-General of the WTO.  The Director-General 
of the WTO shall promptly furnish a certified copy of this Protocol and a notification of acceptance by 
the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam thereto pursuant to paragraph 9 to each Member of the WTO and to 
the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam.   
 This Protocol shall be register ed in accordance with the provisi ons of Article 102 of the Charter 
of the United Nations.   
 Done at Geneva this seventh day of November  two thousand and six in a single copy in the 
English, French and Spanish languages, each text being authentic, except that a Schedule annexed hereto 
may specify that it is authentic  in only one of these languages. 
 
 
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 WT/L/662 
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  ANNEX I 
SCHEDULE CLX - THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIET NAM 
Authentic only in the English language. 
(Circulated in document WT/ACC/VNM/48/Add.1) 
_______________ 
SCHEDULE OF SPECIFIC COMMITMENTS ON SERVICES 
LIST OF ARTICLE II EXEMPTIONS 
Authentic only in the English language. 
(Circulated in document WT/ACC/VNM/48/Add.2) 
__________