On July 8, 2026, the Vietnamese government signed and issued Decree No. 275/2026/NĐ-CP, which stipulates penalties for administrative violations in the fields of chemicals and industrial explosives, effective August 25, 2026. As a supporting penalty decree issued following the implementation of Vietnam's new Law on Chemicals, it for the first time incorporates new requirements such as "green chemistry" and "safety distances" into the penalty system, marking the entry of Vietnam's chemical and industrial explosives regulation into a stage of full mandatory compliance.
Legal Basis and Overall Structure
Enacted on the basis of the Law on Chemicals No. 69/2025/QH15 and the Law on Management and Use of Weapons, Explosives and Supporting Tools No. 42/2024/QH15, the decree comprises 4 chapters and 76 articles in total. It does not add any new administrative approval matters, nor does it involve adjustments to the decentralized and graded administrative organization.
Scope of Penalties
The penalty scope of the decree covers two major fields—chemicals and industrial explosives—specifically including the following aspects:
- Development of the chemical industry
- Management of chemical activities
- Hazardous chemicals in products
- Safety and security of chemical activities
- Chemical declaration and inspection (listed chemicals)
- Management of insecticidal and fungicidal preparations
- Activities related to industrial explosives
Two New Penalty Highlights
For the first time, the decree incorporates the following two new requirements into the penalty scope, both located in Section 1 of Chapter II, "Violations against the development of the chemical industry" (Mục 1 — Vi phạm quy định về phát triển công nghiệp hóa chất):
- Green chemistry (Article 7): Chemical projects must compulsorily follow the "green chemistry principles" (nguyên tắc hóa học xanh); violations of the relevant requirements will be penalized in accordance with the law.
- Safety distance (Article 8): Clear requirements are set for the "safety distance" (khoảng cách an toàn) at the site where a chemical project is implemented, and violations will be subject to penalties.
Penalty Levels
The decree sets fine caps by field: individuals face a maximum fine of VND 50 million in the chemical sector and VND 100 million in the industrial explosives sector; organizations are penalized at twice the individual rate. The specific fine ranges for the two new violations are as follows (taking individuals as an example):
|
Violation |
Article |
Individual Fine Range (VND) |
|
Violating the "green chemistry principles" |
Article 7 |
10–20 million |
|
Violating "safety distance" requirements |
Article 8 |
25–40 million |
Note: Organizations are subject to twice the individual fine amount; the same violation is penalized in tiers according to its severity, and the specific amount is subject to the relevant provisions of the decree.
Content Adjustments
To remain consistent with the new Law on Chemicals, the decree accordingly deletes certain management provisions concerning restricted chemicals, listed chemicals, and industrial precursor chemicals—the above content having been adjusted under the new law and now governed by other regulations.
ChemRadar Insights
The decree will take effect on August 25, 2026, leaving a relatively short transition period. Enterprises with chemical projects in Vietnam, or those engaged in the production, import and export, or storage of chemicals, or in the business of industrial explosives, are advised to focus on the following:
- Conduct a compliance self-check: Enterprises should carry out a compliance self-check against the new penalty points as soon as possible, paying particular attention to the two new penalty dimensions of "green chemistry" and "safety distance."
- Verify site and process requirements: During site selection, process design, and declaration and inspection, enterprises should verify whether the green chemistry principles and safety distance requirements are met.
- Refer to the decree for specific amounts: Specific fine amounts and circumstance determinations are subject to the relevant provisions of the decree; it is advisable to review the original text of the decree in light of one's own business or seek professional advice.
