How to Import Food into Vietnam (2026) — Food Safety & Decree 46/2026

Food-safety compliance is a hard market-entry gate in Vietnam. Decree 46/2026 set out a stricter, risk-based regime in January 2026, but it is suspended in full until the amended Law on Food Safety takes effect, so Decree 15/2018 still decides your pathway. Before your product reaches a supermarket shelf you need the right declaration pathway, a food-safety certificate, and a Vietnamese label. This guide walks the process — the self-declaration vs registration split under Decree 15/2018, border inspection, documentation, and timelines. Figures as of 2026-11-09; not legal advice — confirm current requirements and your category's inspection tier with a Vietnamese advisor.

Last updated 2026-11-09 · Part of the Sell F&B into Vietnam cluster · Sources at the bottom

Step-by-step

  1. 1

    Classify your product — it decides the whole pathway

    Under Decree 15/2018/NĐ-CP, ordinary processed food uses a fast self-declaration (you declare, keep the dossier on file, and can sell). Special foods — health supplements, foods for special medical purposes, and foods for children under 36 months — require the stricter registration of product declaration with authority approval. Health supplements have their own path (see our supplement registration guide).

  2. 2

    Check your border inspection method

    Import inspection still runs under Decree 15/2018/NĐ-CP. Normal inspection checks the documents of each lot; reduced inspection checks the documents of up to 5% of lots, for products with a clean record or recognised certification; tightened inspection adds sampling and lab testing after a failed result or an official warning. Decree 46/2026/NĐ-CP (issued 26 January 2026) would replace this with a risk-based system, but Resolution 15/2026/NQ-CP (6 April 2026) suspended it in full until the amended Law on Food Safety and its guiding decree take effect. Plan for document checks on every lot, and for sampling and testing if a lot ever fails.

  3. 3

    Appoint a Vietnam-based importer

    A foreign brand needs a Vietnam-registered importer as the responsible entity for the declaration, customs clearance, and post-market compliance. Many premium brands use a specialist food importer/distributor who also holds the retail relationships (see our distribution guide).

  4. 4

    Prepare the food-safety documentation

    For low-risk categories, prepare the self-declaration dossier. Where required, obtain a food-safety certificate — a Certificate of Conformity issued after product testing by a Ministry of Health-accredited Vietnamese laboratory. Retain the declaration and test records for post-market inspection.

  5. 5

    Produce a compliant Vietnamese label

    Every imported food needs a Vietnamese label before sale, with mandatory elements: product name, ingredient list, nutritional/quantitative information, net weight, country of origin, importer name and address, production and expiry dates, and storage conditions. Supplementary labels are allowed but must not obscure required information. Allow 4–8 weeks for label production and regulatory prep before approaching any buyer.

  6. 6

    Clear customs and keep post-market records

    Present the declaration/certificate, import documents, and label at customs; the shipment goes through its inspection method under Decree 15/2018 (normal, reduced or tightened). After clearance, retain the dossier, labels, and safety records — food remains subject to post-market surveillance, advertising rules, and recall obligations.

Which pathway applies to your product

Product typePathwayNotes
Ordinary processed food Self-declaration (tự công bố) Fast; declare, keep dossier, sell. Most shelf-stable packaged food
Special / medical / infant (<36 mo) food Registration of product declaration Authority approval required before sale
Health supplements Registration + GMP + testing Strictest — see our supplement registration guide
Fresh produce / high-risk Self/registration + physical inspection Often sampled and tested at the border; the tougher Decree 46/2026 tiers are suspended

Classification drives everything. Misclassifying a special food as ordinary — or vice-versa — is a common cause of delays and post-market problems.

How long each pathway takes

Time to market depends far more on the pathway and your paperwork than on the border. Ordinary processed food can be sold as soon as its self-declaration is filed, but the lab test the dossier needs and the label and regulatory preparation around it take weeks; a health supplement is a multi-month project.

JobTypical timeNotes
Self-declaration, ordinary processed foodSell on filingDecree 15/2018, Art. 5; the dossier needs a recent test report from an accredited lab, so schedule testing first
Label and regulatory preparation4–8 weeksVietnamese label, ingredient and importer details consistent across documents
Health supplement registration, end-to-end~3–6 monthsA separate process with its own timeline; see the supplement registration guide

These are different jobs that usually overlap, so they are listed side by side rather than plotted on one scale. Ranges come from Decree 15/2018 practice, supermarket documentation guidance (Asia Pro Distribution) and our supplement registration guide.

Where food shipments get stuck

  • Classification. A special food declared as ordinary, or a supplement treated as food, restarts the process on the correct pathway.
  • Importer details. The declaration, the certificate and the customs documents must name the same Vietnamese importer.
  • Label not ready at arrival. A Vietnamese label has to exist before sale; fixing it after cargo lands means holding stock.
  • A failed lot. One unsatisfactory result moves later lots to tightened inspection, with sampling and lab testing, so ship products you are sure will pass first.
  • No test records. Where a food-safety certificate is required, it comes from testing by an accredited laboratory, which takes time you must schedule.

Decree 46/2026: suspended, and what it would change

Decree 46/2026 would replace today's inspection methods with a risk-based system that scores each shipment on product category, country of origin, and the importer's compliance history. It is not in force: Resolution 15/2026/NQ-CP suspended it in full on 6 April 2026, together with Resolution 66.13/2026/NQ-CP, until the amended Law on Food Safety and its guiding decree take effect. Decree 15/2018 applies in the meantime. The practical takeaways hold either way: build a clean compliance record, avoid high-risk perishables for early shipments, and never wait until cargo arrival to prepare your dossier and label.

What happened to Decree 46/2026

  1. Decree issued

    26 Jan 2026

    Decree 46/2026/NĐ-CP elaborates the Law on Food Safety, with risk-based inspection of imported food. Resolution 66.13/2026/NQ-CP on food declaration and registration followed on 27 January.

  2. Cargo backs up

    By 29 Jan 2026

    A Ministry of Agriculture and Environment report put about 300,000 tonnes of goods stranded at checkpoints, with inspectors lacking guidance on which test indicators to apply.

  3. Suspended and rescheduled

    4 Feb 2026

    Resolution 09/2026/NQ-CP suspended Decree 46 and Resolution 66.13 until 15 April 2026; Decree 15/2018 and its guidance continued to apply in the meantime.

  4. Suspended in full

    6 Apr 2026

    Resolution 15/2026/NQ-CP replaced Resolution 09 and suspended Decree 46 and Resolution 66.13 in full until the amended Law on Food Safety and its guiding decree take effect. Decree 15/2018 continues to apply.

  5. Law revision under way

    Jul 2026

    The government told the Health Ministry to finalise revisions to the Law on Food Safety.

Sources: Resolutions 09/2026 and 15/2026/NQ-CP (official texts via Luật Việt Nam), ChemLinked, Vietnam News, Vietnam Briefing.

Vietnamese labeling requirements

Every imported food needs a Vietnamese label before sale, with these mandatory elements:

  • Product name and ingredient list
  • Nutritional / quantitative information
  • Net weight or volume
  • Country of origin and manufacturer
  • Vietnam importer name and address
  • Production and expiry dates; storage conditions

Supplementary Vietnamese labels are allowed but must not obscure mandatory original information.

Enforcement context for importers

Health authorities inspected 118,009 food businesses in the first half of 2026, found 5,695 violations and fined 3,571 businesses a combined VND 20 billion or more. Market-surveillance forces and platforms also took down 14,102 online shopfronts and 3,798 listings tied to counterfeit supplements, fake functional foods and substandard milk, and the government told the Health Ministry in July to finalise revisions to the Food Safety Law. For an importer the lesson is traceability: every batch should link to its declaration or certificate, test record and Vietnamese label.

Figures are from news reports of official statements (Dân Trí, The Star, Vietnam News); a separate market-surveillance tally reported by VOV and VNA (2,124 violations, about VND 16.9 billion in fines) covers a different scope and should not be added to these. Verify against the issuing agencies before quoting.

Import readiness checklist

Classification and parties

  • Product classified: ordinary, special or supplement
  • Vietnamese importer appointed; details identical across documents
  • Inspection method under Decree 15/2018 checked; Decree 46/2026 still suspended

Documents

  • Self-declaration or registration filed
  • Food-safety certificate and lab records where required
  • Commercial invoice, packing list and origin documents consistent

Label and stock

  • Vietnamese label complete before cargo ships
  • Batch-level records kept for post-market inspection
  • First shipment shelf-stable and low-risk where possible

Frequently Asked Questions

What changed for food imports into Vietnam in 2026?

Less than the headlines suggested. Decree 46/2026/NĐ-CP (issued 26 January 2026) and Resolution 66.13/2026/NQ-CP rewrote food declaration, registration and import inspection, including a risk-based border system. Cargo backed up within days, so Resolution 09/2026/NQ-CP paused both until 15 April, and Resolution 15/2026/NQ-CP (6 April 2026) then suspended them in full until the amended Law on Food Safety and its guiding decree take effect. Decree 15/2018/NĐ-CP still governs declaration and import inspection. What did change is enforcement: inspections of food businesses and takedowns of fake food and supplement listings stepped up in 2026.

Do I need to register food before importing it into Vietnam?

It depends on the product. Ordinary processed food uses a fast self-declaration under Decree 15/2018 — you declare, keep the dossier, and can sell. Special foods (foods for special medical purposes, foods for children under 36 months) and health supplements require the stricter registration of product declaration with authority approval. All imported food also needs a Vietnamese label and food-safety documentation before it reaches a shelf.

What food-safety certificate do I need to sell in a Vietnamese supermarket?

Supermarket chains require a Vietnamese-language label, customs import documentation, and a food-safety certificate — typically a Certificate of Conformity issued after testing by a Ministry of Health-accredited Vietnamese laboratory, or a self-declaration for certain low-risk categories. Health supplements additionally need MOH/VFA notification. Allow 4–8 weeks for label production and regulatory documentation before approaching a buyer.

How is importing food different from importing cosmetics or supplements?

The classification and authority differ. Cosmetics use a DAV notification; health supplements need VFA registration with GMP and testing; ordinary food uses a fast VFA self-declaration, while special foods need registration. Food also goes through state import inspection under Decree 15/2018 (normal, reduced or tightened), and perishables add cold-chain and shelf-life constraints that make cross-border food harder than shelf-stable categories.

Sources

A sourced reference, not legal or tax advice. Food import rules are in flux in 2026 — confirm that Decree 46/2026 is still suspended, and your product's inspection method, with a qualified Vietnamese advisor before shipping.

Related references

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