Specialized management

Food safety in Vietnam is jointly managed by three ministries, with the split established by Annex IV of Decree 15/2018/NĐ-CP. Knowing which ministry covers a given product determines which declaration channel to use, which inspection authority will sample the product, and which certificate the establishment needs.

Ministry of Health (MOH / VFA):

• Health-protection foods, medical-nutrition foods, foods for special dietary uses, supplements.
• Packaged drinking water and natural mineral water; ice for direct human consumption.
• Food additives, processing aids, and food-contact materials.
• Foods reinforced with micronutrients.

Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD):

• Meat and meat products; eggs and egg products; milk in raw form.
• Fishery and aquaculture products.
• Vegetables, fruits, and their primary products.
• Cereals, beans, nuts in raw form; honey; salt for food use.
• Tea, coffee, cocoa, pepper, cashew, and other agriculture-origin commodities.
• Genetically modified plants and animals for food use.

Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT):

• Alcoholic beverages including spirits, wines, and beers.
• Non-alcoholic soft drinks and energy drinks.
• Processed dairy products.
• Confectionery, sugar, processed cocoa.
• Processed flour and starch products.
• Vegetable oils.
• Other processed foods not assigned to MOH or MARD.

For multi-product portfolios or composite products, the ministry with the highest-risk or principal product takes lead. The Decree 15/2018 allocation has been operationally stable; the suspended Decree 46/2026 would have refined some assignments but is not in force.

Provincial-level delegation: each ministry delegates routine inspection, declaration reception, and food-safety certificate issuance to its provincial counterpart (provincial Department of Health, provincial Sub-Department of Agro-Forestry-Fishery Quality, or provincial Department of Industry and Trade).

Allocation:

• Decree 15/2018/NĐ-CP — Annex IV. The authoritative split of food categories between MOH, MARD, and MOIT.
• Law on Food Safety 55/2010/QH12 — Articles 61–65 on state-management responsibilities.

Sectoral implementation:

• Ministry of Health: VFA implementing regulations and provincial Department of Health practice notes.
• Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: Circular 38/2018/TT-BNNPTNT on assessment and certification of food-safety conditions for agro-forestry-fishery production and trading facilities (sets the three-level certification scoring used by MARD).
• Ministry of Industry and Trade: Circular 43/2018/TT-BCT and related guidance on MOIT-managed food categories.

Pending (suspended):

• Decree 46/2026/NĐ-CP — would have refined some of the MOH/MARD/MOIT assignments and tightened post-market sampling. Currently suspended.

2026 — Decree 46/2026 suspension: Decree 46/2026/NĐ-CP would have refined the three-ministry split and centralised some declaration receptions, but the decree has been suspended indefinitely by Resolutions 09/2026 and 15/2026 pending the revised Food Safety Law. The Decree 15/2018 allocation remains in force.

2023–2025 — Cross-sectoral enforcement: Joint inspection teams combining VFA, MARD's National Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Quality Assurance Department, MOIT Market Surveillance, and local authorities have run periodic campaigns targeting unsafe street food, online food sales, and traditional-market hygiene.

Standing — Provincial delegation: In practice, businesses interact with provincial-level counterparts of each ministry rather than the central body for routine matters.