. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/VNM/21 
4 August 2010 
 (10-4149) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd 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 
(NAFIQAD) 
3. Products covered (provide tariff item numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO;  ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where 
applicable):  Imported food products 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:  (Draft) Ministerial Circular stipulating the guidelines on 
food safety control for imported products of plant origin  Language:  Vietnamese  Number 
of pages:  15   
6. Description of content:   
− Structure:  7 Chapters, 28 articles and 6 annexes. 
− Main contents:  the Circular provides guidelines on food safety control, including 
procedure for inspecting and monitoring food products of plant origin imported into Viet Nam. 
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 stan dard?  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 G/SPS/N/VNM/21 
Page 2  
 
   If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:    
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:  
− Food hygiene and safety Ordinance No. 12/2003/PL-UBTVQH dated 26 July 2003. 
− Decree No. 163/2004/ND-CP of Vietnamese  Government of 7 September 2004 
detailing the implementation of certain pr ovisions of the Ordinance on food hygiene 
and safety. 
− Decree No. 79/2008/ND-CP of 18 July 2008 defining system of management, 
inspection and test of food hygiene and safety.   
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) :  October 2010 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) :  October 2010 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  [ ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) :  January 2011 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments:  [X] Sixty days  from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) :  3 October 2010 
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [X] National Notification 
Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address (if 
available) of other body:   
National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department 
10, Nguyen Cong Hoan, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Viet Nam 
Tel.:  +(84 4) 4459 1898 Fax:  +(84 4) 3831 7221 E-mail:  thuannafi@yahoo.com;  vietyen.nafi@mard.gov.vn Website:  http://www.nafiqad.gov.vn
 
 
Viet Nam Sanitary and  Phytosanitary Notification Authorities and Enquiry Point 2 Ngoc Ha Str, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Viet Nam Tel.:  +(84 4) 3734 4764 Fax:  +(84 4) 3734 4764 
E-mail:  spsvietnam@mard.gov.vn 
Website:  http://www.spsvietnam.gov.vn
 
13. Texts available from:  [X] National Notification Authority, [ ] 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  
2 Ngoc Ha Str, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Viet Nam Tel.:  +(84 4) 3734 4764 Fax:  +(84 4) 3734 4764 
E-mail:  spsvietnam@mard.gov.vn 
Link to download: 
http://www.spsvietnam.gov.vn/EnglishSPS/Lists/Documents,notification/Attachments/24/D
raftTextInspectionGuideline.pdf