Medibase
EN VI JA

Information portal · Vietnam

Vietnam's Healthcare Compliance Reference Gateway

Medibase is a multilingual EN/VI/JA portal that collects reference information on medicines, supplements, foods, medical devices, and cosmetics, alongside curated guides to Vietnamese pharmaceutical regulation — registration, tendering, pricing, and pharmacovigilance.

Reference only · not a substitute for medical or legal advice.

What's on Medibase

Four areas the portal covers.

Browse by category

Five product categories — each with its own regulatory guides and reference data.

Vietnamese pharmaceutical regulation

11 curated reference pages, with citations linking to official documents from DAV, the Ministry of Health, and the National Assembly.

Registration · GMP · Labelling

Regulatory Affairs

Authorization, registration, and post-market obligations under the Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAV).

Procedure · Dossier · SRA

Drug Registration Process in Vietnam

End-to-end analysis of marketing-authorization (giấy đăng ký lưu hành) workflow at the Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAV) — legal basis, dossier requirements, evaluation steps, statutory vs real-world timelines, and practical pitfalls under the amended Pharmacy Law (44/2024/QH15, in force 1 July 2025) and Circular 12/2025/TT-BYT.

Tendering · BHYT · Market access

Tendering & Market Access

Public procurement of medicines under the 2023 Bidding Law and Circular 40/2025/TT-BYT, and reimbursement through Vietnam Social Security (BHYT).

Declared · Tender · Negotiated prices

Pricing

Drug-price declaration, winning tender prices, and the price-management framework under the 2023 Price Law and the 2024 Pharmacy Law amendment.

ADR · AEFI · Safety alerts

Pharmacovigilance

Adverse drug reaction reporting, vaccine-safety surveillance, and risk management under the Drug Administration of Vietnam and the National DI & ADR Centre.

GDP · GPP · Distribution

Pharmaceutical Distribution & Retail in Vietnam

Licensing for wholesalers, community pharmacies, drug shops, commune health-station drug cabinets, and traditional-medicine retailers under the post-1 July 2025 framework — the Pharmacy Business Eligibility Certificate (GCN đủ điều kiện kinh doanh dược), Good Distribution Practice (GDP), Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP), and Good Storage Practice (GSP), as reshaped by amended Pharmacy Law 44/2024/QH15 and Decree 163/2025/NĐ-CP.

Narcotics · Psychotropics · Precursors

Special-Control Medicines in Vietnam — Narcotic, Psychotropic, Precursor, Radioactive

Lifecycle regulation of narcotic, psychotropic, precursor and radioactive medicines under the parallel Pharmacy Law and Anti-Drug Law chains — Decree 163/2025/NĐ-CP and Circular 18/2026/TT-BYT (effective 16 July 2026) for the pharmacy side, Law 73/2021/QH14 and Decree 28/2026/NĐ-CP for the substance lists, and Law 94/2025/QH15 (Atomic Energy) with Decree 332/2025/NĐ-CP overlaying radioactive medicines.

Traditional medicine · Materia medica

Traditional Medicine & Medicinal Materials in Vietnam

Registration, quality, cultivation (GACP), and retail of thuốc cổ truyền, vị thuốc cổ truyền and dược liệu — under Pharmacy Law Chapter VI as amended by Law 44/2024/QH15, the post-1 July 2025 stack (Decree 163/2025/NĐ-CP, Circulars 29/2025 + 32/2025 + 31/2025/TT-BYT), the GACP Circular 19/2019/TT-BYT, and the national 2030 programme under Decision 1893/QĐ-TTg.

Import · Export · Customs

Drug Import & Export in Vietnam

Two regimes — ordinary commercial trade in drugs with valid marketing authorisation, and the special import-export of drugs without registration number — under Pharmacy Law Article 60 and new Article 53a (added by Law 44/2024/QH15), Decree 163/2025/NĐ-CP Chapter IV, the Customs Law 54/2014/QH13, and the 1961 Hague Apostille Convention from 11 September 2026.

Trials · Bioequivalence · IRB

Clinical Trials & Bioequivalence in Vietnam

Authorisation, GCP, ethics review and BE-study requirements under Pharmacy Law Chapter XI as implemented by Decree 163/2025/NĐ-CP Article 23, the new Circular 50/2025/TT-BYT (effective 27 February 2026; replaces Circular 29/2018/TT-BYT, Article 9 of Circular 10/2020/TT-BYT, and Circular 08/2014/TT-BYT), Circular 43/2024/TT-BYT on ethics committees, and Circular 07/2022/TT-BYT on the BE-required substance list.

Vaccines · Biologicals · NICVB

Vaccines & Biological Products in Vietnam

Dedicated registration, NICVB lot release, GMP for biologicals, cold chain, AEFI pharmacovigilance, and the National Immunisation Programme — under Pharmacy Law Article 2 definitions, Decree 163/2025/NĐ-CP, Circular 12/2025/TT-BYT (registration), Circular 28/2025/TT-BYT (GMP), Circular 11/2025/TT-BYT (GSP), Decree 104/2016 + Circular 34/2018/TT-BYT (TCMR and AEFI), Circular 26/2013/TT-BYT (blood products), and the Pharmacy Law amendments by Law 44/2024/QH15.

Vietnamese supplements regulation

6 reference pages on health-protection foods (TPBVSK), regulated by the Vietnam Food Administration (VFA).

Vietnamese medical-device regulation

7 reference pages on medical-device management under Decree 98/2021/NĐ-CP and its amendments (Decree 07/2023/NĐ-CP and Decree 04/2025/NĐ-CP, in force 1 January 2025).

Class A · B · C · D

Risk classification

The four-tier risk classification system (A, B, C, D) for medical devices in Vietnam under Decree 98/2021/NĐ-CP.

MAC · ASEAN CSDT

Market access & licensing

Marketing authorisation (số lưu hành) and import licensing for medical devices in Vietnam, with the ASEAN CSDT pathway and reference-country fast track.

Medical Device Registration Process in Vietnam

End-to-end operational analysis of medical-device registration in Vietnam under Decree 98/2021/NĐ-CP, as amended by Decree 07/2023/NĐ-CP, Decree 96/2023/NĐ-CP, and Decree 04/2025/NĐ-CP (in force 1 January 2025) — Class A published-declaration track at provincial Sở Y tế, Class B/C/D Marketing Authorisation Certificate (số lưu hành) track at MOH/DMEC, ASEAN CSDT structure, reference-country fast track, statutory vs real-world timelines, and the 2022–2024 backlog crisis that drove the reform package.

Price posting · MOH portal

Price management

Price posting and transparency obligations for medical devices under Decree 98/2021/NĐ-CP and the public MOH price portal.

Surveillance · Recall · Incidents

Post-market & quality control

Vigilance, incident reporting, recalls, QMS (ISO 13485), and IMDA inspections for medical devices on the Vietnamese market.

IVD · SaMD

IVD & Software as a Medical Device

Regulation of in-vitro diagnostic devices and software as a medical device in Vietnam — current rules and the gap in SaMD-specific guidance.

Medical Device Import & Export in Vietnam

Risk-classified import and export of medical devices and IVDs under Decree 98/2021/NĐ-CP as amended by Decree 07/2023/NĐ-CP and Decree 04/2025/NĐ-CP, the IMDA registration regime, the Hague Apostille Convention from 11 September 2026, and the open WTO regime for foreign-invested distributors — a fully separate legal chain from the drug regime.

Vietnamese cosmetics regulation

5 reference pages on cosmetic-product management under Circular 06/2011/TT-BYT (amended by Circular 34/2025/TT-BYT, in force 2025-08-18) and the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive.

Vietnamese food regulation

6 reference pages on food safety under Law 55/2010 and Decree 15/2018, jointly managed by MOH, MARD, and MOIT.

Vietnamese healthcare practice, facilities & data

4 reference pages on medical-practice licensing, facility licensing, telemedicine and personal-data protection under Law 15/2023/QH15, Decree 96/2023/NĐ-CP, and the 2026 Personal Data Protection Law 91/2025/QH15.

CCHN KCB · 9-year renewal

Medical Practice Licensing in Vietnam

The Chứng chỉ hành nghề khám bệnh, chữa bệnh (CCHN KCB) regime for individual healthcare professionals — under Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 15/2023/QH15 (effective 1 January 2024, replacing Law 40/2009), Decree 96/2023/NĐ-CP, Circular 32/2023/TT-BYT (master implementing circular with the 120-credit-hour CME requirement), and the nine professional titles recognised by the 2023 reform.

GPHĐ KCB · Facility licence

Healthcare Facility Licensing in Vietnam

The Giấy phép hoạt động khám bệnh, chữa bệnh for hospitals, clinics and other facilities — under Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 15/2023/QH15 Chapter IV, Decree 96/2023/NĐ-CP, Circular 32/2023/TT-BYT, and the new basic quality standards in Circular 35/2024/TT-BYT (from 1 January 2025). The 2024 reform abolished the old hạng I/II/III classification for licensing purposes and introduced three professional-technical levels (cấp ban đầu, cấp cơ bản, cấp chuyên sâu).

Telemedicine · BHYT-payable

Telemedicine in Vietnam

Telemedicine (khám bệnh, chữa bệnh từ xa) formally codified for the first time in Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 15/2023/QH15 Article 53, with operating conditions in Decree 96/2023/NĐ-CP Article 87, the eligible-conditions list in Circular 30/2023/TT-BYT, and BHYT reimbursement extended to telemedicine from 1 July 2025. Cross-border foreign telemedicine providers must operate via a licensed Vietnamese facility; controlled substances cannot be remotely prescribed.

Personal data · DPIA · DPO

Personal Data Protection in Vietnamese Digital Health

How Luật 91/2025/QH15 — the first dedicated Personal Data Protection Law of Vietnam — and its implementing Nghị định 356/2025/NĐ-CP (both effective 1 January 2026) apply to health data: telemedicine platforms, electronic medical records, e-prescription, the national drug-traceability system, health-insurance data, and clinical-trial data. Health, biometric and genetic data are sensitive personal data. Cross-border transfers and DPO appointment are mandatory in scope. Sanctions are codified in Article 8 of the Law itself (up to 10× illegal revenue for unlawful sale, up to 5 % of prior-year revenue for cross-border transfer violations, up to VND 3 billion for other violations).

Latest news & articles

Regulatory updates, official notices, and curated commentary

Medicine

Circular 18/2026/TT-BYT — Ministry of Health overhauls the rules for narcotic, psychotropic, precursor and radioactive medicines

Signed 1 June 2026 by Deputy Minister Nguyễn Tri Thức and effective 16 July 2026, Circular 18/2026/TT-BYT replaces Thông tư 20/2017 and 27/2024 as the implementing instrument for the Pharmacy Law and Decree 163/2025/NĐ-CP. Five chapters, nineteen articles, and a same-day reclassification of Etomidate and Carisoprodol as psychotropic substances.

General

Ministry of Health publishes internal procurement handbook for drugs and medical supplies — Decision 1589/QĐ-BYT (3 June 2026)

A 69-page operations manual aligned with Prime Minister's Directive 24/CT-TTg (29/7/2024), built on Luật Đấu thầu 22/2023/QH15 (as amended by Luật 57/2024 and Luật 90/2025), Nghị định 214/2025/NĐ-CP and Thông tư 40/2025/TT-BYT — covering procurement planning, open competitive tender, competitive offer, direct procurement and designation, for entities under the Ministry of Health.

General

Telemedicine in Vietnam — regulations and conditions, with a focus on foreign companies

Khám bệnh, chữa bệnh từ xa is no longer an exception scheme. From 1 January 2024, Luật 15/2023/QH15 codifies it as a regulated form of medical practice; Nghị định 96/2023/NĐ-CP and Thông tư 32/2023/TT-BYT pin the operational conditions; Quyết định 2628/QĐ-BYT remains the operational backbone of the inter-facility network; and a data / cybersecurity overlay — Nghị định 13/2023/NĐ-CP, Luật Giao dịch điện tử 2023, Nghị định 53/2022/NĐ-CP, Luật Bảo vệ dữ liệu cá nhân 2025 — applies on top. For a foreign company, the entry path is constrained at three layers: the WTO schedule and Luật Đầu tư 2020 (corporate vehicle), the practising licence and language rule for the doctor (Điều 21), and the data-localisation and consent regime (Nghị định 13/2023, Luật BVDLCN). A synthesis of the law text on Cổng thông tin Chính phủ and ThuVienPhapLuat, the implementing decree and circular, the 2020 telehealth project decision, and analytical coverage from kcb.vn, xaydungchinhsach.chinhphu.vn and LuatVietnam.

General

Universities training medicine and pharmacy in Vietnam — a 2026 map of history, faculties and students

From the École de Médecine de l'Indochine founded in Hanoi in 1902 to the ~35+ accredited universities and academies operating today, Vietnam's medical and pharmaceutical training system now spans the historic flagships, regional public universities, the Vietnam Military Medical University and a growing cluster of private schools led by VinUniversity. A synthesis read against Luật Khám bệnh, chữa bệnh 2023 (Luật 15/2023/QH15), Nghị định 96/2023/NĐ-CP, and the National Medical Licensing Exam phasing in from 1 January 2027.

General

Conditions for medical practice in Vietnam — what businesses, hospitals/clinics and individual practitioners must meet under the 2024-2026 framework

From 1 January 2024, Luật Khám bệnh, chữa bệnh số 15/2023/QH15 replaced the 2009 law and rewrote the architecture of medical practice. Nghị định 96/2023/NĐ-CP and Thông tư 32/2023/TT-BYT detailed the new conditions for both individual practitioners (Giấy phép hành nghề) and establishments (Giấy phép hoạt động). From 1 January 2025 the three-tier system (cấp ban đầu / cấp cơ bản / cấp chuyên sâu) replaced the old four-tier scheme, and from 1 July 2026 Nghị quyết 21/2026/NQ-CP delegates practising licence authority from Bộ Y tế to Chủ tịch UBND cấp tỉnh. A synthesis of the law text on Cổng thông tin Chính phủ and ThuVienPhapLuat, the implementing decree and circular, the delegation resolution, and analysis from kcb.vn, xaydungchinhsach.chinhphu.vn and LuatVietnam.

Medicine

Pharmacovigilance obligations of drug manufacturers in Vietnam — what changes under Luật 44/2024 and Circular 12/2025

From 1 July 2025, the amended Pharmacy Law (Luật 44/2024/QH15) and the new drug-registration circular (Thông tư 12/2025/TT-BYT) took effect together, reshaping the operational duties of marketing-authorisation holders, manufacturers, importers and distributors. The 2021 National Pharmacovigilance Guideline (Quyết định 122/QĐ-BYT) survives as the technical backbone. A synthesis of the consolidated Pharmacy Law (VBHN 39/VBHN-VPQH / 76/VBHN-VPQH), DAV guidance, and industry analysis from LuatVietnam, ThuVienPhapLuat, the canhgiacduoc.org.vn DI&ADR portal, Lexology and Dione.

About Medibase

Medibase aggregates publicly available reference information from the Drug Administration of Vietnam (DAV), the Ministry of Health, Vietnam Social Security, and curated reference materials. Every regulatory citation links back to its official source.

The pages on Medibase are intended as a reference and do not replace professional medical advice or formal legal counsel. When using the information for registration, tendering, or commercial purposes, verify against the source text at the Official Gazette (Công báo) and the DAV portal.

Library size: 30 medicines 24 supplements 30 foods 0 medical devices