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Restricted and Prohibited

Restrictions and Prohibitions

All countries restrict or prohibit the import and export of certain articles based upon:

  • Concerns for health, safety, and public morality (e.g., foodstuffs, agricultural products, live animals, biologic materials, pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, chemicals, hazardous products, and materials deemed indecent).
  • Protection of the physical and economic security of the state (e.g., arms, armaments, dual-use technology, radio and television transmitters and receivers, radioactive materials, seditious materials, and currency).
  • Economic protection or subsidization of domestic industry (e.g., non-tariff barriers to trade for imports and control of natural resources for exports).
  • Enforcement of provisions of multi-lateral trade agreements (e.g., those designed to protect endangered and threatened species of animals and plants and those designed to protect copyright, patent, and trademark holders against infringement).
Restricted
  • Black and white Portland cement
  • Plain glass of thickness between 1.5 mm and 12 mm
  • Light brown glass of thickness between 5 mm and 12 mm; and blue glass of thickness between 3 mm and 6 mm
  • Some types of round bars, T-iron or L-iron
  • Some types of steel for welding
  • Some types of steel plates and galvanized steel
  • Some types of liquid refined vegetable oils
  • Refined and raw sugar
  • Some motorcycles, motor tricycles, and part or kits to make them
  • New passenger vehicles of 9 seats or fewer, including passenger-cargo vehicles and joint passenger-cargo compartmental vehicles
  • Goods whose export from specific countries is controlled under international treaties to which Vietnam is party
  • Veterinary medicines and materials for making veterinary medicines
  • Biological products for veterinary use
  • Pesticides and materials for making pesticides
  • Plant and animal strains, and various types of insects
  • Animal feed and materials for producing animal feed
  • Fertilizers new to Vietnam
  • Plant and animal gene sources; micro-organisms for scientific and technical research and exchange
Subject to Import Stamp

The following articles must be stamped upon import. They are cleared only after the owner has stamped the whole consignment with the import stamp required by Customs.

  • Alcohol in bottles (including pots and jars)
  • Bicycles in complete units
  • Electric fans of all kinds
  • Television sets in complete units
  • Videocassette players in complete units
  • Refrigerators in complete units for home use
  • Independently operated air-conditioners (secondhand and brand new)
  • Motors
  • Ceramic sanitary ware: toilet bowls, washbasins
  • Tiles of all kinds, in package
  • Electric water pumps of all kinds
  • Gas stoves of all kinds
  • Electric cookers of all kinds
  • Bicycle frames
  • Thermal and cold flasks and inner receptacles
  • Motors together with working machines to form complete and synchronous units
Prohibited
  • Weapons, ammunition, explosive materials (except explosive materials for specified industrial purposes)
  • Military technical equipment and facilities
  • Narcotics
  • Toxic chemicals
  • Cultural products considered to be depraved and reactionary; toys for children which are harmful to ethical education, social order, and safety
  • Firecrackers, except for signal fires for the purpose of maritime safety and other specified purposes 
  • Cigarettes, cigars and other finished cigarette products
  • Means of transport with right-hand drive (including those in knock-down kits or with converted drive before being imported to Vietnam), except for special vehicles for limited use, comprising cranes, duct-digging excavators, garbage-carrying vehicles, road-cleaning vehicles, road-surface building vehicles, airport-passenger vehicles, fork-lifts in warehouses or ports
    • Textiles, garments and footwear
    • Electronics
    • Freezers, refrigerators and air conditioners
    • Household electrical appliances
    • Goods for interior decorating
    • Household goods made of ceramics, porcelain, glass, metal, plastic, rubber and other materials
    • bicycles, motorcycles, and motorized tricycles
    • Motors, frames, tires, pneumatics and spare parts for automobiles, tractors, motorcycles and motorized tricycles
    • Combustion engines with a capacity of 30 CV and less; and used machines mounted with combustible motors with capacity of 30 CV
    • Chasses mounted with second-hand motors
    • Ambulances
    • Passenger-vehicles of 16 seats or fewer, including passenger-cargo vehicles, and joint passenger-cargo compartmental vehicles
    • Trucks of less than five tons (including passenger-cargo vehicles, and joint passenger-cargo compartmental vehicles) which have been used for more than five years from the year of proposed import
    • Various types of special encryption devices and encryption software used for protecting state secrets 

Note: The above information is subject to change. Importers are advised to obtain the most current information from a customs broker, freight forwarder, or the local customs authorities.