Vietnam Notifies WTO of Draft Circular on Pesticides Insecticides and Disinfectants

On 10 October 2023, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health notified to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) a Draft Circular promulgating the list of chemicals and insecticidal and disinfectant products for household and medical use which are under the state management of the Ministry of Health and whose HS codes can be identified according to Vietnam’s nomenclature of exports and imports. The final date for comments is 60 days from the date of notification.

The Draft Circular was published together with Circular No. 31/2022/TT-BTC of the Minister of Finance, dated June 8, 2022 which published the List of Vietnam's export and import items.

Relevant documents

• Circular No.  65/2017/TT-BTC dated  June  27,  2017  of  the  Minister  of  Finance promulgating Vietnam's nomenclature of exports and imports.
• Circular No.  09/2018/TT-BYT dated April 27, 2018 promulgating the list of chemicals and insecticidal and disinfectant products for household and medical use which are under the state management of the Ministry of Health and whose HS codes can be identified in accordance with the Vietnamese Nomenclature for Exports and Imports.
• Circular No.  31/2022/TT-BTC of the Minister of  Finance promulgating  Vietnam's  nomenclature  of   exports and imports, replacing Circular No. 65/2017/TT-BTC.

The tariff classification of imported and exported commodities under the ASEAN Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature (AHTN) 2022 is revised by Circular No. 31/2022/TT-BTC (Circular 31). Based on the most recent version of the World Customs Organization's Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (HS), the AHTN is updated every five years (WCO). Every five years, the HS is  updated to reflect advances in product technology, engineering, and marketing.

This Circular is applicable to create import and export tariffs, create lists of goods to serve government administration in accordance with government regulations and Clause 4 Article 26 of the Customs Law, to compile state statistics on import and export, and to assist the state in managing the import and export of goods and other areas.

Purpose and timeline

The purpose of this circular, its justification, and the types of urgent issues it addresses are to protect human health and safety, the environment, and the standards of quality. The proposed date of adoption is 15 December 2023 and is likely to come into force on 15 January 2024.