Vietnam Bans Importation of Outdated Machinery and Production Equipment

Vietnam is banning imports of outdated machinery and production line equipment beginning June 15, according to a post on the Vietnam Briefing blog from Dezan Shira & Associates. The import ban is part of a larger prohibition on the use of imported machinery, equipment and production line technology that is more than 10 years old that also takes effect that date, the blog post said.

Once the rule takes effect, imported machinery used in Vietnam must have at least 85 percent of original capacity, and energy consumption should not be up by more than 15 percent from its originally designed specifications. The underlying technology must also be in use in at least three production facilities in member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Dezan Shira said. “Machinery that is obsolete, of poor quality, and environmentally damaging cannot be imported,” it said.

Companies that want to import used machinery will have to prepare dossiers that include a copy of the business registration certificate, inspection certificate and an original certificate from the manufacturer that states the year when the equipment was made. The decree, passed in April, also directs the Ministry of Science and Technology to publish a list of old machinery and equipment for which importation is banned.