Glossary
Look up Vietnamese regulatory terms and abbreviations across medicine, supplements, food, medical devices and cosmetics — trilingual EN/VI/JA.
29 terms
A
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Apostille (1961 Hague Convention)
A single certificate issued by the competent authority of a Hague Apostille Convention member state, replacing the mult…
International -
ASEAN Common Submission Dossier Template ASEAN CSDT
The standardised dossier format adopted across ASEAN member states for medical-device registration. In Vietnam, ASEAN C…
International -
ASEAN Medical Device Directive AMDD
The regional framework harmonising medical-device regulation across ASEAN member states — covering definitions, risk cl…
International
C
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Certificate of Free Sale (medical devices) CFS
In the medical-device context, CFS denotes the Certificate of Free Sale required for imports of Class C/D devices into …
Regulatory & legal -
Certificate of Pharmaceutical Product CPP
A WHO-format certificate issued by the regulatory authority of the exporting country, certifying that a finished drug i…
Regulatory & legal
D
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Department of Traditional Medicine, Ministry of Health
The Ministry of Health directorate responsible for traditional medicine, including thuốc cổ truyền (finished traditiona…
Agency or authority -
Drug Administration of Vietnam DAV
The directorate within the Ministry of Health responsible for the entire pharmaceutical sector — marketing authorisatio…
Agency or authority
F
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Foreign-invested enterprise FIE
A Vietnamese-incorporated enterprise with foreign equity, governed by the Investment Law and Enterprise Law. Sector rul…
Regulatory & legal -
Free Sale Certificate FSC
A certificate confirming that a product is freely sold in the issuing country. For Vietnamese-manufactured drugs destin…
Regulatory & legal
G
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Good Agricultural and Collection Practices for medicinal plants GACP
The quality standard for cultivation, harvesting and wild-collection of medicinal plants and the production of dược liệ…
Quality / GxP -
Good Distribution Practice GDP
The quality standard for wholesale distribution of drugs and pharmaceutical starting materials in Vietnam — set by Circ…
Quality / GxP -
Good Manufacturing Practice GMP
The quality standard for drug manufacturing in Vietnam — currently set by Circular 28/2025/TT-BYT (effective 1 July 202…
Quality / GxP -
Good Pharmacy Practice GPP
The quality standard for retail pharmacy operations in Vietnam — set by Circular 02/2018/TT-BYT, amended by Circular 12…
Quality / GxP -
Good Storage Practice GSP
The quality standard for warehousing of finished drugs and pharmaceutical starting materials in Vietnam — set by Circul…
Quality / GxP
H
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Health insurance (Vietnamese compulsory) BHYT
Vietnam's compulsory national health-insurance scheme covering the entire population, administered by Vietnam Social Se…
Regulatory & legal -
Health-protection food (health supplement) TPBVSK
The Vietnamese category for health supplements containing vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids, enzymes, probio…
Supplement
I
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Infrastructure and Medical Device Administration IMDA
The directorate within the Ministry of Health responsible for medical-device regulation in Vietnam — separate from DAV.…
Agency or authority -
International Narcotics Control Board INCB
The independent quasi-judicial UN body that monitors national compliance with the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Dr…
International
M
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Marketing authorisation / Registration number
The umbrella term for the authorisation a regulated product must hold before commercial sale in Vietnam. For drugs, the…
Regulatory & legal -
Medicinal materials
Raw materials of plant, animal or mineral origin used for medicinal purposes — under Article 66 of the Pharmacy Law as …
Medicine -
Ministry of Health MOH
The Vietnamese ministry with overall responsibility for health policy, healthcare services, and the regulation of medic…
Agency or authority
P
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Pharmacovigilance
The science and practice of detecting, assessing, understanding and preventing adverse effects and other drug-related p…
Regulatory & legal -
Pharmacy Business Eligibility Certificate GCN ĐĐKKDD
The umbrella business-condition certificate required for every form of pharmacy business in Vietnam under Article 32 of…
Regulatory & legal -
Pharmacy Practice Certificate CCHND
The natural-person professional licence required for every responsible person on a GCN ĐĐKKDD and for personnel perform…
Regulatory & legal
S
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Special-control medicines
The umbrella category — under the Pharmacy Law as implemented by Decree 163/2025/NĐ-CP and Circular 18/2026/TT-BYT — fo…
Medicine -
Sở Y tế
The Department of Health at provincial level — or, after the 2024–2025 local-government restructuring, the equivalent s…
Agency or authority
U
V
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Vietnam Food Administration VFA
The Ministry of Health directorate responsible for food safety, including health supplements (thực phẩm bảo vệ sức khỏe…
Agency or authority -
Vietnam Social Security VSS
The national social-insurance fund administering compulsory health insurance (Bảo hiểm Y tế — BHYT) for the entire popu…
Agency or authority
Reference information only; not legal or medical advice.